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Introduction
Over the last several decades, governments have collectively pledged to slow global warming. But despite intensified diplomacy, the world is already facing the consequences of climate…
Centers & Programs
Energy Security and Climate Change Program
Climate change poses grave risks to humanity; confronting it will require a massive transformation of the world’s energy systems. Fossil fuels like oil and gas still shape global geopolitics and provide energy to billions, but burning those fuels causes catastrophic changes to the climate. To avoid worsening climate change, nations need to speed the transition toward clean energy. In addition to investing in clean energy to reduce emissions, countries also need to build resilience to worsening extremes fueled by climate change—record-setting heat waves, raging wildfires, deepening droughts, damaging floods, and intensifying storms. The program on Energy Security and Climate Change at the Council on Foreign Relations informs scientists, business leaders, policymakers, and the public about how to navigate tomorrow’s energy and environment landscapes.
98% of the world's population was exposed to higher temperatures in the summer of 2023, made at least twice more likely by carbon dioxide pollution.
Featured
Atmospheric rivers are gaining in intensity across California and the western United States. Communities need to adapt to the havoc wrought by this weather phenomenon.
Leaders at the UN climate meeting in Dubai signaled a crucial pivot away from fossil fuel use, but significant hurdles remain for a speedy transition to emission-free energy.
As the effects of climate change mount, high-carbon energy sources continue to provide most of the world’s power. On average, 84 percent of tracker countries’ energy comes from high-carbon sources such as oil, whereas 16 percent comes from solar and other renewables. Low-carbon sources, however, are on the rise, particularly in developed countries.
International efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But experts say countries aren’t doing enough to limit dangerous global warming.
Mobilizing investments needed to transition to net-zero energy require broad public backing and participation. Since poor people are less likely to support climate action, simultaneous efforts to alleviate poverty are essential.
Accelerating risks and damage from climate change are spurring private insurers in the United States to limit coverage in a growing number of areas, thus imposing mounting stress on local communities and straining the country’s overall economic health.
Program Experts
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This CFR Home and Abroad Public Forum discusses current and projected climate change, options for reducing emissions, and policies to help communities adapt to a changing climate. This event is part of CFR’s Home and Abroad series, which explores issues at the nexus of U.S. domestic and foreign policy that affect America’s role in the world.
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The Fight for Climate After COVID-19 draws on the troubled and uneven COVID-19 experience to illustrate the critical need to ramp up climate resilience rapidly and effectively on a global scale. After years of working alongside public health and resilience experts crafting policy to build both pandemic and climate change preparedness, CFR Senior Fellow Alice C. Hill exposes parallels between the underutilized measures that governments should have taken to contain the spread of COVID-19—such as early action, cross-border planning, and bolstering emergency preparation—and the steps leaders can take now to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The CFR Fellows’ Book Launch series highlights new books by CFR fellows.
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The Investing in a Sustainable Future virtual symposium was held on March 9 and 10, 2021. The event convened experts to examine how financial markets currently assess climate risk, as well as potential measures to ensure better incorporation of climate considerations. Keynote speaker Larry Fink of BlackRock discussed how investors and businesses can adapt to the challenges posed by a changing climate. Presented as part of the Rita Hauser Annual Event, the symposium was made possible by the generous support of the Hauser Foundation
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Panelists discuss the direction of U.S. climate and energy policies under the incoming Biden administration, from climate mitigation and adaptation strategies to regulating fossil fuel emissions and expanding alternate sources of energy. The Transition 2021 series examines the major issues confronting the administration in the foreign policy arena.