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CFR's Climate Realism Initiative

The Climate Realism Initiative charts a novel, pragmatic course for U.S. energy and climate policy that is both realistic in forecasting climate impacts and U.S. leverage as well as realist in assessing that countries will compete and pursue policies to advance their own interests.

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Global Energy Innovation Index 2025

Explore The Rankings

To meet growing energy demands while averting climate change, the world must accelerate innovation. European nations are the leading contributors to global energy innovation, with Canada the only non-European country in the index’s top ten. The United States ranks thirteenth.

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by David M. Hart, Colin Cunliff, Mia Beams, and Akkshath Subrahmanian

The Three Pillars of Climate Realism

Navigating the Geopolitics and Risks of a Warming World

Preparing to safeguard American interests as the world exceeds its climate targets by grappling with geopolitical upheaval from global droughts, disasters, and migration; approaching new areas of military and economic competition such as the Arctic; and investing in resilience and adaptation to protect the homeland.

Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and U.S. Competitiveness

Unleashing American global competitiveness in emerging energy markets by scaling innovations from next-generation batteries to power systems for artificial intelligence, guiding U.S. trade and industrial policy to balance the tradeoffs of the energy transition, and preserving U.S. global leadership in energy.

Averting Catastrophic Global Climate Change

Seeking to avert the most catastrophic planetary tipping points and climate impacts by marshaling levers of soft and hard power to curtail foreign emissions as well as advancing the technical readiness of and strategic approach for geoengineering. 

Experts

Varun Sivaram

Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate

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Alice C. Hill

David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment

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David M. Hart

Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy

Clara Gillispie

Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy

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Daniel B. Poneman

Senior Fellow

Lindsay Iversen

Deputy Director, Climate Realism Initiative

Featured Projects

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Trade Tools for Climate Action

For the United States to benefit from the growth in this rapidly expanding basket of technologies, it needs to focus on three areas of activity: identifying the goods that best contribute to global climate goals, investing in the development of technology where the United States can have a competitive advantage, and creating fair rules for trade in those products.

Article by Jennifer Hillman and Inu Manak

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