The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a public

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

environmental law Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...

firm based in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

with an office in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, United States. It was founded in 1989. CIEL's team aims to "strength and use international law to protect the environment, promote human health, and ensure a environmental friendly society." They help educate organizations, corporations, and the public on environmental issues and conduct their own research. Carroll Muffett has been the president and CEO of CIEL since September 2010. CIEL also offers internship, externship, and fellowship programs.

Issues

CIEL's work can be divided into three programs: Climate and Energy; Environmental Health; and People, Land, and Resources. Actions to protect environment and human rights include "collaborating to improve safeguard policies, increasing access to information through the Early Warning System, and supporting community-driven advocacy and complaints at the accountability mechanisms of multilateral banks." Areas of interest include biodiversity, chemicals, climate change, human rights, environmental rights, international financial institutions, law and communities, plastic, and trade and sustainable development.

Research

CIEL has published several research reports and articles. ''Smoke and Fumes'' (2017) examined the oil and gas industry's efforts to fund the science and propaganda of

climate denial Climate change denial, or global warming denial, is denial, dismissal, or doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change, including the extent to which it is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, or th ...

, and has been cited in climate litigation against carbon majors. ''Plastic & Health'' (2019) and ''Plastic & Climate'' (2019) have been featured in publications that seek to explain the impact of the plastic crisis on health, climate, and the environment. In 2020, ''Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline'' examined the oil, gas, and

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sou ...

industry's attempts to use the COVID-19 pandemic for their own gain. In 2022, ''Pushing Back'', a report about the petrochemical industry's development and what that means for communities, was published.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Center For International Environmental Law International environmental organizations 1989 establishments in Washington, D.C. International law organizations 1989 establishments in Switzerland Environmental law in the European Union