Dr Chamundeeswari Kuppuswamy leads interdisciplinary research into the Global Economy at the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire. She is a Convenor of the Environmental Law and Bio-law Interest Groups at the European Society of International Law.
An international public lawyer and author of the book The International Legal Governance of the Human Genome, she has published several articles and policy reports in international law. She has previously worked for the United Nations, and UNESCO, and currently works with the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership on the county's climate actions. A trained and qualified ranger from the Peak District National Park, England, Chamu is the recipient of various awards, including the University of Sheffield Centenary Achievement Award, the UK National Parks Volunteers award, and was listed in The Independent's Happy 100, for being one of the top hundred people in the UK for enhancing the lives of others (through diversity in the outdoors). She is a trustee of Mosaic Outdoors.
What has your experience of working with academic research helped you understand differently than a layman?
Once an academic it is difficult to put myself in the shoes of a layperson! But I shall try. There is a lot of material out there on climate change. The first thing I learn as an academic, about climate change, is that a lot of lives have been lost to the impacts of climate change, but there is still a possibility for this not to continue happening in the future. In other words, there is still reason for hope. There still are credible policy pathways using technology, traditional knowledge and informal know-how to reverse global warming. However, there are mistakes still being made and political manoeuvring happening which put hope in jeopardy. Climate change is a global problem and for large countries to reduce their emissions they need new technologies to be transferred to them, not sold to them. Climate change cannot be addressed by taking an aggressive market-based approach. Knowledge of communities is still not harnessed for climate solutions, and the non-inclusivity of knowledge is a huge problem. The Paris Agreement refers to 'best possible knowledge', in an effort to be inclusive of knowledge systems but this is not being implemented.
Do you think the UK is equipped to handle the current climate emergency?
The UK has a first-mover advantage - we were the first ones to create a legal framework through the climate change Act. We saw a lot of action in COP26 under UK leadership. We are equipped with technology and solutions, but we still have policy gaps to fill. The UK Climate change committee has warned that for the period of 2033-2037, the UK might exceed the stipulated quota of CO2 equivalent emissions allowed from the UK. This is not good news for our net zero target plans for 2050, and consequently not good for reducing our contribution to global warming. We may be direct contributors to the predicted increase of up to 4-5 degrees Celsius, a very dangerous temperature for human life to thrive in. You mention climate emergency - many local councils have declared climate emergencies but are without powers to directly address them, without central government legislation to go with it. The UK will be fully equipped if this gap is filled.