CIEL Announces Carroll Muffett as New President and CEO

Muffett joins a new generation of leaders at the helm of the environmental movement

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), www.ciel.org, a leading non-profit that uses international law and institutions to defend the right to a healthy planet, has selected Carroll Muffett as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.  Muffett joins CIEL at a critical moment in the environmental movement, as political momentum stalls yet again to address the growing threat of climate change to human rights and the environment.  He is the latest in a new generation of leaders confronting this challenge and bringing new energy to the environmental movement.

"I am honored to join CIEL at this crucial time in its work," Muffett said.  "History teaches us that where politics breaks down, law can break through.  From helping small island nations find strength in numbers to bringing the first human rights case based on climate change, CIEL has proven time and again the transformative power of law in addressing global environmental challenges.   As those challenges grow more complex and more urgent, we face a moment when nothing short of transformation will do."  

A respected attorney and environmental leader, Muffett most recently served as Executive Director of the Climate Law and Policy Project.  Before leading CLPP, he was Deputy Campaigns Director at Greenpeace, where he helped guide successful campaigns on climate change, coal, and sustainable forestry, among other issues.  Prior to joining Greenpeace, he built the international conservation program at Defenders of Wildlife, practiced law with Covington and Burling and was a legal fellow at CIEL.  Muffett is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and sits on the boards of the Species Survival Network and the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. He is also co-editing of a forthcoming volume on post-conflict natural resource law for the Environmental Law Institute and the United Nations Environment Program.  For a full biography, visit http://www.ciel.org/Staff/mufett.html.

"Carroll's a star," said Durwood Zaelke, co-founder and first president of CIEL, who is now President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.  "His appointment is good news for all who believe in the power of law to protect the environment and public health. He's a lawyer's lawyer, respected by the international legal community. He's also a tough and effective campaigner respected by activists.  He can do it all.  He belongs at CIEL, and CIEL is fortunate to have him as their new leader."

Known for its groundbreaking legal advocacy and policy work, CIEL's current projects include defending the rights of communities threatened by industrial mining in Guatemala and Peru, providing legal support to the environmental community to shape a workable and ambitious climate treaty, and supporting the development of a new international treaty to address the risks of mercury pollution.  The organization is also launching a new campaign to address the role of the World Bank in the proliferation of coal-burning power plants.

Muffett succeeds Daniel Magraw as President and CEO.  Magraw, whose tenure saw CIEL break new ground in many areas, such as chemicals, prior informed consent, and human rights and climate change, will remain at CIEL as President Emeritus and Distinguished Scholar. "I am delighted that Carroll Muffett will be joining CIEL as its new President. The threats facing human society and the biosphere and the challenge of integrating environmental policies and law with economic and social policies and law require leaders of vision, knowledge, passion and commitment -- all qualities that Carroll has in abundance. I look forward to working with Carroll as he leads CIEL to even greater effectiveness in protecting our planet and its people," said Magraw.

About CIEL

Founded in 1989, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), www.ciel.org, is committed to strengthening and using international law and institutions to protect the environment, promote human health, and ensure a just and sustainable society. With offices in Washington, DC and Geneva, CIEL's staff of international attorneys work in the areas of human rights and the environment, climate change, law and communities, chemicals, trade and the environment, international environmental governance, biodiversity and wildlife and international financial institutions by providing legal counsel and advocacy, policy research and capacity building.  CIEL also directs a joint research and teaching program with The American University's Washington College of Law, focused on international and comparative environmental law, as well as offering internships and fellowships to educate the next generation of international environmental advocates.

SOURCE Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)