I am a human-environment geographer exploring intersections of climate change policy, conservation, markets and justice. My research asks how, and by whom, carbon is quantified, standardized and commodified for climate interventions. I bring research to practice by translating climate science into strategies that guide philanthropic and investment capital toward high-impact climate solutions.
I am Senior Advisor of Climate Philanthropy & Investing at Project Drawdown.
My work is regularly featured in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, the Washington Post, TIME, and others. Over the past 15 years, I’ve advised governments, philanthropies, and Fortune 100 companies on climate policy, carbon management, and strategic investment.
Lauren Gifford - Select Publications
2026. “Expert opinions on soil carbon dioxide removal.” Climatic Change, with Sara Nawaz and Margaret Morgan
2026. “Make sorghum great again: navigating the politics of gene editing in the Make America Healthy Again movement.” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, with Gabriella Subia Smith
2026. “Making carbon offset not just a pipe dream.” Cell Press
2025. “Acting on Earth system tipping points: Why and how?” Global Tipping Points Report
2025. “Beyond tipping points: risks, equity, and the ethics of intervention.” Earth System Dynamics, with Pereira, L. et al.
2025. “What data centers really mean for Colorado’s future.” Colorado Newsline
2025. “The World Court just ruled countries can be held liable for climate change damage – what does that mean for the US?” The Conversation, with Daimeon Shanks-Dumont
2025. “Thresholds of significant harm at global level: The journey of the Earth Commission.” Global Environmental Change, with Gupta J. et al.
2024. “Carbon removal is here. What does that mean for Coloradans?” Colorado Newsline, with Giana Amador.
2024. “Defining Climate Finance Justice.” Geography Compass, with Sauls, L.
2024. “A just world on a safe planet: A Lancet Planetary Health–Earth Commission report on Earth-system boundaries, translations, and transformations.” Lancet Planetary Health, with Gupta, J, Bai, X, Liverman, D, Rockström, J, et al.
2023. “Safe and just Earth system boundaries.” Nature, with Rockström, J, et al.
2023. “Governing for a safe and just future with science-based targets: opportunities and limitations.” Climate and Development. Gifford, L, et al.
2023. “Earth system justice needed to identify and live within Earth system boundaries.” Nature Sustainability, with Gupta, J, et al.
2022. “Impacts of Meeting Minimum Access on Critical Earth Systems amidst the Great Inequality.” Nature Sustainability, with Rammelt, C, et al.
2022. “Make greenhouse-gas accounting reliable — build interoperable systems.” Nature. with Luers, A, et al.
2022. “Achieving a nature- and people-positive future.” One Earth, with Obura, D, et al.
2021. “Reconciling safe planetary targets and planetary justice: Why should social scientists engage with planetary targets?” Earth System Governance, with Gupta, J, Liverman, D, et al.
2021. "The AAG’s emissions problem: Achieving carbon neutrality in a post-offset world.” Professional Geographer (PDF here)
2020. “You can’t value what you can’t measure:’ A critical look at forest carbon accounting,” Climatic Change (PDF here)
2020. “Climate finance justice: International perspectives on climate policy, social justice, and capital,” Climatic Change special issue editor, with Chris Knudson
2019. “No Pixel Left behind: Toward Integrating Earth Observations for Agriculture into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Framework.” Remote Sensing of Environment, with Whitcraft, A, Becker-Reshef, I, et al.