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Staff and Associates

John Drexhage


Mr. Drexhage's work on climate change is based on 17 years of experience on the issue, first as a domestic advisor and international negotiator on climate change with the government of Canada and then as an expert analyst and manager for IISD.

Drexhage’s expertise covers a broad range of areas related to climate change, and he is currently focusing on regulatory frameworks for greenhouse gas emissions, post-2012 climate change regimes, market based instruments (covering allowance and credit based systems), climate change in the context of sustainable development, governance issues, energy policy and more fully exploring linkages between adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development.

Drexhage was also a Leading Author with Working Group 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was Lead Author on Chapter 11 of WG 3, focusing on mitigation from a cross-sectoral responsibility. His specific responsibilities focused on international spillover effects, synergies and trade offs with other policy areas and mitigation and adaptation – synergies and trade offs.

Prior to his current position with IISD, he was Associate Director, with the International Relations Directorate, (Environment Canada) coordinating the Government's policy positions in formal negotiations on climate change. Prior to this position in 1998, his other roles with Environment Canada in respect of Climate Change, included Manager Climate Change - International, Global Air Issues Branch and Senior Policy Advisor, Domestic Climate Change Program representing Environment Canada in federal-provincial negotiations on domestic actions on climate change.

Drexhage is very involved in energy policy, and analysis and modeling as the leader of the climate and energy group at IISD, which provides regular consulting services to energy companies like Manitoba Hydro, TransCanada Pipelines, Conoco Phillips, Suncor Energy and a wide range of provinces, including BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. His group has also conducted extensive analysis for government agencies at the federal level (Environment Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada and Natural Resources Canada) and provincial level (Manitoba Government, Alberta Government and Ontario Government).

He also oversees a growing and robust program on adaptation and sink related activities, focusing on building capacity in developing countries on strengthening negotiating positions and in implementing these activities in an integrated manner with country’s respective policy priorities on poverty eradication and sustainable development.

John is a Board member to the Voluntary Carbon Standard and the European based Climate Strategies research network.

Education


Mr. Drexhage left IISD in 2011.


Publications

Audio/Video