Tom Kerr is the Lead Climate Specialist, South Asia at the World Bank Group (WBG). In this role, he supports a dynamic region by developing policies and investments that increase resilience to climate change and accelerate decarbonization. Tom was the lead author of the WBG’s Climate Investment Opportunities report series, which help clients to identify promising green investment opportunities tied to governments’ pledges made as part of the Paris Agreement. He created and managed the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, a public-private leadership platform launched by the World Bank Group at COP21 in Paris to work with government, business and civil society groups to accelerate the uptake of effective carbon pricing policy around the world.  He also provides client-facing policy and market intelligence across key climate-smart sectors, including renewable energy, low-carbon transport, green buildings, climate-smart agriculture and efficient industrial production.

Prior to working at the WBG, Tom was Director of Climate Change at the World Economic Forum, where he facilitated high-level dialogues between leaders in government, business and civil society at the Annual Meeting in Davos, the G20 and other intergovernmental platforms. Before that, Tom worked for the International Energy Agency, where he led the development of a suite of clean energy technology roadmaps and provided clean energy progress reports into the Clean Energy Ministerial, the G8/G20 and the UNFCCC.  He started his career in Washington at the US Environmental Protection Agency, designing and implementing a suite of voluntary programs for the US government—including Energy STAR—to  engage early business action on climate change. 

Tom has an LL.M. in International Environmental Law from Georgetown University Law Center, a Juris Doctorate from DePaul College of Law, and a Bachelors’ Degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.