Media centre
If you are a journalist and would like a comment, interview and/or briefing, please contact Fiona Bewers (fiona.bewers@iied.org), IIED's temporary press manager.
This section of our site is designed for members of the media. You can find our latest press releases, contact details and information about our spokespeople.
IIED experts are available for interviews and background briefings on a wide range of environmental and development issues, from climate change and climate finance to China and development, the economics of development, urban issues and resilient cities, and the illegal wildlife trade. See a full list of our areas of work.
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Latest press releases
12 December 2020
On the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and ahead of the Climate Action Summit, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “This is an important moment to take stock and recognise the Paris Agreement can work.
30 November 2020
Ahead of the World Trade Organization’s final talks on fisheries subsidies, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “It is crucial the World Trade Organization ends harmful fisheries subsidies once and for all. This is key to stopping overfishing, protecting the climate and tackling poverty.
25 November 2020
In response to the government’s decision to cut the UK's annual aid budget, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “By slashing the UK’s aid budget, the government is deeply damaging its fight against the climate crisis and nature loss, while jeopardising the lives and livelihoods of millions of women, children and men living in the most vulnerable countries."
21 November 2020
In a statement on the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Saudi Arabia, IIED director Andrew Norton said: “G20 leaders need to agree an economic recovery plan that is green and provides the support that billions of people living in poverty around the world need."
5 October 2020
A complex set of international legal measures protecting the fossil fuel industry risks significantly increasing the cost of moving to green energy and tackling climate change, a new report released today reveals.
30 September 2020
In a statement on the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, Andrew Norton, director of IIED, said: "This summit and the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature are clear signs that governments acknowledge the scale of the crisis facing the natural world and the urgent need for substantial action.
18 September 2020
Joint press release | On the eve of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, a call for heads of state to act to halt and reverse nature loss this decade comes from far and wide. Businesses; environment, development and humanitarian organisations; faith groups; local and regional governments; Indigenous People; and youth are all calling for action to secure a sustainable future for people and planet.
Media mentions
As the Covid-19 pandemic increases government debt, “debt swaps” are drawing attention to help developing nations achieve a green recovery. In September 2020, IIED provided one of the first proposals on using debt swaps to address debt, climate and nature loss in the post-Covid era.
Eight of the world’s 46 poorest countries submitted stronger climate action plans by 31 Dec and a further 11 are expected to do the same soon, despite challenges caused by the pandemic and technical and financial barriers, IIED’s Anna Schulz, head of the global climate law, policy and governance programme said.
E-waste is a growing problem and not enough is being recycled. "While consumers will often say 'Yes, of course I am in favour of recycling, and yes, I recycle,' when you actually look at behaviours, it doesn't match up with the percentages who say they would do it," said Laura Kelly, IIED’s director of the Shaping Sustainable Markets group .
Compensation for the poorest countries is being debated ahead of COP26. “When you look at transformative climate adaptation outcomes, they’ve tended to be where they've had more localisation. There's more local engagement, more local leadership, and in defining what interventions will make the biggest difference,” said Clare Shakya, IIED’s director of the climate change group.
In response to the WTO missing its 2020 deadline to reach an agreement on eliminating harmful fishing subsidies, IIED’s Annabelle Bladon said: “It is vital the WTO uses this extra time to achieve an agreement that is effective both in protecting … people [who depend on the ocean] and the health of the ocean.”