Legal Innovation
The Challenge
Climate finance and carbon markets are expanding rapidly, but the underlying legal and data infrastructure has not kept pace. Frameworks for permanence, ownership, and liability remain unsettled. Disclosure and reporting systems are fragmented across jurisdictions.. Without legal clarity, interoperable standards, and inclusive governance, these markets risk inefficiency, exclusion, and loss of integrity.
The Opportunity
This is a pivotal moment to design climate markets that are both functional and fair. By embedding legal rigor into market design, creating open-source, investor-grade data systems, and aligning stakeholders around shared governance structures, it is possible to unlock significant capital flows. Done well, these systems can greatly expand participation in global markets, give regulators confidence in data integrity, and ensure that private finance complements public climate goals.
The Work
As the Chair of the Stanford CodeX Center for Legal Informatics Climate Data Policy Initiative at the I’m working at the intersection of law, policy, and technology to help shape the future of climate finance. That means:
Strengthening academic and institutional partnerships to explore the legal dimensions of carbon markets, permanence standards, and natural climate solutions.
Convening multi-stakeholder dialogues that bring together legal scholars, practitioners, technologists, and private sector leaders to address fast-evolving challenges.
Launching the Carbon Legal Matters Forum to provide structured conversations on critical topics such as blockchain/tokenization, AI in climate data and MRV, disclosure and liability, and international legal harmonization.
Bringing a legal lens to emerging research and technologies to ensure that climate data systems, reporting frameworks, and markets are built on solid, interoperable foundations.