CfP AAG 2026: Evidence to Inform More Effective and Equitable Climate Finance for Carbon Markets and Beyond
Libby Blanchard
2026 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting
Call for Papers
Evidence to Inform More Effective and Equitable Climate Finance for Carbon Markets and Beyond
Organizers: Libby Blanchard (University of Utah), Barbara Haya (University of California, Berkeley), and Stephen Lezak (University of Oxford)
Since the recognition of climate change by the international community, carbon credit trading has been a prominent means for nations, corporations, and others to finance and claim greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and removals (Grubb et al 1999). Carbon credit trading—facilitated by “voluntary” and “compliance” (i.e. can be used to meet mandatory emissions reduction requirements) carbon markets—is intended as a means for corporations and others to reduce GHG emissions in a cost-effective manner (Stern 2006). However, in recent years, a range of challenges have been identified with i) the quality of existing carbon credits (e.g. Probst et al 2024, Gill-Wiehl et al 2024, West et al 2024, Haya et al 2023, Anderegg et al 2025, Stapp et al 2023); ii) the accuracy of offsetting claims (e.g. Blanchard et al 2024, Allen et al 2022, Anderegg et al 2025, Macintosh et al 2025); iii) the credibility of corporate and other climate mitigation strategies that use carbon credits with offsetting claims (e.g. Hale et al 2022, Romm et al 2025; Johnstone et al 2025; Blanchard et al 2025); and iv) whether VCM projects can credibly achieve a state of “no net harm,” given their social and ecological trade-offs (e.g. Kueppers et al 2004, Ellis et al 2024).
We seek to bring together scholars working across carbon markets to build on existing work and examine the direction forward for offset markets and alternatives Topics we hope this session will explore include prospects of improving carbon markets, contributions versus offsetting claims, carbon credit markets versus direct contributions and non-market approaches to climate mitigation, evolving frameworks and motivations for corporate climate action, and climate finance.
Please send proposed titles and abstracts of approximately 250 words by October 30 to: Libby Blanchard (libby.b...@utah.edu). Keep in mind that due to the AAG’s abstract deadline, you will need to have already registered for the meeting and submitted your abstract through the AAG portal by 5pm EDT on the same day.
References
Allen M.R., et al. Net-zero: limiting future warming. Nat Clim Change. 2022;12:15–22.
Anderegg W.R.L., et al. Towards more effective nature-based climate solutions in global forests. Nature. 2025;643:113–121. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09116-6.
Blanchard L. et al. Funding forests’ climate potential without carbon offsets. One Earth. 2024.
Blanchard L. et al. Update corporate climate standards to increase rigor and ambition. One Earth. 2025.
Ellis, P.W. et al. The principles of natural climate solutions. Nature Communications. 2024.
Gill-Wiehl A. et al. Pervasive over-crediting from cookstove offset methodologies. Nat Sustain. 2024;7:933–941. doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01259-6.
Grubb M., et al. The Kyoto Protocol: A Guide and Assessment. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs / Earthscan; 1999.
Hale T., et al. Net-zero tracking: improving accountability for corporate climate action. Nat Clim Change. 2022;12:689–696. doi:10.1038/s41558-022-01375-8.
Haya B., et al. Credit where credit is due: improving forest carbon accounting for climate integrity. Nat Clim Change. 2023;13:955–962.
Johnstone R., et al. The Oxford Principles for Net Zero-Aligned Carbon Offsetting (Oxford Offsetting Principles 2.0). Nat Clim Change. 2025;15.
Kueppers, L.M., et al. A Decision Matrix Approach to Evaluating the Impacts of Land-Use Activities Undertaken to Mitigate Climate Change. Climatic Change. 2004.
Macintosh A., et al. Revisiting permanence and additionality in forest carbon accounting. Nat Clim Change. 2025.
Probst B.S., et al. Systematic assessment of the achieved emission reductions of carbon crediting projects. Nat Commun. 2024.
Romm J., et al. Scaling climate solutions with integrity. Nat Clim Change. 2025.
Stern N. The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2006.
Stapp J.R., et al. Evaluating the additionality of renewable-energy offset credits under the Clean Development Mechanism. Nat Clim Change. 2023.
West T.A.P., et al. Integrity gaps in avoided-deforestation carbon credits revealed by spatial and temporal counterfactuals. Science. 2024.
Libby Blanchard Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy
School of Biological Sciences
University of Utah