Carbon Pulse has hired three new reporters to expand news coverage of carbon markets and taxes and climate change policy in North and South America.

Based in Montreal, Lori Martinez joined Carbon Pulse in January as one of two new North American Environmental Markets Correspondents, having previously worked with the OECD’s Climate Change Expert Group in Paris.

There, she contributed to research related to enhanced transparency frameworks for climate finance and climate change mitigation actions.

She was also previously employed by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she analysed energy markets, greenhouse gas emissions and regional development.

Lori is joined by Matt Lithgow, who started at Carbon Pulse last week.

Based in Chicago, Matt was previously a market reporter and research analyst for PRIMA-Markets, where he covered trading activity and policy developments pertaining to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and other North American clean fuels markets.

Matt has also written academically about the environmental and social implications of a possible linkage between California’s cap-and-trade programme and a jurisdictional REDD+ scheme in Acre, Brazil.

Lori and Matt will enhance Carbon Pulse’s current offering, while also expanding news coverage beyond carbon pricing and climate policy.

“A dismantling of US climate policies by the Trump administration has resulted in a number of states ramping up their carbon pricing efforts. There are at least nine where state lawmakers are currently weighing legislation to implement carbon taxes or cap-and-trade,” said Mike Szabo, one of Carbon Pulse’s co-founders and directors.

“States, provinces and other jurisdictions in North and South America are also looking at innovative mechanisms such as LCFS, RFS, and renewable portfolio standards to help cut CO2 output, and our readers want us to cover this,” he added.

Elsewhere, Canada is set to roll-out its nationwide carbon pricing framework next year, and a number of countries in Latin America are announcing efforts to use market-based mechanisms to tackle their own rising greenhouse gas emissions, translating into a growing news flow that requires additional reporting staff.

In light of this, Carbon Pulse has also hired California-based carbon market and renewable energy expert Elizabeth Lokey Aldrich as a freelance writer.

Formerly a senior consultant at low-carbon project developer Camco Clean Energy, she has also worked for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Institute, E Source, and Emerging Energy Research.

Elizabeth has written articles for several publications including Point Carbon’s Trading Carbon magazine, and has released a book on renewable energy development in Latin America.

The trio of new hires takes over for Carbon Pulse’s Chicago-based North American correspondent Sophie Yeo, who is leaving the company and returning to the UK later this year, and brings the total number of Carbon Pulse full- and part-time journalists to eight.

“Sophie did a phenomenal job for us, helping us break some very important stories and expand our readership, and now we want to build on that,” added Carbon Pulse co-founder and director Ben Garside.

“Utilities, heavy industry, airlines and the wider business community more than ever before need access to timely news and accurate information to help them control costs, manage their carbon risk, and navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape. Our new reporters will help provide that.”

news@carbon-pulse.com