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Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

Head of Climate & Energy

World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)

POSITION

Head of Climate & Energy

COMPANY

World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)

COUNTRY

Peru

SCENE

Environment

SOCIAL

Twitter

What makes Manuel Pulgar-Vidal a Global Shaker?

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal is a Peruvian environmental lawyer and leader of WWF’s global climate and energy practice. He served as Peru’s Minister of Environment from December 2011 to July 2016.

He is the head of COP20, The United Nations Climate Change Conference, and was a driving force behind the Paris Agreement.

He is also a board member of Forest Trends, Amazon Conservation Association and Consultative Member of the Carbon Institute.

In his law practice, he places emphasis on issues related to environmental management and policy, both in the development of regulatory frameworks and in their compliance at national, regional and local levels.

In 1986 he founded the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law, one of the most recognised organisations of environmental law in the region, where he served as Executive Director for 20 years.

Throughout his career, he has participated in the development of environmental policy frameworks in many countries of the region, as an advisor to key decision-makers. His successful oversight of numerous high-profile organisations and projects has earned him global recognition as a leader in environmental management issues.

Pulgar-Vidal recently criticised world leaders who convened at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France, in August 2019 for not tackling the “root causes” of the devastating increase in Amazon Rainforest fires.

 “While we are encouraged to see leaders reacting to unprecedented forest fires in the Amazon, they must recognize that much more is needed on the Amazonia tragedy and that this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is disappointing that they did not take the opportunity to agree on concrete measures to respond meaningfully to the full extent of the nature and climate emergencies the planet is facing. 

“We are not on track to tackle these emergencies – the world’s collective ambition is insufficient, and the momentum to raise that ambition is faltering. That is the sobering scientific and political context in which the G7 conclude their annual Summit.

“The leaders gathered in Biarritz had a critical opportunity to send a clear signal to the world, in advance of the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in New York in September, on the need for greater climate ambition. 

“It’s not too late. The world is looking for an environmental leader and the G7 has an opportunity, before 2020, to collectively and individually pick up this mantle and act decisively to save nature, and tackle the climate crisis with meaningful action based on existing science, and we urge them to do so,” added Pulgar-Vidal.

His incredibly prominent role within one of the world’s most well-known environmental NGOs mean that his words hold weight.

The WWF helped to create multi-million dollar funds to properly manage forests that are designated as protected. The funding is to train park officials about responsible forest management, buy satellite GPS collars to monitor and track endangered wildlife, and more.

The NGO is active in supporting initiatives to stop deforestation in rainforests around the world.

The WWF also works to strengthen the US government’s ability to prosecute illegal timber cases; stop illegal logging in countries that export high volumes of timber; ensure full implementation of the Lacey Act, a US law that prohibits illegal timber and timber products from entering the US market; and design rural energy programs that rely on fuels other than firewood.

Tags: Amazon, Amazon Rainforest, climate change, NGO, Peru

Last updated: September 5, 2019