Reversing Climate Change Through Market Innovation

Dr. Graciela Chichilnisky

CEO & Founder

Dr. Graciela Chichilnisky is a pioneering economist whose work fundamentally shaped global climate policy and carbon markets as we know them today.

Climate Markets Pioneer

Dr. Chichilnisky created the carbon market mechanisms embedded in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, establishing the first global framework for trading emission reduction obligations across more than 160 nations. Her market design innovations enabled over $600 billion in carbon trading activity and created the blueprint for emissions markets worldwide, including the European Union Emissions Trading System.

In 2010, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) acquired the Chicago Climate Exchange and European Climate Exchange for $606.7 million, validating the commercial viability of the carbon market structures Dr. Chichilnisky pioneered.

Academic Leadership

Currently serving on the faculty at Columbia University, Dr. Chichilnisky holds appointments at both the Columbia Consortium for Risk Management and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Her academic work spans economics, mathematics, and climate science, with groundbreaking contributions to sustainable development theory, intergenerational equity (the “Chichilnisky Criterion”), mathematical economics, resource allocation under uncertainty, and climate change economics.

Her work on sustainable preferences balancing present needs with future welfare directly addresses the fundamental challenge of climate policy: how do we make decisions today that properly value outcomes centuries from now? This research, published in leading journals including Social Choice and Welfare and Land Economics, provides the theoretical foundation for long-term climate investments.

A 2017 study in Climate Change Economics co-authored by Dr. Chichilnisky demonstrated that climate policies designed with her criterion favor earlier, more aggressive emission reductions compared to standard economic models, precisely the approach climate science now shows is necessary.

Innovation and Patents

Dr. Chichilnisky holds multiple patents relevant to climate finance and carbon markets. Her Asset-Backed Securities for Carbon Removal (US Patent #2553191, 2023) provides financial structures that reduce capital costs for removal projects. Her Global Carbon Removal Market patent (US Patent #US11983724) establishes trading mechanisms for removal obligations rather than emission limits.

Recognition

Dr. Chichilnisky previously served as Advisor to the United Nations Foundation and has been a keynote speaker at COP conferences and World Economic Forum events. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals across economics, mathematics, and climate science.

Education

Ph.D. in Economics from University of California, Berkeley and Master’s degree in Mathematics from MIT.

Why Anthrocene

“We designed the first global carbon market for emission reductions,” Dr. Chichilnisky explains. “But climate science has evolved. We now know reduction alone isn’t enough. We must remove CO₂ already in the atmosphere. Anthrocene applies decades of market design experience to this next phase: building compliant, scalable infrastructure for carbon removal at the gigatonne scale we need.”

With Anthrocene, Dr. Chichilnisky is once again pioneering the market structures the climate crisis demands.

Rose Carmichael

CFO & Advisor, Carbon Markets and Global Policy

Rose is a seasoned senior executive with global experience spanning engineering, operations, strategy, financial services, and C-level management. Her diverse background includes leadership roles at both U.S. and international companies, with a proven track record creating strategic alliances and joint ventures.

Rose co-founded and served as Chief of Strategy at Carbon Market Exchange (CME), which developed exclusive strategic alliances with conservation groups and NGOs worldwide using proprietary tools for carbon credit creation, validation, and verification. CME was successfully acquired in early 2024.

Rose currently serves as Delegate for the Republic of Türkiye for UN Conference of Parties (UNFCCC), Honorary Consul for Turkey, and active member of the Consular Corps of America. She is founder and board member of Michigan Bone Health (501c3) and serves on the Rochester Institute of Technology President’s Roundtable and Turkish Resource Center of North America board.

She is fluent in German and Turkish, literate in French, and holds Licensed FINRA broker credentials (Series 7 & 63 in good standing).

Rose earned her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. She also completed German Ph.D. studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

Charles Green

Co-Founder & Chairman

Charles brings extensive experience in corporate finance, technology commercialization, and international business development. His career spans leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies and successful entrepreneurial ventures.

Charles served as CEO of Ford Products Corporation, Head of Global Product Engineering for the Water Products Division at A.O. Smith, and Managing Director at Translink Corporate Finance in New York, overseeing Latin America operations. He founded ComBanc/Highlander Group, an advisory firm for early-stage technology companies.

As Chief Operating Officer of Hisense (China) Americas and VP Wireless and Digital at Haier (China) Americas, Charles conceived and developed the first handheld wireless device delivering multiple apps and over 6 million Rhapsody songs prior to the iPhone era.

Charles holds degrees from the University of Rochester (BA in Economics), Columbia University (MIA in International Finance and Business, and MS in IEOR). He previously worked in wealth management at Morgan Stanley and currently owns a Registered Investment Advisory firm and health insurance agency. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Alejandro Sturniolo

Advisor, Water Industry, Technologies and Stakeholders

Alejandro brings over 25 years of expertise in water purification, desalination, and infrastructure development. He currently serves as a senior executive at H2O Innovation, having previously held leadership positions at Fluence Corporation and RWL Water.

Alejandro began his career at Unitek Argentina in 1998 as a chemical engineering intern, eventually acquiring a 50% stake and becoming Director of Business Development for South America. When RWL Water (acquired by Ronald Lauder of Estée Lauder) purchased 70% of Unitek, the collaboration led to the formation of Fluence Corporation, where Alejandro served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales until 2020.

He currently serves as Vice President of the International Desalination Association (IDA), having previously held roles as Second Vice President of IDA (2019-2021), Director of the Latin American Desalination and Reuse Association (ALADyR) (2016-2018), Vice President of ALADyR (2018-2022), and President of the Argentine Desalination and Water Reuse Association (ADRA) (2012-2016). Alejandro has authored over 30 international publications on water technology and desalination.

Alejandro earned his Chemical Engineering degree from the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, with postgraduate studies in Marketing from Belgrano University, Negotiation and Leadership from FASTA University, and Neuroscience for Business from MIT.

Tobias Lederberg

General Counsel

Tobias is an experienced corporate and business law attorney who has served as general counsel and advisor to public, private, and closely-held businesses. He counsels clients on corporate and financial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, sales, corporate restructuring, contracts, licensing, and corporate governance.

He represents technology companies on formation, founders’ equity, NDAs, non-competition agreements, and equity financing matters.

Tobias served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Law Journal, earned recognition as a John Harvard Scholar, and was a Rhodes Scholar State Finalist at Harvard University.

Tobias supported Anthrocene’s formation and initial corporate organization.

Neal McDonough

Director of Operations & Organization

Neal brings over three decades of experience bridging environmental stewardship with operational excellence. He began his career in the early 1990s with the Environmental Affairs Institute, consulting with manufacturing, chemical, and pharmaceutical companies on waste reduction, industrial recycling, and environmental strategy.

His work included research and statistical modeling for executive leadership, with special projects supporting Department of Defense environmental initiatives and UNESCO educational programs. In 1995, he founded “Your Earth Today,” providing environmental education to youth and communities.

In the financial sector, Neal served as consultant to a major investment management firm, reporting directly to C-suite officers while authoring public communications across 16 investment platforms and strategies. Neal continues to provide consolidated communications guidance to firms and organizations as an independent consultant.

Neal earned his BA in History (Industrial Technology) with a Minor in Political Science (Foreign Policy) and Certificate in Corporate Communications from Rutgers University.