Louis Verchot

Dr. Louis Verchot is a biogeochemist with over 35 years of experience leading research on tropical land use and land-use change, with a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals across the US, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He has authored over 250 scientific and technical publications, including over 145 research papers.  His work bridges science and policy, aiming to generate actionable, field-based data that informs climate mitigation strategies, sustainable land management, and low-emission food systems.

His research spans a wide range of topics— including greenhouse gas emissions from land use and land-use change, deforestation drivers, tropical peatlands, dry and humid forests, agroforestry, forest landscape restoration, soil carbon sequestration, and sustainable food systems.

He collaborated extensively with universities and advanced research institutions in the global north and research and development partners across the tropics.  He has contributed to the IPCC since 2002, including roles in both the GHG Inventory Task Force and Working Group III.  He contributed regularly to the UN Climate Change Convention since 2003 and made expert contributions to policy processes in national and regional forums. He currently serves on the Interim Steering Committee of the Soil Carbon International Research Consortium and as associate editor for Ecology, Conservation, and Global Change Biology at the Open Science Journal of the Royal Society.

Now transitioning to an emeritus position, he remains committed to advancing science-based solutions to climate change and supporting global collaboration on nature-based mitigation pathways.