Johanna Depenthal

“Climate change increasingly affects all of earth’s ecosystems and every aspect of our lives. We have a joint responsibility to take ownership of our contribution and to work individually and collectively for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Doing so requires not only our best science and innovation but the best of us as humans.”

“I admire Cool Effect’s commitment to supporting high-integrity carbon credits and to raising the standard for environmental and social benefits across the market. I am excited to bring my scientific background and experience working with local communities to Cool Effect in my role as Director of Project Research.”

Johanna joins Cool Effect after finishing her Ph.D. in Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. She worked with Maya Communities to understand the importance of forests as part of their culture and livelihoods. Previously she worked with a series of different communities in Mexico to help World Wildlife Fund develop national policy for payments for ecosystem services. While at Duke University, she mapped the movement of Gabonese forest elephants and throughout her career has co-authored five peer-reviewed articles.