According to Michael Levi in this serial of The Power Surge, decreasing demand "is the only real path to confronting the climate consequences of abundant oil."

The global energy map is being redrawn at an accelerated pace. All signs point to the United States becoming part of an increasingly hemispheric energy trade, both for oil as well as for biofuels like ethanol. The Middle East will still loom large in U.S. energy policy given its crucial role in the world oil market, but U.S. energy officials and companies are forging deeper ties with their counterparts elsewhere in the Americas.

Read full answer

The Arctic region is undergoing unprecedented and disruptive change. Its climate is changing more rapidly than anywhere else on earth. Rising temperatures are causing a retreat of sea ice and changes to seasonal length, weather patterns and ecosystems. These changes have prompted a reassessment of economic and development potential in the Arctic and are giving rise to a set of far-reaching political developments.

Since 1988, Brazilians have cleared more than 153,000 square miles of Amazonian rain forest, devastating the environment and driving global climate change forward ever faster. Recently, however, Brazil has changed its course, reducing the rate of deforestation by 83 percent since 2004. At the same time, it has become a test case for a controversial international climate-change prevention strategy that places a monetary value on the carbon stored in forests.

Michael A. Levi, CFR's David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment, and director of the program on energy security and climate change, leads a conversation on President Obama's climate change policies.

While California may not be getting much attention at this year's UN climate talks in Doha, "California's new cap-and-trade system is perhaps the biggest good news climate story this year, and delegates in Doha should be celebrating it," says Michael A. Levi.

Based on the premise that economic development and environmental protection can be complementary goals, the Global Green Growth Initiative provides technical and policy advice to developing countries. The program faces many challenges, but if successful, it may revolutionize the field of development.

A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to combat climate change. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

Shale gas drilling could help Ohio's economy, but Steven Mufson of the Washington Post asks if fracking is worth the human and environmental cost.

The United States will "increasingly seek partnerships with other like-minded countries [in the region] to ensure global stability, security, and prosperity." In a new volume of collected essays, CFR Senior Fellow Scott Snyder writes that one of the strongest partners for the United States is South Korea.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave these remarks on February 16, 2012 at the launch of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

A senior Department of State official gave this telephone briefing on February 16, 2012 regarding an upcoming coalition on climate change and clean air.

The United States submitted these observations on the relationship between climate change and human rights to the UN Human Rights Council in 2008. The observations were "requested by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its communications dated June 3 and August 21, 2008…in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 7/23, in order to conduct "a detailed analytical study on the relationship between climate change and human rights."

Will an EU plan requiring all airlines to join its carbon market starting in 2012 spark a trade war and prove financially harmful to a struggling airline industry?

Scott Borgerson and Paula Dobriansky discuss the economic, environmental, and security implications of a changing Arctic region and its significance for the United States.

Scott Borgerson and Paula Dobriansky discuss the economic, environmental, and security implications of a changing Arctic region and its significance for the United States.

Because of increasing American recalcitrance on multilateral issues, Jagdish Bhagwati holds little hope for the Durban climate change talks.

Charles Hanley draws on decades of climate reporting to offer a retrospective and analysis on global warming and the undying urge to deny.

Duke Energy's Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Rogers discusses the future of energy in the United States with CFR's Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Michael Levi.

India's Environmental Minister, Jairam Ramesh, is considered the global "rock star" of climate change. In this Newsweek profile, Jeremy Kahn discovers if his policy proposals are good for India.