GI ACE Seminar: Scoping Corruption in Voluntary Carbon Markets

Save the date for the kickoff seminar of the GI ACE seminar series. This series brings together leading experts, researchers, and practitioners to discuss cutting-edge evidence-based approaches to tackling corruption globally. Each session will focus on key research findings, policy insights, and practical applications that drive anti-corruption initiatives in diverse governance contexts.

Through these collaborative seminars, we aim to foster dialogue between academics, policymakers, and practitioners to explore ongoing research and lessons learned from anti-corruption efforts around the world. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with thought leaders, gain actionable insights, and contribute to the dialogue on anti-corruption.

About the session:

This seminar presents emerging insights from RUSI’s Interrogating Corruption Risk in Voluntary Carbon Markets project. Drawing on early evidence and case studies, the discussion explores how market volatility, weak oversight, and governance gaps create vulnerabilities to fraud and corruption in voluntary carbon markets. The session will highlight key risks, evidence gaps, and potential policy and industry responses to strengthen integrity and restore confidence in these markets.

About the Speakers:

Jennifer Scotland is a Research Analyst in the Organised Crime and Policing team at RUSI. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Bristol.

Prior to joining RUSI, Jennifer was a Research Analyst on the Americas country intelligence desk at Janes, an open-source intelligence defence and security provider, where she monitored security threats in Latin America, including regional organised crime trends. Her research at Janes included investigations into illicit resource extraction driving deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, a deep-dive into organised crime-driven insecurity in Ecuador, monitoring of the Colombian peace process between the government and primary non-state actors, as well as a report exploring cocaine trafficking trends between the Americas and Europe in 2023. At RUSI, Jennifer is involved in the environmental crime portfolio, exploring issues such as the illegal wildlife trade and associated illicit finance in Africa and Latin America.

Dan Marks leads RUSI’s Energy Security Programme, running a European Climate Foundation programme to analyse risks across the net zero transition. He holds a BSc in Economics and Physics (Durham University), an MA in International Relations (Durham), MSc in Research Methods & Theory (Sorbonne University), and MSc in Economics (Sorbonne).

For 10+ years before RUSI, Dan was a consultant covering the energy sector in Africa. He has worked extensively on allegations of fraud and corruption in the sector, including primary research into allegations of bribery, attempts to solicit bribes and misappropriation of funds in Tanzania, Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. He has expertise in utility-scale renewable power, off-grid power and clean cooking, as well as in procurement, project finance and due diligence, having undertaken red flag compliance investigations across the African continent. Dan has carried out extensive relevant fieldwork, visiting rural households to understand the impact of off-grid electrification and conducting interviews with senior government and regulatory officials. 

Pablo Fernandez (Discussant) is the Chief Executive Officer of EcoSecurities, a global leader in climate solutions with nearly three decades of experience. Since 2019, he has provided strategic leadership to the company as it develops high-integrity climate finance projects and decarbonisation activities that leverage nature, technology, and capital to accelerate the transition for corporates and governments worldwide.

With over 20 years of international experience in environmental markets, Pablo has worked across the private sector, multilateral agencies, and NGOs with a strong focus on climate finance, climate policy, and carbon markets. Prior to EcoSecurities, he served as a Climate Advisor at BV Rio, designing innovative market instruments for the circular economy, and spent six years as Head of Environmental Markets at Mercuria Energy Trading, advancing the energy transition within one of the world’s leading commodity groups.Pablo’s career also includes more than a decade at the UNFCCC, where he supported the development of international carbon markets, and several years representing the private sector at the Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate fund. He holds a BSc in Biological Science, an MSc in Energy and Environmental Planning, and an MBA from Business School Lausanne, Switzerland.

Liz Dávid-Barrett (Chair) is Professor of Governance and Integrity at the University of Sussex, Programme Director of GI ACE, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption. Her research focuses on corruption risks at the interface of business and government—including state capture, public procurement, and bribery in international business—and on approaches to countering these risks, such as transnational governance networks in law enforcement and investigative journalism.

Recent co-edited books include The Dictionary of Corruption (2023, Agenda, with Robert Barrington, Rebecca Dobson Phillips, and Georgia Garrod) and Understanding Corruption: How Corruption Works in Practice (2022, Agenda, with Robert Barrington, Sam Power, and Dan Hough). Liz engages widely with anti-corruption practitioners globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, and has advised the UK government and the G20 on international anti-corruption policy.

Before becoming an academic, Liz worked as a journalist in the Balkans for The Economist and Financial Times. In 2022–23, she served as Head of the Global Programme on Measuring Corruption at the International Anti-Corruption Academy. She holds a DPhil, MSc, and MA from the University of Oxford, and an MA from the University of London.

To find out more about the project, visit the project page here: https://bit.ly/RUSIProject

Read their latest paper here: https://bit.ly/RUSIScopingPaper

Read RUSI's blog here: https://bit.ly/RUSIBlog1

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