Bronson Griscom

Bronson leads Conservation International’s Natural Climate Solutions science team, playing a key role in the strategic development of natural climate solutions science across the organization, leading a research agenda that helps deliver on Conservation International’s climate goals.

He works closely with a network of scientists and experts across divisions and in collaboration with some of the world’s leading climate-focused institutions and global thought leaders. Bronson and his team conduct transformative research on natural climate solutions, including monitoring and evaluation, global climate mitigation potential, and the re-design of conservation, restoration, and improved land management strategies to maximize their climate and co-benefit impacts.

He is the lead author of a landmark study that introduced the term “Natural Climate Solutions” and revealed that these solutions provide over 30% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to keep global temperature increases under 2 degrees Celsius. He published the study with colleagues in 2017 while in his previous role with The Nature Conservancy as Director of Forest Carbon Science to design, measure, and scale Natural Climate Solutions.

Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Bronson coordinated a successful effort at the U.S. Department of State, as an AAAS fellow, to make climate change funding available for forest-climate initiatives through the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). He completed a post-doc at the Canaan Valley Institute in West Virginia studying restoration of high elevation Appalachian watersheds. He completed a Ph.D. in tropical forest ecology from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2003 and received a M.Sc. from New York University in plant genetics and conservation.

Natural climate solutions include actions to protect, restore, and improve the management of forests, agricultural lands, and wetlands while safeguarding biodiversity, food, and social justice.