Erika Lennon

Senior Attorney

Erika Lennon (she/her) is a Senior Attorney in CIEL’s Climate and Energy Program. Her work focuses primarily on climate finance, promoting human rights in climate governance, and climate accountability. This includes leading CIEL’s work in the Green Climate Fund (GCF), advocating for the protection of human rights in the responses to climate change and rights-based implementation of the Paris Agreement, and working to hold those responsible for climate harms accountable.  

Prior to joining CIEL, Erika was the Coordinator of the Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law (PICEL) at the American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) where she worked on numerous projects related to climate change, including leading groups of students to participate in international climate negotiations, as well as on strengthening environmental and social safeguards, ensuring accountability, and improving independent accountability mechanisms at international financial institutions. She was also an Adjunct Professor at AUWCL teaching legal research and writing to international students pursuing their LL.M degree. Erika has also worked as a temporary staff attorney at Greenpeace US. Prior to law school, she was an AmeriCorps member and worked at the Alameda County Community Food Bank as the Hunger Education and Research Assistant in the Policy and Services Department. While there she helped conduct a county-wide hunger study, analyzed policies related to hunger and poverty, and engaged in outreach to ensure that people knew about available programs.

Erika received her J.D. from AUWCL in 2008, where she focused on environmental law, was on the Senior Editorial Board of Sustainable Development Law & Policy (SDLP), externed at Greenpeace US where her research focused on issues related to Arctic governance, and was a student attorney in the general practice clinic, among other activities. A native Californian, Erika graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in history.

Erika is currently serving as the CSO Active Observer, Developed Country Constituency, at the Green Climate Fund. She is a member of the State Bars of California and the District of Columbia.

Erika may be reached at elennon@ciel.org.

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