Yale Forms New Partnership to Strengthen Carbon Credit Standards
A Yale-led research network, Science for High-Integrity Frameworks to Transform Carbon Markets (SHIFT CM), is partnering with the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM) on an initiative to boost confidence in voluntary carbon markets by aligning scientific research with carbon credit quality standards.
In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, Yale scientists formed SHIFT CM to accelerate the development of high-integrity science-led nature-based carbon markets.
Carbon credits are a powerful tool to advance climate mitigation but the markets facing challenges in the integrity without clear regulation and standardization, said Sara Kuebbing, a YSE research scientist and lecturer who is helping to lead the initiative.
As part of the Yale Forest Forum “Frontiers in Forest Carbon Accounting” seminar this fall, Kuebbing will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss foundational issues in carbon accounting and crediting.
“We can provide transformative solutions to help inform, support, and uphold standards in the market,” she said.
August 15, 2025
Sara Kuebbing
Assistant Professor of Temperate Forest Resilience; Research Director, Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program
More News in Brief
What makes extreme heat so deadly?
In the latest Rose Walk and Talk, YSE's Jennifer Marlon explains why extreme heat poses a growing threat to human health — and it’s not just about the temperature.
August 26, 2026
Jennifer Marlon
Senior Research Scientist, Lecturer, and Director of Data Science; Executive Director, Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions; Lecturer, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Anthony Leiserowitz Named American Psychological Association Fellow
Anthony Leiserowitz, professor of climate communication, has been elected an American Psychological Association Fellow, effective January 1, 2027. Fellow status is awarded to those who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of psychology.
Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, was recognized for his work on climate and environmental psychology, which has helped shape how the public and policymakers understand the human dimensions of the climate crisis.
“I’m so honored to be named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Environmental and conservation psychology are more important to solving our shared global challenges than ever before, and I’m just glad I’ve had the opportunity to help advance the field,” Leiserowitz said.
August 11, 2026
Anthony Leiserowitz
JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication; Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)
Satellites Can Track Amazon Forest Resilience — But Timing Matters
A new study led by Kexin Song, a postdoctoral associate at YSE, offers field-based evidence that satellite data can detect meaningful differences in how well Amazon forests recover from drought stress, rather than merely reflecting glitches caused by clouds, sensor quirks, or measurement timing. By cross-checking geospatial observations with physiological measurements from more than 342 trees representing 114 species, researchers confirmed that a satellite-derived resilience indicator capture real ecological signals. This finding strengthens the case for using satellites as early-warning tools for ecosystem transitions across hard-to-access regions such as the Amazon.
An important caveat that the study found, however, is that the observation timing must align with natural recovery rhythms. For instance sampling too frequently can hide recovery dynamics, but sampling too infrequently risks missing them. The study suggests that some earlier satellite-based resilience assessments warrant re-examination.
The paper, "Physiological fidelity of a satellite-derived forest resilience indicator in the Amazon," was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
July 21, 2026
