Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets names Lindy Fursman as executive director

The government-led Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets has appointed former New Zealand climate adviser Lindy Fursman to lead its secretariat ahead of Climate Week NYC and the UN climate talks in Antalya. The move comes as the Coalition pushes policies to expand corporate demand for high-integrity carbon credits, with analysis suggesting retirements could quadruple by 2035 under more supportive rules.

Why it matters: - The Coalition is trying to unlock more corporate money for carbon credit projects that cut emissions and support climate finance. - The Coalition’s members represent more than a fifth of current global demand for carbon credits in voluntary markets. - The appointment comes at a point when governments are weighing how to scale carbon markets before COP31 talks in Antalya.

What happened: - The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets named Lindy Fursman as executive director of its secretariat. - Fursman was formerly chief advisor for climate change at New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment. - Fursman most recently served as director for climate and energy policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. - The announcement was made ahead of Climate Week NYC. - The Coalition is government-led and includes 14 member countries: Canada, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Türkiye, the UK and Zambia.

The details: - The Coalition plans to release a policy playbook at the COP31 talks in Antalya. - The playbook is meant to help members accelerate demand for carbon credits. - Fursman said she wants to help members navigate policies that can build confidence in the market and mobilize finance for emissions reductions and removals. - Fursman said governments hold the key levers for market maturity and that clear, consistent policy signals are needed to unlock corporate demand for high-integrity carbon credits. - MSCI Institute analysis, provided as official data for the Coalition, suggests carbon credit retirements could quadruple by 2035 with more supportive government policy. - In that scenario, annual retirements could reach 845 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which MSCI compares with taking 178 million cars off the road for a year. - MSCI says that growth could direct $21 billion a year by 2035 into projects that cut global emissions and support growth. - Corporate carbon credit retirements have stayed near 200 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year for the past five years. - MSCI says maximum growth depends on governments setting clear expectations for company use of credits and backing those rules with policy, incentives and guidance that de-risk investment. - Guy Turner, managing director at MSCI Carbon Markets, said carbon credit markets can drive low-carbon investment and that governments have a key role in supporting growth. - Turner also said the Coalition could help create globally connected, liquid carbon credit markets where governments provide clarity and companies provide capital. - The MSCI Institute is the Coalition’s official data partner and will help track impact over time. - Carbon credit markets could help close the estimated $1.3 trillion finance gap for climate action. - Recent polling has found that inconsistent policies have suppressed business demand. - A recent World Business Council for Sustainable Development survey found 85% of companies said internationally aligned government policy would make it easier to participate in carbon markets. - The forthcoming playbook will lay out the most impactful policy options for governments to implement the Coalition’s Shared Principles, which were released last year.

Between the lines: - The Coalition is signaling that policy clarity, not just market demand, is the main barrier to scaling carbon credits. - The Fursman hire adds a senior policy operator with government and advisory experience at a moment when the Coalition is trying to move from principles to implementation. - The focus on internationally aligned rules suggests member governments want to reduce fragmentation that can hold back corporate participation.

What’s next: - The Coalition will publish its policy playbook at COP31 in Antalya. - Members are expected to use the playbook to shape national policies that encourage more companies to buy high-integrity carbon credits. - The Coalition will also monitor market impact with support from the MSCI Institute.

The bottom line: - The Coalition is betting that better policy design can unlock far more private capital for carbon markets and climate finance.