Our People
Laura Merrill
GSI Operations Manager and Senior Policy Advisor
Laura is a practitioner, consultant and economist in sustainable development.
She has expertise in energy, subsidies, climate change, ecosystem services and trade. Laura joined IISD in 2013 and is focused on energy subsidies, their social and environmental impacts and management, as part of the Global Subsidies Initiative. She works on subsidies within international agreements and indicators, she leads the Bangladesh country programme and subsidy emissions modelling work. Laura previously worked as the business development adviser for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on payment for ecosystem services. She was the regional trade adviser for Oxfam International based in Kenya and has worked across East Africa with NGOs, business and government on fair trade. Laura is also a trained and practiced environmental and social auditor. She has worked as an independent consultant with businesses in East and Southern Africa, including with the energy, agriculture and tourism sectors, where she worked to improve standards through industry labels and government regulation. Laura began her career with Oxford Economic Research Associates (OXERA) supporting energy companies in sustainability accounting, emissions modelling, reporting and management.
- Making the Switch: From fossil fuel subsidies to sustainable energyThis report estimates fossil fuel subsidies to be around USD 425 billion. Such subsidies represent large lost opportunities for governments to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development.
- Learning from Leaders: Nordic and International Best Practice with Fossil Fuel Subsidy ReformThis report describes how Ethiopia, Morocco, Peru and the Philippines have reformed their subsidies. It also describes how countries including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have introduced innovative policy instruments to encourage switching towards renewable and sustainable energy.
- Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Current status of researchLittle is known about the gender differentiated impacts of fossil fuel subsidy reforms. This review takes stock of existing knowledge, identifies knowledge gaps and sets out plans for future research in this area.