Climate policy

Anna and Bhargabi speak to Boris Gamazaychikov (CEO and Co-Founder of the Sustainable AI Group) and Chatham House’s Rowan Wilkinson to discuss AI’s environmental impacts and the urgent need for better governance.

An El Niño event could disrupt UK weather, laying bare the vulnerabilities flagged by the Climate Change Committee’s new report.

Anna and Bhargabi are joined by three experts to explore the links between climate change, energy and geopolitics.

Anna speaks to James Kynge and Lauri Myllyvirta (CREA) about what the plan reveals about China’s climate and clean tech ambitions, as well as it’s broader geopolitical goals.

A potted selection of reviews from our sister journal ‘International Affairs’, by its book reviews editor Mariana Vieira

Even if the disruption to oil and gas from the Iran war subsides, the Trump administration’s energy policy will likely lead to a long-term increase in energy prices.

Chris Aylett speaks with Laurence Tubiana about the current state of climate diplomacy and what needs to happen next.

The Trump administration’s reversal of the endangerment finding is a brutal assault on global efforts to confront climate change – and an act of economic and strategic self-sabotage.

Anxiety over a fragmenting international security order seems to have pushed progress on climate risks down the agenda. But recent events show its continuing importance.

Anna speaks to three experts about the implications of the EU’s CBAM for countries in the Global South: What are their main concerns, and what could be done to mitigate negative impacts?

Anna and Bhargabi speak to former National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy about how the first year of Trump 2.0 has impacted global efforts to address climate change.

Anna and Tim Lenton discuss the potentially disastrous impacts of crossing ‘climate tipping points’, and how the triggering of such tipping points can be avoided.

Chatham House experts highlight the crunch moments and potential flashpoints in the year ahead.

From China’s greatest spying coups to how you spot a ‘grey rhino’ crisis, here are the books the institute’s members borrowed most.

Swathes of the public are understandably disengaged from the climate crisis and the COP is increasingly irrelevant – a clear, annual assessment of the key data could help, write Jonathon Porritt and Robin Maynard.

Anna speaks to climate experts Jennifer Morgan and David Waskow about what the conference in Belém achieved and what needs to happen next.

During an event at Chatham House the former secretary of state and climate envoy condemned Trump administration climate policy saying that ‘no one can bend the laws of physics.’

Anna speaks to three Chatham House colleagues – Nick Bridge, Ana Yang and Bernice Lee – about what to expect from the UN climate conference in Belém.

Anna and Bhargabi speak to Dan Ioschpe, Climate High-Level Champion for COP30, about how the COPs are moving from ‘negotiation’ to ‘implementation’.

November’s UN climate summit in Brazil won’t put the world on track for 1.5 °C. But it can demonstrate sustained commitment to tackling climate change and support the implementation of pledges made at previous COPs. 

Anna and Bhargabi speak to Kim-See Lim from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Hans Peter Lankes from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) about what role the AIIB does and can play in addressing climate change.

Anna and Bhargabi speak to Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director of WWF-Brazil, and Edward Davey, Head of the UK Office of the World Resources Institute, about how COP30 can advance the forest agenda.

China’s new climate plan announced at the UN General Assembly has a disappointing headline target – but Beijing is likely to over-deliver, and it’s in its interest to place low-carbon development at the centre of its push for a new international order.

The team are joined by Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, to discuss the challenges facing the renewable energy industry in the US.

The Trump administration has withdrawn the US from major climate commitments and slashed funding for green technologies. But US companies know they must stay invested in the global energy transition, argues Helen Clarkson.

Photographer Musuk Nolte travelled to Brazil’s Rio Negro last year to document its historic drought. He talks about the impact on its communities and why he is sceptical the COP30 summit in the Amazon city of Belém will help the region.

Unpredictable and abrupt changes in the climate are fast approaching, but the rapid uptake of electric vehicles and solar power shows that societies can also ‘tip’ in ways that might head off the worst, says Tim Lenton.

We are on the verge of crossing the threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. David Gunn and Matthew Harris explore the ideas that may help us navigate a world of more frequent and severe climate shocks.

