At Renoster, we’re always excited to see how students and professionals are shaping the future of carbon markets. Our Scaling Quality in the VCM course is designed to provide a deep dive into the complexities of high-quality carbon credits, and one of the most rewarding aspects is making this type of education accessible to current students and recent graduates.
In this Student Spotlight, we’re featuring Rosa Urgel, a master’s student in Environmental Sciences with a background in forestry and conservation economics. Rosa’s passion for ecosystem restoration and carbon finance led her to our course, and we’re thrilled to share her journey and aspirations.
What inspired you to pursue this field of study or career path?
I started a masters in Environmental sciences with the idea to to work in ecosystem restoration, but don’t have the profound ecological knowledge (well, I finished a BSc in Forest and nature conservation, but it’s while ago).
I came in contact with a biosphere reserve manager, who told me they had the idea to set up a local carbon credit system. That’s why I decided to start my masters thesis on this topic.
Have you had any prior experience in the carbon market or sustainability field? How does this course build on that experience?
During my bachelor’s program I got interested in conservation economics. I did my thesis on payments for environmental services in the forestry sector. The last years I worked in organic certification, so I do have knowledge about certification and accreditation. However, VCM is a totally new sector for me.
What excites you most about this course, and how does it align with your future pursuits?
Well I’m quite passionate about it quality issues, and I think learning from the ‘critical minds’ in this sector is the best entry point to learn about a new subject. I also hope to learn more about project design, crediting process and get a better insight in existing methodologies (and how they could be improved). I hope to be able to apply this after my graduation, as I am planning for an internship afterwards in the reserve I mentioned.
What impact do you hope to have on the environment or the carbon market in the future?
I hope I can make a contribution to ecosystem restoration in protected areas. Which comes with funding first. It would be great if I could play a role in developing alternative income streams and help kickstart projects in this sector.
What aspect of carbon project quality is the most complex that you're wanting to learn more about?
Till now I haven’t really grasped the concept of dynamic baselines and well, many technical aspects of methodologies. I am also really interested in monitoring and how new technologies can be integrated into current methodologies.
Rosa’s journey highlights the growing intersection of ecosystem restoration, finance, and carbon markets. As she continues her studies and prepares for her internship, we’re excited to see how she applies her knowledge to real-world projects.
If you’d like to connect with Rosa or follow her work, you can find her on LinkedIn 👉 Rosa Urgel
