IFBC: Diploma in Climate Litigation: Faculty

	Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan Dr. Ramanathan is a renowned expert in climate physics, climate change, and atmospheric aerosols. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Due to his close affiliation with Pope Francis, he has been described as "the Pope's climate scientist." He influenced the creation of Laudato Si', the Pope's encyclical on climate change. He is also a climate change expert in the Global South. His latest book from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is Resilience of People and Ecosystems Under Climate Stress.
	Dr. Durwood Zaelke American environmental lawyer, professor, author, and environmental advocate. As the president and founder of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) in Washington, D.C., and Paris, he currently focuses on fast-mitigation strategies to protect the climate, including measures to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (HFCs, black carbon, ground-level ozone, and methane) in the context of the urgent need to limit anthropogenic warming to 1.5°C. Professor Zaelke has published extensively on climate and international law and is a co-author of the seminal study on fast-action climate mitigation: Reducing abrupt climate change risk using the Montreal Protocol and other regulatory actions to complement cuts in CO₂ emissions (Molina, M., Zaelke, D., Ramanathan, V., Andersen, S. O., & Kaniaru, D., 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). He has taught at Yale Law School, Duke Law School’s Brussels program, American University’s Washington College of Law (where he founded the Program on International and Comparative Law), the University of Nairobi Law School, and Johns Hopkins University. Zaelke also co-founded the Governance for Sustainable Development Program at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he serves as an adjunct professor. In 2022, Washingtonian magazine recognized him as one of the 16 most influential people in climate and environmental affairs, listing him among the 500 most influential people in Washington, D.C.
	Dr. Raúl Eugenio Zaffaroni Dr. Zaffaroni is one of the Directors of the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Institute for Legal Research (IFBC). He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Buenos Aires and holds a doctorate in Legal and Social Sciences from the National University of the Littoral, both in Argentina. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from 31 national and international universities. He served as a Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from 2016 to 2022 and as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Argentina from 2003 to 2014. Dr. Zaffaroni also served as the Director-General of the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime (ILANUD) and as the Comtroller of Argentina’s National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism.
	Dr. Drew Shindell Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Dr. Shindell is a renowned physicist, climate scientist, and professor at Duke University, with significant contributions to the understanding of climate change, air quality, and health impacts. He has served as a lead author for multiple IPCC reports and is widely recognized for his research on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as methane, black carbon, and HFCs. Shindell’s work emphasizes that reducing these pollutants can provide substantial and immediate benefits for both the climate and public health, complementing efforts to cut CO₂ emissions.
	Dra. Inés Camilloni Argentine climatologist, professor at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), and principal researcher at the Center for Research on the Sea and Atmosphere. She is a resident at Harvard University’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program and a member of UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) as well as the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). She also served as academic secretary of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at UBA (2015–2022) and was the director of the Master's program in Environmental Sciences at the same faculty. She is an active science communicator and public advocate for raising awareness about the effects of climate change.
	Dr. Paulo Artaxo Dr. Artaxo is a renowned Brazilian physicist and climatologist, widely recognized for his extensive research on atmospheric aerosols and their impact on climate change. He is a professor at the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP), where he leads studies on the interactions between land use, deforestation, and air quality. Artaxo is a prominent figure in the international scientific community, having made significant contributions to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His work focuses on understanding the role of aerosols in the climate system and the implications of human activities for environmental sustainability, making him a leading voice in climate science discourse in Latin America.
	Dr. José A. Marengo Dr. Marengo is a renowned Peruvian-Brazilian climatologist and one of Brazil’s leading experts on climate change. He holds a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and currently serves as the head of research at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN). With a career spanning more than four decades, Marengo has made significant contributions to understanding the impacts of climate change on the Amazon and South America. He has played a key role in international climate assessments, serving as a lead author for multiple IPCC reports. Marengo is widely recognized for his research on extreme weather events and their increasing unpredictability due to global warming.
	Dr. Carlos Nobre Dr. Nobre is a Brazilian scientist and meteorologist, renowned for his research on global warming and his firsthand expertise on climate issues in Latin America. He is a former National Secretary for Research and Development at Brazil’s Ministry of Science and Technology and a former President of the Federal Graduate Education Agency (CAPES). A leading expert on Amazonian climate science, he has extensively studied the "savannization" process caused by deforestation. Dr. Nobre was a co-author of the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He has also served as an expert in high-profile climate litigation, including an ongoing case in a Brazilian federal court seeking to compel the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
	Dr. Marcos Orellana Dr. Orellana is a Chilean expert in international law, specializing in human rights and environmental protection. He currently serves as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights. Throughout his career, he has worked as a legal advisor for UN agencies, governments, and NGOs, focusing on hazardous waste, chemicals, and environmental justice. His legal expertise includes representing Latin American nations in climate negotiations, such as those leading to the Paris Agreement, and advocating in cases before international tribunals, including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the World Trade Organization. Dr. Orellana has also held leadership roles at Human Rights Watch and the Center for International Environmental Law, where he worked on trade and human rights issues. He currently teaches at American University Washington College of Law and has lectured at prestigious universities worldwide.