Jessica Green, author of a new book, says climate diplomacy focuses too much on technical goals such as net zero and offsetting instead of redirecting the flow of dollars to accelerate decarbonization. Interview by Mike Higgins.

Rita Floyd and Asaf Siniver, new co-editors-in-chief of Chatham House’s global affairs journal, on bridging the gap between academia and policy, and how their research has shaped their editorial vision.

Intensifying climate and geopolitical disruptions are combining to create significant and unforeseen effects on food security globally. Multi-hazard early-warning systems have a critical role to play in addressing these issues through enhanced monitoring and closer cooperation with at-risk communities.

As the UK reviews its relationship with China, cooperation on climate change offers the prospect of tangible progress on an issue of mutual concern and global significance.

International cooperation can help governments manage the costs and risks of reliance on BECCS and DACCS in net zero strategies. But even where costs are minimized, this does not mean that these technologies are low-cost solutions.

As COP29 host, Azerbaijan must dispel doubts about its own capability and commitment by helping countries reach an ambitious climate finance deal.

Sustainable bioeconomies can play a significant role in the climate transition and in protecting nature, but this will only be possible with more strategic coordination on innovation, investment and international policy.

As climate change and the trade of water-intensive goods exacerbate global water scarcity, how can importers of commodity products improve the sustainable use of water at sites of production?

Competing demands for land will increasingly complicate resource security and climate action, threatening international and environmental stability. This report explores the pressures, and sets out how the risks can be mitigated.

Cutting aviation carbon emissions is vital for achieving net zero, but near-term, scalable decarbonization options are limited. This paper explores the possibility of reducing demand for flights to help keep the sector on track for net zero.

The war is making the challenges of climate change harder to overcome, both in Ukraine and worldwide.

By putting in place climate change adaptation measures, NATO has an opportunity to both strengthen operational resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Public facilities are key to managing human displacement crises. With strained resources, sustainable upgrades to buildings can enable states to meet multiple welfare objectives.

Integrating nature-based solutions into the forest bioeconomy can help address the funding gap for these activities by tapping into existing flows of sustainable finance.

This paper explores the opportunities in China for innovative approaches to climate action that incorporate gender equality and social inclusion.

This paper analyses the contentious and complex issue of Loss and Damage finance by examining the perspectives of different countries.

While current food systems hinder efforts towards climate and biodiversity goals, a transformation in the way food is produced could enable progress on these crises this decade.

The global ambition of SDG 7 to provide clean, safe and sustainable energy for all cannot be achieved if displaced people are left outside energy policy and planning in host countries.

From the international through to the local level, inclusive approaches are needed to ensure effective governance of forests and promote the sustainable use of land.

What might a transformed, healthy and sustainable global food system look like? Two contrasting models of sustainability show the options for targeting policy and investment.

While the war in Ukraine is having significant global impacts for energy, food and fertilizer markets, it may also aggravate wider economic and social upheaval.

This paper examines the collection and disbursement of forest sector revenues in three African countries following efforts to improve transparency and accountability.

Analysing a crucial opportunity for enhancing ambitions on climate finance, adaptation, and ‘loss and damage’, and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Human rights-based litigation is becoming an important form of pressure on governments and corporations to tackle climate change.

The international community must partner effectively with Brazilian stakeholders to conserve the Amazonian forest and foster sustainable economic development.

In the near term, climate change adaptation efforts must prioritize tackling socio-economic vulnerabilities in the most at-risk regions. Failure to act will worsen climate impacts across the world.

The use of forest biomass for energy is growing rapidly, but existing EU and UK policies ignore its contribution to increased carbon emissions.

An ambitious outcome at COP26 is critical to avoiding the most extreme impacts of climate change.

With climate action increasingly reliant on unproven carbon removal options, such as BECCS, there is a clear risk of policies developing without a robust scientific basis.

Ahead of COP26, the world is dangerously off track to meet the Paris Agreement goals. The risks are compounding, and without immediate action the impacts will be devastating in coming decades.

This paper examines investments in the circular economy and the need for new financial instruments to support further development.

This paper investigates the extent to which international organizations, including UN agencies, are incorporating climate change risks into their strategic planning and risk management.