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Maria Figueroa

Associate Professor

Emner
Bæredygtighed Grøn omstilling Klima Miljø Socialt ansvar Verdensmål

Primary research areas

Just Cli­mate Trans­itions, Re­si­li­ent Busi­ness and De­vel­op­ment
In­ter­dis­cip­lin­ary re­search cli­mate just in­ter­ven­tions to meet mit­ig­a­tion and ad­apt­a­tion goals, fo­cus on busi­ness in­nov­a­tions on urb­an ser­vices, en­ergy, mo­bil­ity, and di­git­al in­nov­a­tion. Ex­amin­ing sys­tem-wide en­a­blers and bar­ri­ers for scal­ing up re­si­li­ent, equit­able and sus­tain­able trans­itions.
En­ergy Sys­tems In­nov­a­tion and Just Trans­ition gov­ernance
Ana­lys­is of up­take of low-car­bon en­ergy tech­no­lo­gies, smart in­fra­struc­ture, and green busi­ness mod­els. Ex­plores so­cio-tech­nic­al dy­nam­ics, gov­ernance, and im­ple­ment­a­tion chal­lenges in achiev­ing just and sus­tain­able en­ergy trans­itions.
In­ter­na­tion­al Cli­mate Gov­ernance and As­sess­ment
Con­tri­bu­tions to in­ter­na­tion­al cli­mate sci­ence through IPCC and glob­al as­sess­ments. Fo­cus on com­par­at­ive policy ana­lys­is, sustain­ability met­rics, and sci­ence-policy in­ter­faces shap­ing path­ways to cli­mate-re­si­li­ent de­vel­op­ment.

I bridge sci­ence & policy for just, re­si­li­ent cli­mate ac­tion

I research how cities, business, institutions, and communities can lead the way in tackling climate change through fair, inclusive, and science-based solutions. My work focuses on identifying pathways for energy system’s just transitions, circular economy, and sustainable development. 

I help advancing climate-resilient transitions by identifying barriers and enablers for low-carbon innovation—such as clean energy, smart mobility, and green business models—I contribute to national and international climate assessments like the IPCC Assessment reports. 

My research supports policymakers, companies, and civil society in making informed decisions that address both environmental challenges and social equity. I believe that climate action must be systemic, inclusive, and grounded in real-world solutions. 

At CBS, I collaborate across disciplines and borders to co-create knowledge that accelerates sustainability transitions at local, national, and global scales. 

november 2025

Projecting for Circularity in Sustainability Transitions

The Case of Wind Turbines

Mathilde Kring Holmgaard

Laura Moeslund Mains

Ma­ria Fi­gu­eroa, Associate Professor

Go to publication

februar 2024

Mundane Circular Economy Policy

Mainstreaming CE Education Through the Agency of Schools

Suci Lestari Yuana

Wendi Wiliyanto

Tane A. Hadiyantono

Ma­ria Fi­gu­eroa, Associate Professor

Maharani Hapsari

Milda Longgeita Br. Pinem

Go to publication

2024

Social Practice Design as a Green Transition Tool for Sufficient Living

Andre Sanchez Montoya

Matthew Burnett

Iddo Goren

Ma­ria Fi­gu­eroa, Associate Professor

Go to publication

Outside activities

Re­view Ed­it­or, IPCC AR7 , 2023 -

As Re­view Ed­it­or, I will sup­port the IPCC’s com­mit­ment to sci­entif­ic in­teg­rity by en­sur­ing that ex­pert and gov­ern­ment com­ments are thor­oughly ad­dressed, and that di­verse sci­entif­ic per­spect­ives—in­clud­ing points of dis­agree­ment—are fairly re­flec­ted in the fi­nal re­port.
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Lead Au­thor, IPCC AR6, WGIII , 2018 - 2023

Lead Au­thor for chapter on mit­ig­a­tion in IPCC’s 6th As­sess­ment Re­port
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UN-Hab­it­at Cit­ies & Cli­mate Re­port Ad­vis­ory Board , 2022 - 2024

Served on ex­pert ad­vis­ory board for UN-Hab­it­at’s 2024 cli­mate re­port.

This Re­port showed how cli­mate ac­tion can bring an ar­ray of be­ne­fits to cit­ies and res­id­ents, from poverty re­duc­tion, em­ploy­ment, re­si­li­ent in­fra­struc­ture, im­proved pub­lic health and well-be­ing to the res­tor­a­tion of fra­gile eco­sys­tems.
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EU-AU High-Level Com­mis­sion on Cli­mate Change and Sus­tain­able En­ergy , 2021 -

Serve as ex­pert mem­ber in this High-Level Policy Dia­logue Africa-EU AU-EU R&I Part­ner­ship on Cli­mate Change and Sus­tain­able En­ergy of the AU-EU High Level Policy Dia­logue on Sci­ence and In­nov­a­tion
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Lead­er­ship Coun­cil Sus­tain­able De­vel­op­ment Solu­tions Net­work SDSN North­ern Europe Lead­er­ship Coun­cil , 2020 -

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As­so­ci­ate Ed­it­or Journ­al Fron­ti­ers in Cli­mate Change , 2024 -

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