Our Company

We are a leading authority and essential resource for mastering the intricacies of carbon markets.

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Elevate Climate was formed to inform, guide, and connect carbon market stakeholders in their pursuit of climate change mitigation. Our work centers on equipping clients across sectors with top-tier insights and tools to accelerate learning, facilitate compliance, and inform strategies across this rapidly growing space.

Our Story

Dedicated to fulfilling the promise of carbon markets

When climate economist Clayton Munnings first established Munnings Consulting in 2018, it was with a singular focus: to help fulfill the promise of carbon markets. Drawing on over a decade of research and peer-reviewed publications on carbon pricing across six continents, Clayton leveraged his deep academic foundation to advise governments, nonprofits, and private stakeholders alike on using carbon markets effectively to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In 2023, the firm welcomed Alicia Robinson, a Harvard-trained lawyer with expertise in carbon markets, regulatory compliance, and mediation. Her addition coincided with a turning point as the firm expanded beyond technical advice to provide strategic guidance on the policy dynamics shaping carbon market outcomes.

As part of this evolution, we introduced new approaches to support the broader carbon market ecosystem, including convening cross-sector collaborations like the California Carbon Market Collaborative and launching an Insights subscription to help clients navigate policy shifts and simplify policy complexity.

That same year, we rebranded as Elevate Climate to reflect our expanded role: delivering the insight, clarity, and connections organizations need to facilitate better mitigation outcomes.

With experience advising over 100 clients across sectors and geographies, Elevate Climate brings a unique blend of technical depth, policy acumen, and practical know-how to every engagement.

Qualifications & Past Affiliations

  • University of California, Berkeley 

  • Cornell University 

  • Stanford University 

  • Harvard University 

  • Resources for the Future

  • California Air Resources Board

  • International Emissions Trading Association

  • Latham & Watkins LLP

  • Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Capabilities & Expertise

  • Environmental Economics

  • Climate Policy Design & Analysis

  • Regulatory Compliance

  • Carbon Markets & Pricing Mechanisms

  • Energy & Environmental Law

  • Mediation & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Quantitative Policy Modeling

  • Sustainable Finance & Climate Risk

Market Proficiency

  • California Cap-and-Trade Program

  • Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

  • Washington State Cap-and-Invest

  • China National Emissions Trading System

  • EU Emissions Trading System

  • CORSIA

  • Paris Agreement, Article 6 

  • Voluntary Carbon Markets

Meet the Team

Our team boasts an interdisciplinary background in climate economics, policy, and law, with well over a decade of designing, assessing, and communicating about carbon pricing and policy.

Executive Leadership

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  • Chief Executive Officer

    Alicia Robinson is an attorney, advisor, and mediator who specializes in providing carbon markets policy analysis and advice to cap-and-trade stakeholders across multiple sectors.

    Alicia began her career at preeminent U.S. law firms, Latham & Watkins LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, where she worked closely with globally ranked attorneys across climate, energy transition, and enforcement practices.

    Her collective experience includes drafting and analyzing legal frameworks for carbon pricing, environmental commodities, and GHG reporting, working with stakeholders to understand and shape views on climate policy, advising on the mechanics of carbon markets, drafting ESG disclosures and internal governance policies, and structuring and diligencing transactions, among others. Alicia is also a trained mediator and is a standing member of external mediators for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    Alicia is fluent in Spanish and French and has over a decade of experience working on legal and economic development issues in Latin America.  

    Alicia received a B.A. from Stanford University in International Relations (with Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa) and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Strategic Leadership

Headshot of a man with red hair and beard wearing a navy blue suit and white shirt, smiling at the camera against a white background.

  • Founder & Chair

    Clayton a widely published climate economist with over four dozen scholarly articles and policy papers on carbon pricing. Clayton has led research and advised on the design of carbon taxes, cap-and-trade programs, and other carbon pricing policies on six continents.  

    Clayton has held multiple expert and advisory roles including as Board Member at Earthshot, member of Colorado’s GEMM Trading Technical Working Group, and Expert to the International Initiative for Development of Article 6 Methodology Tools. 

    Clayton is the Founder & Chair of Elevate Climate, a firm he founded in 2018, and is the founder and Executive Director of Clean & Prosperous California, a nonprofit focused on producing economic analysis of California’s cap-and-trade program. He has held previous roles at the California Air Resources Board, the International Emissions Trading Association, Kepos Capital, Resources for the Future, and the World Bank Group.

    Clayton holds an A.S. from Monroe Community College, a B.S. from Cornell University (with Distinction), an M.S. from UC Berkeley, and is a Ph.D. Candidate at UC Berkeley. He is a first-generation college student and a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholar through their low-income high-ability “Pathways to Success” program. Clayton is based in Berkeley, CA.