“I kinda wanted to land the plane”

In other words, Donna Lee wanted to stop working. But then the voluntary carbon market suddenly took off. “I saw that many businesses genuinely wanted to make change happen and were willing to invest a lot of cash. That wasn’t something that could be taken for granted. If you’ve been working on this issue for as long as I have, you come to realise that funding for climate action is always in short supply and because of that, it’s very difficult to make any real progress.” All thoughts of the retirement that was already within reach were instantly put to one side.

It was this rationale that prompted Donna Lee and partner Duncan van Bergen to set up Calyx Global.

Calyx Global as a basis for evaluation

Calyx Global is a carbon credit ratings platform that evaluates climate projects such as afforestation schemes and renewable energy initiatives. Donna Lee and Duncan van Bergen decided against a non-profit structure for their organisation; they run a profit-making business. “We thought about this long and hard. There probably isn't a right or wrong answer to this choice; both offer pros and cons. We chose a model where our financial sustainability comes from providing a high-quality, paid-for-service to the buy-side of carbon markets. At the same time, our mission stays front and center in everything we do.” That’s why Calyx Global offers companies individual assessments of climate projects, among other things. In addition, the companies have access to various subscription options, which means that they receive regular updates on the evaluations. “We don’t just assess whether the projects genuinely fulfill their emissions offsetting claims; we also look at their social and environmental risks and their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Calyx Global has developed an evaluation framework – “that took about a year” – and has already conducted evaluations of more than 450 carbon projects. Only around 3% of the projects receive an A+ rating, indicating the highest quality. “So there’s still a lot of work to do, but I am also seeing signs of improvement in the market.” This is what motivates Donna Lee to carry on working. “What I particularly love about my job is that I learn something new every day. I find that very satisfying and although I haven’t managed to retire yet, that’s OK.”

A climate career

Donna Lee has been working in the climate field for a long time. While at the US Department of State, she coordinated the US’s international climate policy, among other things. “That was a good experience, but the work was sometimes extremely challenging because there was a lot of pressure on the US to do more to protect the climate,” says Donna Lee. Towards the end of Barack Obama’s time in office, she went freelance and worked as an independent consultant for many years before setting up Calyx Global. So when does she plan on landing the plane? She still has no idea. “Right now, I’m building the plane and flying it at the same time, so let’s see what happens."

Donna Lee holds degrees in Education and Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and in International Policy Studies from Stanford University. Climate action and tackling climate change are topics that have preoccupied Donna Lee for more than two decades. She was a representative at the US Mission to the United Nations in Geneva for two years, working on a range of issues that included climate change, species protection and natural disasters. She was then employed in the Climate Change Office at the US Department of State for four years, where she coordinated the US’s international policy on climate change and land use and served as a climate change negotiator for the US. Donna Lee then worked as an independent consultant for almost 10 years. Together with Duncan van Bergen, she founded Calyx Global in 2021. The ratings platforms large team of experts includes climate and environmental scientists, forest ecologists, geospatial information specialists and social scientists.

Further information

Interview with Donna Lee in eco@work magazine issue 02/2024

Blog article on the Calyx Global website: Current Calyx Risk Ratings Distribution