Webinar: Voluntary Carbon Markets and International Dispute Resolution

We are pleased to sponsor the Young Members Group of CIArb NAB webinar, “Voluntary Carbon Markets and International Dispute Resolution”, on Thursday July 14, 2022 @ 12 p.m. EDT/9:00 a.m. PDT.

This webinar is a sequel to last year’s series on Climate Change, Decarbonization, and International Dispute Resolution, which covered a range of climate-related issues including rules governing carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Moderated by Nicola Peart, the panelists Paul Barker, Matthew Cranford, Luciana AquinoHagedorn, and Jesse Mosier (see bios below) will discuss the evolution of voluntary carbon markets, carbon finance, and the relevance of international dispute resolution from inhouse, private practice, and investment advisory perspectives.

The webinar will focus on voluntary carbon markets, in which businesses and financial institutions purchase carbon credits to neutralize (“offset”) their residual greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon credit-generating projects — from nature-based solutions such as forestry to climate tech solutions such as direct air capture — frequently involve complex cross-border legal issues. Globally, demand for carbon credits is rapidly increasing as corporates and financial institutions make net zero pledges, but there are serious questions over the precise role of carbon credits in achieving net zero, as well as related concerns over market integrity and “greenwashing”. In the absence of detailed mandatory regulation, voluntary initiatives such as the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM) are seeking to establish principles governing the supply of high-quality carbon credits.

Panelists and Moderator Bios:

Paul Barker is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, based in San Francisco. He is a member of the firm’s ESG & Impact practice, focusing on climate-related matters for private equity and corporate clients, including energy transition, sustainable finance, carbon markets, and dispute resolution. Paul is also an experienced international litigator and is recognized by Who’s Who Legal and Legal500 as a leading barrister for international arbitration and public international law.

Matthew Cranford is a Director at Pollination, based in Washington, D.C., working on the financial sector net zero transition, carbon markets, and blended finance. Matthew was previously Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Sustainable Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In earlier roles, he was advisor to the U.S. Board Member of the Green Climate Fund, a climate finance negotiator, and an international environmental finance consultant. Matthew trained as an environmental economist and is a CFA Charter holder.

Luciana Aquino-Hagedorn is the General Counsel at NCX. Previously, as a partner at Goodwin Procter, Luciana co-founded and co-lead a new practice area for the firm focused on impact and responsible investing. Prior to rejoining Goodwin, Luciana was Senior Vice President at Harvard Management Company (HMC) where she was involved in all legal aspects of HMC’s global forestry and agriculture portfolio. Luciana is an Argentine native and started her legal career in Buenos Aires.

Jesse W. Mosier is the Head of Legal at Pachama, a tech company that harnesses the power of AI and remote sensing to capture carbon and protect forests. Prior to Pachama, Jesse was the General Counsel at Migo Money, a fintech company with operations in Brazil and Nigeria. Jesse began his legal career with Cleary Gottlieb, where he spent three years in the New York office and four years in the Sao Paulo office. After Cleary, he spent two years with Gunderson Dettmer, focused on Latin American startup and technology companies.

Nicola Peart is a senior associate at Three Crowns LLP, in Washington, DC. She specializes in international arbitration, with a particular interest in environmental disputes in the commercial, investment and public international context. She has attended the climate change negotiations for over a decade, providing legal advice including on matters relating to climate finance and emissions trading. Nicola is ranked in Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US and Who’s Who Legal: Future Leaders for 2022.

This program is free, but space is limited.  To register, go to: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cW1ld4-aS3S4T_eqXeeMcw