Rob Macquarie

Rob joined the Grantham Research Institute in July 2021. He is a member of the policy team, in addition to providing research support to Professor Stern. His policy work spans climate finance, international climate politics and governance, and the just transition.
Rob leads the Institute’s policy work on voluntary carbon markets and facilitates engagement with the UK Government via the Council for Science and Technology. He has contributed to research for the G7 on an international climate alliance, or ‘climate club’. He also leads the Institute’s policy contribution to the interdisciplinary project JUSTDECARB, to assist national policymakers across Europe to design and implement socially just and politically robust low-carbon transitions.
Background
Prior to joining the Institute, Rob was an Analyst at Climate Policy Initiative, where he led research tracking global climate finance flows and contributed data to the IPCC and the UNFCCC’s Biennial Assessment. He also developed tools to assess the alignment of institutions’ targets, policies and investments with net-zero goals, both worldwide and in the UK.
Rob previously worked as an Economist at the research and campaigning organisation Positive Money, focusing on green central banking and options to reform the UK’s monetary and financial policy framework. He holds an MSc in Comparative Political Economy from LSE and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Research interests
- The role of institutions in driving international climate finance in high quantity and quality
- Policy design to promote a just transition in climate and ecological action
- Public engagement and participation as a tool to construct sustainable pathways and drive institutional and technical innovation
- Emergent governance for net-zero commitments and the interplay of voluntary initiatives with national and international regulation
Research
Research - 2022
In: Central Banking, Monetary Policy and Social Responsibility Macquarie R (2022) Precautionary monetary policy and democratic legitimacy: tensions and openings.... Read more

Policy
Policy - 2022
This report of the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance provides a framework for delivering finance for climate action, following the comprehensive approach embodied in the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC. Read more

This report consists of a submission to a UK government consultation on designing business models for greenhouse gas removal technologies. Read more

This independent report sets out a rationale and possible design of a Climate Club, taking its point of departure from the June 2022 G7 Leaders’ Statement on Climate Club. Read more

A submission to the UK Treasury's consultation on the 'Proposals for Reform' under its Financial Regulation Framework Review. Read more

Policy - 2021
A submission based on work from across the Grantham Research Institute to the FCDO's recent call for evidence to inform the UK's forthcoming International Development Strategy. Read more

Books
Books - 2022
In: Central Banking, Monetary Policy and Social Responsibility Macquarie R (2022) Precautionary monetary policy and democratic legitimacy: tensions and openings.... Read more

News
News - 2023
This commentary explores how net climate change mitigation benefits can be achieved from using carbon credits, despite the variable and uncertain quality of credits. Read more

Linking compliance schemes to voluntary demand and supply could undermine integrity in India's new carbon market. This commentary suggests how to overcome these issues to encourage effective decarbonisation. Read more

News - 2022
International negotiations are a necessary but insufficient part of society’s response to climate change. Looking outside of the forum of COP climate conferences, Rob Macquarie and Eleonore Soubeyran review the vital contribution of voluntary initiatives. Read more

What role can and should financial regulation play in tackling climate change? The answer should guide the remoulding of regulatory... Read more

Voluntary Carbon Markets are growing rapidly but where credits or the claims made by buyers lack integrity and quality, this could undermine global climate action and development. Rob Macquarie explains how companies and policymakers who want VCMs to succeed can make them a meaningful contribution to sustainable development and a just global transition. Read more

This article discusses whether the use by companies of voluntary carbon markets to meet short-term decarbonisation targets is another form of greenwashing. The article includes quotes from Rob Macquarie. Read more

News - 2021
The UK Government’s keenly anticipated Net Zero Strategy is due to be published ahead of COP26 and one aspect for evaluation will be whether the Strategy offers a coherent plan on behaviour and engagement, says Rob Macquarie. Read more
