Any opinions stated herein are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily representative of or endorsed by the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School, or Tufts University.
The idea that ecosystems could have rights is hardly new, given that Indigenous communities the world over have been seeing natural entities as fellow “beings” for tens of thousands of years. What is new is the coding of this worldview into legal frameworks. This can sound unconventional and even unrealistic, but nature is not the first non-human entity to be given rights
Read MoreAttending the 2025 Assembly this October was valuable exposure to the intersection of environmental policy and broader governance structures in transboundary contexts.
Read MoreNegotiations on the Mitigation Work Programme went on for days, followed by delegates breaking into an impromptu huddle minutes before the official end of negotiations, only to conclude in an informal setting after the deadline had passed. Being involved in these intergovernmental climate negotiations, and witnessing firsthand both progress and limitations, was one of the highlights of my internship with the UNFCCC.
Read MoreThe inaugural Climate Policy Lab (CPL) Symposium “Mind the Gaps: Integration and Implementation in Climate Policy” started off under the looming threats of rising global average temperatures, slowed momentum on climate action across the world, impasse on international trade, ongoing wars, a potentially increased appetite for fossil fuels, and the upcoming UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Read MoreThis summer, I was fortunate to serve as an intern for the Department of Defense (DoD) at the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Interning at INDOPACOM was thus pivotal in exposing me to the US role in current Indo-Pacific affairs, as well as helping me gain a working understanding of how my two fields of study – international environmental policy and international security – play into current US priorities in the region.
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