Max Schmidt

Max Schmidt is currently seconded to Climate Strategies as Fellow (Climate & Energy Transitions), after stints with UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub and the European Climate Foundation. Previously, at Perspectives Climate Research, he worked on transforming “negative” climate finance into positive finance, spanning export finance, fossil fuel financial flows, Loss and Damage and renewable energy finance. With another think tank, IISD, he worked on fossil fuel subsidies and energy policy in India, Indonesia and South Africa, and contributed to research for the OECD and Indonesian G20 Presidency. Other work highlights include evaluating UNDP’s first-ever energy access and transition portfolio and previous academic work on the climate-debt-development nexus in Southeast Asia. Max first gained experience in climate and economic diplomacy at the German Embassy in South Africa. He holds an M.Sc. in Research for International Development from SOAS, University of London, B.A. degrees in political science and sociology, and is both a Certified Expert for Sustainable Finance as well as for Climate & Renewable Energy Finance.