A headshot of Jennifer Skene Jennifer Skene

Global Forest Policy Director, International

Media Contact

Andrew Scibetta
Press Secretary

Jennifer Skene works through global policy to build stronger, more equitable forest governance systems. She advocates for stronger accountability mechanisms for unsustainable industrial logging in the Global North and for policy frameworks that drive holistic, aligned international progress toward halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation. Skene's focuses include multilateral transparency mechanisms, trade and marketplace regulations, forest carbon accounting reforms, risk assessment processes, and other policies. Skene is also a clinical lecturer at Yale Law School, where she co-teaches the Environmental Protection Clinic, and a member of the World Commission on Environmental Law and the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission. She has a JD from Yale Law School and a bachelor of science degree from Northwestern University’s School of Communication. She is based in the Santa Monica office.

This website provides general information, not legal advice. If you need legal help, please consult a lawyer in your state. Jennifer Skene does not hold themself out as a specialist in a particular area of law or law practice.

Areas of Work
Forests & Lands

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Mattice Creek near the southern boundary of Wabakimi Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, on September 12, 2025.

Global Forest Protection Requires Global Accountability

Expert BlogInternationalJennifer Skene
One-sided accountability has hindered global forest protection for decades. A pathway to delivering by the world’s 2030 deadline depends on accountability measures for all countries, not just those in the tropics.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres attends Thematic Session 2: The Energy Transition at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on November 7, 2025.

COP30: World Continues to Take Action on Climate

Expert BlogInternationalYamide Dagnet, Sameer Kwatra, Jake Schmidt, Jennifer Skene, Dr. Adelle Thomas, Joe Thwaites
Even with some bumps along the way, countries across the globe rallied behind the need to accelerate the transition toward a climate-resilient, fossil fuel–free, prosperous economy.

Progress on Forests at COP29 and Beyond Depends on Equity

Expert BlogInternationalJennifer Skene
Meeting the world's 2030 forest targets requires addressing one of forest governance's most insidious flaws: a lack of accountability for the Global North.

Publications

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Issue with tissue toilet paper scorecard

The Issue with Tissue

ScorecardUnited States, CanadaAshley Jordan, Shelley Vinyard, Jennifer Skene
Tissue products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue are cheap and convenient—but they cost the planet a great deal.
A distant view of Wapizagonke Lake surrounded by forest on all sides

Advancing the Glasgow Declaration Accountability Framework

OverviewInternationalJennifer Skene
To achieve the international community’s 2030 forest protection commitments, NRDC is championing a framework for driving global, equitable action to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation.
A view of the city skyline of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

NRDC Experts and Events at COP27

OverviewInternational, Canada, India, United StatesManish Bapna, Amanda Maxwell, Brendan Guy, Carolina Herrera, Joe Thwaites, Shruti Shukla, Sameer Kwatra, Anthony Swift, Khalil Shahyd, Lisa Speer, Jennifer Skene, Nan Zeng, Jake Schmidt, Doug Sims, Marissa Ramirez, Prima Madan
Analysis and events focusing on the concrete steps we need to cut global emissions in half in this decisive decade, and to adapt to the mounting climate change impacts we can no longer avoid.

Resources

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Delivering Forest Ambition: The Need for Harmonized, Equitable Accountability

BackgrounderInternationalJennifer Skene
COP30 offers a critical moment to align countries on how to keep each other accountable in forest protection.