October 26, 2021
GLASGOW, UK / WASHINGTON, DC – Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) experts will be in Glasgow and available for comment during the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) from November 1 – November 12. Originally intended to serve as a litmus test for States’ willingness to deliver on the objectives set in Paris 2015, the Conference will now take place against the backdrop of States unequal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, failed promises to adequately scale up climate action and financial support, and an unprecedented push for false solutions that divert global attention from the urgent need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
CIEL experts will be closely following the negotiations, monitoring the ambition gap between what States have promised in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and what is necessary to limit warming to 1.5°C, including the phase-out of fossil fuels, plastic production, and other drivers of the climate emergency. They will be paying particularly close attention to the prevalence of false solutions to the climate crisis, including techno-fixes such as carbon capture, direct air capture, and hydrogen, carbon offsets, and far-off promises of mid-century “net zero,” all of which are dangerous distractions from the real, necessary, and viable solutions to the mounting climate crisis.
Additionally, experts will be available to discuss the link between human rights and climate change, particularly in the context of Article 6, one of the only remaining pieces of the Paris agreement rulebook that has yet to be completed. While six years of negotiations have thus far resulted in a stalemate on many key issues, CIEL staff will be monitoring negotiations during COP26 to ensure that any conclusions reached do not come at the expense of human rights, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and ambition.
CIEL Experts in Glasgow:
(All participating CIEL staff have Blue Zone accreditation.)
Sébastien Duyck — CIEL Senior Attorney specializing in the intersection between human rights and climate change, including the integration of human rights and participatory planning in national climate commitments. Seb will be in Glasgow from October 29th – November 12th. Follow Seb on Twitter.
Erika Lennon — CIEL Senior Attorney specializing in Article 6, Paris implementation guidelines, climate finance, Green Climate Fund, social and environmental safeguards, and redress mechanisms. Erika will be in Glasgow from October 30th – November 10th. Follow Erika on Twitter.
Carroll Muffett — CIEL President and CEO focusing on the climate litigation, corporate accountability, corporate climate denial, carbon capture and storage, false climate solutions, the climate impacts of plastics, the role of fossil fuels in the climate crisis, and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Carroll will be in Glasgow from November 4th – November 12th. Follow Carroll on Twitter.
Nikki Reisch — CIEL Director of Climate & Energy, specializing in false climate solutions, fossil fuel phase-out, net-zero plans, and climate litigation. Nikki will be in Glasgow from November 5th – November 11th. Follow Nikki on Twitter.
Francesca Mingrone — CIEL Attorney following negotiations on Action for Climate Empowerment. Francesca will be in Glasgow from October 29th – November 12th. Follow Francesca on Twitter.
Additional availability:
Sarah Dorman — Representing CIEL’s People, Land & Resources Program, with a focus on the laws and policies that protect human rights and the environment in the context of international development projects, including the CDM-registered Alto Maipo project in Chile. Follow Sarah on Twitter.
To schedule an interview
Please contact:
Cate Bonacini, press@ciel.org, +1-202-742-5847
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