Lauren Gifford

I am a critical geographer exploring intersections of climate adaptation, global climate policy, conservation, markets and justice. My work asks how, and by whom, climate and conservation policies are enacted. Theoretically, I draw on political ecology, science and technology studies, and critical development geography. Currently I work with the Earth Commission, a global team of scientists working to define and quantify a safe and just corridor for people and planet. We aim to define planetary justice and how justice can be integrated into the Earth Commission’s target-setting for a safe and just future. My personal research examines the evolution of climate finance, and the incorporation of tech industry interests, venture capital, and blockchain technology, with a particular focus on carbon markets and offsets.

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at University of Arizona’s School of Geography, Development and Environment, working with Dr. Diana Liverman, the Earth Commission, and the IPCC. I am part of the Environmental Justice/Climate Justice Hub at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an Affiliate with CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences at CU Boulder. I’ve taught at Northeastern University’s D'amore-McKim School of Business, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Arizona, and University of Colorado, Boulder. And I regularly consult with governments, NGOs, foundations and start-ups on climate and environmental policy.

I hold a PhD in Geography from University of Colorado, Boulder, an MA in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College, a BA in Communications from American University, and completed courses in greenhouse gas and forest carbon accounting through the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute. I've conducted mixed methods field research in the Peruvian Amazon, on Cuban organic farms, throughout Maine's forests, at the United Nations' annual climate negotiations, and at countless civil society meetings around the world.

I am a long-time volunteer with the global Climate Justice Now! network, working to build capacity for marginalized populations within the UNFCCC. I advised the Fijian delegation negotiating the climate finance tract of the Paris Agreement at COP21. As part of my advocacy for social justice within my home community, I served for two and a half years as a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Boulder, Colorado.

I love to collaborate and believe that great things can happen when willing minds come together. Lately I have been working with 500 Women Scientists to help amplify voices of woman in science, and with the Media, Environment and Climate Change Observatory, tracking media coverage of climate change. From 2019-2021 I produced and hosted the art & environment podcast Carbon Social Club.

After earning my Master’s degree I spent three years managing the Climate Justice Research Project at Dartmouth College, a Ford Foundation-funded initiative working at the intersection of climate change, economic disparities, and development. I began my career as a newspaper reporter for two of Maine’s (best!) weekly newspapers: The Mount Desert Islander and the Ellsworth American.