Dr. Delton Chen is on a mission to solve one of the world’s most complex puzzles: how to finance a global transition to a stable climate. As the founder of the Global Carbon Reward initiative, he is pioneering a new economic model designed to unlock the trillions of dollars needed to protect our planet.

A civil engineer and geo-hydrologist by training, Delton’s journey began with a deep connection to our natural world. His doctoral research took him to the Great Barrier Reef, where he studied the delicate hydrology of a coral cay. This front-row seat to the beauty and fragility of our ecosystems, combined with over 20 years of experience in fields from geothermal energy to groundwater management, led him to a critical insight: our existing economic tools are not enough to address the climate crisis.

Dr. Chen asked a simple but profound question: “What if we could make healing the planet one of the most financially attractive opportunities in the world?” His answer is the Global Carbon Reward—a groundbreaking policy that uses a combination of public and private finance to directly reward people and projects for verified climate action. It’s a vision for a future where central banks help safeguard our climate stability and where global cooperation is driven by positive incentive, not just obligation or penalities.

His big idea has already captured imaginations, even inspiring a key solution in Kim Stanley Robinson’s acclaimed novel, The Ministry for the Future. Now, he’s bringing the carbon reward concept to the world, offering a practical and hopeful pathway to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and secure a liveable future for all.

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