Email: l.maghetiu@qmul.ac.uk
Laura Maghețiu is an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher at the Centre on Labour, Sustainability and Global Production at Queen Mary University of London. She holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany, and Sciences Po Grenoble, France. Her training in the social, economic, and environmental sciences has led to her combined research interest in green finance, supply-chain studies, and global development outcomes.
Laura has gathered extensive qualitative and quantitative research assistance experience at the University of Oxford and the University of Freiburg. As a Trainee at the European Parliament in Brussels, she has worked on the EU Due Diligence Directive and Euro-Latin trade relations.
Laura is fluent in German, Romanian, English, Spanish and French.
The Invisible Supply-Chains of Going Net Zero: Carbon Credits, Agroforestry and Land in Uruguay
‘Carbon-neutrality’ is everywhere. Individuals, firms, cities, even football clubs claim it by buying so-called voluntary carbon offsetting credits. Offsetting hereby seeks to balance out ‘carbon-negative’ emissions through financing ‘carbon-positive’ development projects, mostly located in the Global South. While much has been said about the validity of this balancing logic, the commodity production dynamics behind offsets often go unnoticed.
In most contexts, tradable carbon permits are not the only or even the economically dominant good produced in ‘carbon-positive’ development projects. Timber from tree plantations or biofuel from monocrops are all equally entering and creating (new) markets, land price dynamics, emissions, and beneficiaries. These are invisible in offset calculations and project portfolios and can be seen as elements of a globalized ‘carbon credit supply-chain network.’
In my research, I compile and analyze data on the interconnected trade flows of agricultural commodities, land titles, carbon credits and other financial products in the case of industrial tree plantations in Uruguay. Thereby, I aim to theorize up how offsetting influences global production networks (GPNs).
Laura is completing their PhD research under the supervision of Prof. Liam Campling, Dr.Shreya Sinha, and Prof. Steffen Böhm (University of Exeter).
Centre on Labour, Sustainability, and Global Production