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Energy and Environment
Pollution
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Virtual Roundtable: Clearing the Air on Air PollutionAir pollution is a major contributor to illness and early death worldwide. Substantial progress has been made to reduce air pollution, but what more needs to be done? Participants discuss the status, sources, and health effects of air pollution in various global contexts.
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Why the UN Is Taking on Plastic PollutionThe United Nations is fast-tracking discussions that aim to forge an international agreement to curb plastic waste, one of the most pervasive and hazardous environmental pollutants.
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How Cutting Methane Emissions Can Move the Needle on Climate ChangeReducing global emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, could provide one quick win in the fight against climate change.
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China’s Fight Against Climate Change and Environmental DegradationChina’s carbon emissions threaten global efforts to fight climate change. Its broader environmental degradation endangers economic growth, public health, and government legitimacy. Are Beijing’s policies enough?
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Belt and Road in Kenya: COVID-19 Sparks a Reckoning with Debt and DissatisfactionThe economic impact of COVID-19 has exposed the underlying fragility of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kenya, already the subject of scrutiny over corruption, pollution, and debt concerns. BRI fueled an ambitious infrastructure push in Kenya.
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Ransom Payment in the Gulf of GuineaAccording to the Nigerian army, a ransom of $300,000 was paid to pirates in the Gulf of Guinea to secure the release of the crew of a Chinese fishing boat. The party that paid the ransom is not repor…
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Nigeria's Enduring "Gold Wars"Fola Aina is a doctoral fellow at King’s College London. He is an international security analyst with expertise on peace and security in the Lake Chad region and the Sahel region. Nolan Quinn cont…
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Toxic PoliticsIn Toxic Politics, CFR Senior Fellow Yanzhong Huang discusses how China’s environmental crisis is undermining public health and becoming an Achilles heel in its reemergence as a global power.
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To Address Climate Change While Protecting Workers, the United States Needs a Border-Adjusted Carbon TaxThe only way to take effective and far-reaching action to combat climate change while also preserving American competitive advantage is the imposition of a carbon tax with border adjustments.
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Toxic Politics
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CFR Senior Fellow Yanzhong Huang discusses how China’s environmental crisis is undermining public health and becoming an Achilles heel in its reemergence as a global power. -
Which Countries Are the Top 5 Carbon Emitters?The United States and China are responsible for more than 40% of global CO2 emissions. Which countries are the world’s biggest carbon polluters?
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China Doesn’t Want Your TrashFor years, China processed more than half of the world’s plastic recycling. Then, in 2018, it stopped. Things have gotten messy since then.
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China’s EIA RollbackA decision to remove environmental impact assessment requirements for some Shanghai construction projects embodies a trend of sliding environmental standards as China's economy slows. It also draws questions about China's greater commitments to environmental protection.
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A Matter of Particular Concern: India’s Transition From Biomass BurningAaron Steinberg is an interdepartmental program assistant at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. On Sunday, the Indian Election Commission released the much anticipated polling dates fo…
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The Global Health Nexus on Climate Change and PollutionPollution kills nine million people each year and sickens many more, mostly in poorer nations. The global health effects of climate change are less well quantified, but also increasing with lower-income countries again bearing the brunt of greater food insecurity, increased rates of chronic respiratory illnesses, and shifts in malarial zones. CFR’s Global Health, Economics, and Development Roundtable Series held a discussion on the global health nexus between climate change and pollution and how a more coherent approach to these issues can advance progress at a time when some policymakers, especially in the United States, are unmoved by the environmental, health, and economic consequences expected in the coming decades. The featured speaker for this discussion was Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and recent co-chair of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health.