	Dr. Antonio Herman Benjamin Judge Benjamin is a Justice of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) of Brazil. A global leader in environmental law, he chairs several prominent organizations, including the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment and the UNEP International Advisory Council for Environmental Justice. He has served as a professor, published extensively, and received numerous awards, including the prestigious Elizabeth Haub Prize for Environmental Law. He holds a Law degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a Master of Laws from the University of Illinois, and a PhD from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
	Dr. Michael Wilson Judge Wilson is a retired Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, known for his leadership in environmental law and social justice. He served on the Hawaii Supreme Court from 2014 to 2023 and was a strong advocate for sustainability and climate action throughout his tenure. Wilson played a key role in promoting environmental protection and judicial transparency, contributing to both local and international initiatives. He remains actively involved in global environmental governance, serving on the World Commission on Environmental Law and the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment. Before his time on the Supreme Court, Wilson held various public service positions, including Director of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
	Dra. Maria Antonia Tigre Dr. Tigre is the Director of Global Climate Change Litigation at the Sabin Center, where she manages the Global Climate Change Litigation Database and leads the Climate Litigation in the Global South project in collaboration with the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE). She is a distinguished expert in climate change law and litigation, having published extensively on rights-based approaches and advisory opinions on climate change. Previously, Dr. Tigre was a fellow at the World Resources Institute and practiced law in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, she contributes to advancing environmental legal frameworks and has delivered a TEDx talk on these topics. She earned her Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2022, following a dual LL.M., magna cum laude, in environmental law and comparative legal studies from the same institution, and her LL.B. from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.
	Dra. Joana Setzer Dr. Setzer is a renowned Brazilian scholar and an Associate Professor at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her expertise lies in climate litigation and global environmental governance, and since 2020, she has played a leading role in the Climate Change Laws of the World project, a comprehensive global resource on climate policy and legislation. Joana contributed as a lead author to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6) and regularly advises international, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. She is also co-chair of the Climate Accountability Working Group of the Climate Social Science Network and is a highly sought-after speaker and media contributor. Joana holds a PhD and a Master’s in Environment and Development from LSE, a Master’s in Environmental Science from the University of São Paulo, and a Law degree from the Catholic University of São Paulo. Before joining LSE, she worked as an environmental lawyer in Brazil and served as External Affairs Coordinator at Regions4, supporting subnational governments in sustainable development.
	José Daniel Rodríguez-Orúe He is an international lawyer from Costa Rica, specializing in human rights and environmental issues, particularly climate change. He provides strategic legal advice and leads legal research projects for institutions, experts, organizations, and social movements. He has worked as a lawyer at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and as an External Legal Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment, Ms. Astrid Puentes Riaño. Currently, he serves as the Latin America Coordinator for Global Youth for Climate Justice.
	Dr. Ezio Costa Dr. Costa is a Chilean environmental lawyer, academic, and Executive Director of Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente (FIMA), one of Chile’s leading environmental law organizations. He is also a professor at the University of Chile, specializing in environmental law, climate policies, and sustainability. He has been a key figure in promoting climate justice, environmental rights, and public participation in environmental governance in Chile and Latin America. His work focuses on environmental litigation, climate change adaptation, and the intersection of human rights and environmental protection. He is recognized for his leadership in advancing progressive environmental policies and reforms in Chile.
	Lucas Ciarniello Ibañez Mag. Ciarniello is the Academic Secretary of the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Institute for Legal Research (IFBC). He holds a Law degree from the National University of Rosario, Argentina, a Master's in Forensic Science from the University of Valencia, Spain, and is a PhD candidate in Legal Sciences at the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino. His doctoral research, supervised by Dr. Eugenio Raúl Zaffaroni, focuses on the study of the Climate Emergency and the punitive power of the State, offering a novel perspective on the effectiveness of sanctions applicable to actions that exacerbate global warming. He is also the Academic Coordinator of the PhD program in Criminal Law and Human Rights at UNPAZ.
	José Aylwin Mr. Aylwin is a Chilean lawyer and professor specializing in human rights and Indigenous peoples. He is the coordinator of the Globalization and Human Rights Program at the Citizen Observatory. He was Director of the Institute of Indigenous Studies at the Universidad de la Frontera (UFRO) and Coordinator of the Institute's Indigenous Rights Program. He has conducted studies and research on Indigenous peoples' rights in North America (Master's degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada) and the Americas.
	Geusep Ortega Villamizar Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Antioquia; Climatologist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Last modified: Saturday, 12 April 2025, 9:27 PM