Manuel Pulgar-Vidal leads the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate and Energy Practice, and was President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 20) in 2014. His role in COP 20 gained him recognition as one of the leaders that paved the way to consensus on climate goals. In evidence of science, Pulgar-Vidal asserted politicians had “no excuse” but to implement political and policy options to tackle climate change, and he contributed to consolidate many of the partnerships that helped reach the Paris Agreement.
Pulgar-Vidal served as Ministry of Environment in Peru from 2011 to 2016, led the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense, and funded the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA), an influential non-profit focused on improving environmental governance in the region.
A lawyer by training, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal has authored a number of publications, served as professor and lecturer of environmental law, environmental management, and natural resources at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), and is currently based in Berlin.