This piece was co-authored by Julia Urrunaga, Director of the Peru Program at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA); Susanne Breitkopf, Deputy Director of Forest Campaigns at EIA, and Melissa Blue Sky, Senior Attorney at CIEL. Peruvian scientists have been warning for years about the need to protect the country’s threatened shihuahuaco trees. But the government … Read More.
When something as unprecedented and disruptive as the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, forcing everyone into quarantine and taking countless lives, it’s only natural to want to assign blame. Well, scientific consensus says that in this case — and in the cases of SARS, MERS, Ebola, Swine Flu, Tuberculosis, Tapeworms, Avian Flu, HIV, West Nile Virus, and … Read More.
In 2006, the United States and Peru signed the first bilateral trade agreement to recognize and seek to address the pervasive issue of illegal logging. Among other innovative provisions, the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) included a forestry section that allows the US to detain questionable shipments of Peruvian timber and created an independent oversight … Read More.
In most international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), conventional wisdom is that international trade supports sustainable development. “Trade growth enhances a country’s income generating capacity, which is one of the essential prerequisites for achieving sustainable development,” the WTO noted in the 2016 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable … Read More.
On November 27 through December 1, the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) met to discuss measures countries are taking worldwide to halt the illegal trade of endangered species. With substantive discussions around protections for rosewood, pangolins, sei whales, and other at-risk species, CITES affirmed its vital role … Read More.
Negotiators from Canada, Mexico, and the United States met behind closed doors for the third round of NAFTA renegotiations in late September, leaving the general public in the dark about how issues were discussed and without any opportunity to provide input. The first three rounds of negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) … Read More.
This week, CIEL is in South Africa for the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is tasked with regulating the trade of endangered species in order to protect them. One of the most important decisions that will be taken … Read More.
Your energy and advocacy sparked a global momentum shift over the past year, and we are on the cusp of true, transformative change. On all fronts, you have defended your right to a healthy planet. With your support, you help CIEL… Advance Climate Justice For three years, we’ve highlighted the growing legal and financial risks … Read More.
Afrormosia (Pericopsis elata) is a rare variety of tropical tree valued worldwide for its usefulness as beautiful interior hardwoods. Since 1992, Afrormosia has been listed under Appendix II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which concerns species that experts fear could verge on extinction if their trade … Read More.