Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett on the Release of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report

Carroll Muffett, President of the Center for International Environmental Law, responds to the release of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, emphasizing that the report confirms human influence on the climate system and warns of the legal and financial risks for decision-makers who continue a 'business as usual' approach to fossil fuel extraction.

• The IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report confirms that human influence on the climate system is clear and that human activities, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, are responsible for unprecedented climate change. The scientific community asserts with more than 95% certainty that human influence has been the primary cause of warming observed since the mid-20th Century.
• Current trajectories of greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient to limit climate change, and continued inaction will lead to climate catastrophes exceeding those already witnessed. Immediate and sustained reductions in emissions are required.
• The increased ability to quantify human-caused warming creates heightened financial, regulatory, and legal risks for CEOs, shareholders, investors, and policymakers who ignore climate impacts or persist with a 'business as usual' approach to fossil fuel extraction.

APA

Muffett, C. (2013). Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett on the Release of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-the-release-of-the-ipccs-fifth-assessment-report/

Chicago

Muffett, Carroll. Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett on the Release of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report. Center for International Environmental Law, 2013. https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-the-release-of-the-ipccs-fifth-assessment-report/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muffett |first1=Carroll |title=Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett on the Release of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 September 2013 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-the-release-of-the-ipccs-fifth-assessment-report/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muffett2013statement, author = {Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett on the Release of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-the-release-of-the-ipccs-fifth-assessment-report/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }