Marie Talaïa-Coutandin

Program Associate, Fossil Economy Program

Marie Talaïa-Coutandin (she/her) is the Program Associate for CIEL’s Fossil Economy Program, based out of the Geneva office. 

Before joining CIEL, Marie was a Legislative Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Canada (ECCC), as part of the Law Reform Office. Assigned to climate change, enforcement and environmental justice portfolios, she contributed to the legislative and policy analysis sustaining the reform and policy development of new environmental laws, amendments to existing environmental statutes and other governmental divisions’, private member’s and senate public bills relating to the Minister of ECCC. 

Despite the public service, Marie worked in academic research for over five years, both as a research assistant and a researcher. She significantly contributed to four main studies, regarding (1) the freedom of association, health, and safety protection of fair-trade banana workers in the Dominican Republic, as well as the use of pesticides in fair-trade certified banana culture (2) the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons’ legal framework of Québec, (3) local justice models, structures and access to justice developed in Australia, Canada, and the United States, with a specific focus on minorities populations such as women, Indigenous people, and migrants, and (4) the role of the Paris Agreement and Nationally Determined Contributions in climate litigation.

Marie holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada). She volunteered in different organizations such as Lawyers Without Borders Canada, World University Service Canada, and Fridays For Future. She is currently completing her master’s studies in Environmental Policy and Law at the University of Eastern Finland, with a major in Environmental and Climate Change Law, and a minor in Natural Resources Governance. Her research focuses on the dynamics between climate action – including its related regulatory development and enforcement –  and climate justice through the scope of litigation in the context of the energy transition and the phase-out of fossil fuel.  

Marie can be reached at mtalaia@ciel.org. 

Follow and connect with her on Linkedin.