Interview: Mary Robinson’s climate mission

Mary Robinson has carved a reputation as a stateswoman, peace advocate and staunch defender of human rights – and now she is focusing on how grassroots activists can tackle climate change.

Having served as Ireland’s first female president from 1990 to 1997 Robinson relished her subsequent appointment as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, placing the principles of justice and equality at the core of the world body’s work. Other key UN responsibilities followed – not least her role as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa from 2013 to 2014, when she oversaw the implementation of a peace and security framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the surrounding region.

More recently, Robinson’s work has sought to help safeguard the planet. She served as a UN Envoy on Climate Change in 2014 and a UN Special Envoy on El Nino and Climate in 2016. She is now alloying her commitments to human rights and the environment through the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. Central to the organisation’s mission is a dedication to placing “justice and equity at the heart of responses to climate change”, while empowering poor and marginalised communities who are disproportionately affected by the impact of rising global temperatures. Those values are also at the heart of her new book “Climate Justice – Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future”.

With the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reporting with ever-increasing urgency on the threat humankind faces, the work of Robinson and her foundation is key. Mary Robinson joins The Stream to talk about her life’s work, her inspirations and her commitment to a fairer world. Join the conversation.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Mary Robinson @mrfcj
President, Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice
mrfcj.org

Read more:
Mary Robinson: People need to become ‘aspiring vegetarians’ to combat climate change – Irish Examiner
Mary Robinson says climate report ‘heralds the end of the fossil fuel era’ – The Irish Times

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