| ClientEarth opens its doors in Warsaw |
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25 January 2011 | Press release ClientEarth is delighted to have officially launched its latest office in Poland today. Our Warsaw team will be working initially on biodiversity, in particular the protection of the unique habitats offered by Poland's ancient forests, and ensuring that the country is able to move smoothly to a low-carbon future. To view the Polish version of the ClientEarth website, please visit www.clientearth.pl Commenting on the launch James Thornton, CEO of ClientEarth, says: "Poland is critical in the EU for three reasons. it has the biggest population and economy in Eastern Europe; it has by far the greatest biodiversity left on the continent; and finally it is facing very big questions for its energy infrastructure. We knew we wanted to work in Poland from the moment we established ClientEarth three years ago and we are delighted that these plans have come to fruition. "Poland’s Bialowieza forest is the greatest primarily deciduous and mixed-species forest left in Europe. It is home to many thousands of flora and fauna species, including unique populations of endangered animal life such as the European bison, lynx, elk, marten, wild boar, wolf and many others. We will be working to achieve greater protection for Poland's forests to ensure this bastion of biodiversity is not undermined. ClientEarth’s first published report for Poland is an analysis of the weaknesses in rules designed to allow for the creation of new national parks, with proposals for how legislation could be improved to better protect the country’s rich biodiversity. You can read it in both Polish and English here. James Thornton continues: "Our climate and energy work will focus on ensuring environmentally sound investments are made when developing Poland's power infrastructure. Coal is one of the great natural resources in Poland, but we think it would be a mistake to invest in dirty coal plants at this point, when we have many better options available. We will be working with the Polish government and civil society groups to ensure those better options are developed." Ends |
