Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett: Secretary Kerry’s speech to UNFCCC COP 21

CIEL President Carroll Muffett critiques Secretary Kerry's COP 21 speech, stating that the US pledge to double grant-based adaptation assistance to over $800 million by 2020 is insufficient compared to the $100 billion annual pledge by developed countries. Muffett argues that US domestic politics have hindered ambitious international climate engagement and rejects the notion that the Paris outcomes are merely a "preamble," emphasizing the urgent human rights tragedies already caused by climate change.

• The United States announced it would increase its grant-based adaptation assistance from $400 million to over $800 million by 2020, but this amount is considered small compared to the $100 billion annual mobilization pledged by developed nations for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.
• The US government attributes its modest contributions to climate action, justice, and emissions reductions to internal domestic politics, a situation that has persisted for twenty-five years.
• Secretary Kerry acknowledged the severe consequences of fossil fuel reliance, including premature deaths and environmental devastation, specifically citing recent flooding in Chennai, India as an example of disasters becoming routine.

APA

Muffett, C. (2015). Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett: Secretary Kerry’s speech to UNFCCC COP 21. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-secretary-kerrys-speech-to-unfccc-cop-21/

Chicago

Muffett, Carroll. Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett: Secretary Kerry’s speech to UNFCCC COP 21. Center for International Environmental Law, 2015. https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-secretary-kerrys-speech-to-unfccc-cop-21/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muffett |first1=Carroll |title=Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett: Secretary Kerry’s speech to UNFCCC COP 21 |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=9 December 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-secretary-kerrys-speech-to-unfccc-cop-21/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muffett2015statement, author = {Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{Statement of CIEL President Carroll Muffett: Secretary Kerry’s speech to UNFCCC COP 21}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/statement-of-ciel-president-carroll-muffett-on-secretary-kerrys-speech-to-unfccc-cop-21/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }