Anton Cartwright

Anton Cartwright is an economist and Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), University of Cambridge, with significant affiliations to the African Centre Cities at the University of Cape Town. He serves as Director of Credible Carbon, South Africa's first voluntary carbon market registry, and maintains strong connections to climate policy development through his work with international bodies.

His research focuses on Africa's urban transition, infrastructure and services, green finance, environmental degradation and poverty alleviation, with particular emphasis on how these issues challenge conventional economic thinking. Cartwright has established important research platforms including the Tanzanian Urbanisation Laboratory in Dar es Salaam and the Ghana Urbanisation Think Tank, which advise local and national governments on infrastructure procurement programmes across Africa.

• Rhodes Scholar (University of Oxford)
• Lead Author, IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C of warming (2018)
• Contributing Author, IPCC 6th Assessment Report (WG2)

Cartwright has led significant initiatives including the New Climate Economy's Special Initiative and the Coalition for Urban Transition. His practical experience bridges academic research and policy implementation, particularly in developing carbon market mechanisms through his role as founding Director of Credible Carbon, which also served as a candidate registry for South Africa's Department of Minerals and Energy's Domestic Carbon Standard.

His work centers on establishing research laboratories and think tanks that directly inform urban policy in African contexts, demonstrating a commitment to translating academic insights into practical governance frameworks for sustainable urban development across the continent.