Dr Ruth Adler is an Adjunct Researcher with the School of Law at the University of Tasmania with expertise in in international climate law and climate finance. She is the author of Financing Climate Justice: The Green Climate Fund in a Changing World (Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, February 2026). The book traces the evolution of the Green Climate Fund since its establishment in 2010 and investigates whether it has the legitimacy necessary to substantially contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Paris Agreement, including limiting the increase in global average temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. She has also published articles and opinion pieces on climate and environment issues for various Australian and international policy think tanks.
Ruth is also a former senior career officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and a highly experienced diplomat, negotiator and practitioner. She served as Australian Ambassador to Ireland (2013-2016) and Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam (2006-2009), with earlier postings to Mexico and the Philippines. Between 2009 and 2011, Ruth served as Assistant Secretary of DFAT’s Environment Branch. In this role, she advised ministers on climate and environment issues, sustainable development and the future of the International Whaling Commission. She was Australia’s lead negotiator for the 2010 Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. She holds a PhD in international climate law from the School of Law, University of Tasmania, Hobart, and a PhD in Latin American history and politics from La Trobe University, Melbourne. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is fluent in Spanish.