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Energy Security and Climate Change Program
Climate change poses grave risks to humanity in the twenty first century; confronting it will require a massive transformation of the world’s energy systems. Although fossil fuels like oil and gas still shape global geopolitics, the destructive impacts wrought by a changing climate highlight the need to speed the transition toward clean energy. Yet, even as countries invest in clean energy to reduce emissions, they will need to adapt in order to build resilience to the 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.
85% of the world population lives in areas impacted by human-caused climate change
Featured
COVID-19 exposed the world’s failure to prepare for the worst—can we learn to build back better?
Billion-dollar disasters such as Hurricane Ian are on the rise in the United States. Officials should take swift action to reduce the damage and protect Americans.
The President’s Inbox is pleased to present an episode from Foreign Affairs’ new podcast, The Foreign Affairs Interview. In this episode, Jason Bordoff, co-founding dean of the Columbia Climate School, and Meghan O’Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick professor of the practice of international affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, sit down with Foreign Affairs Editor Dan Kurtz-Phelan to discuss the geopolitics of energy in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the transition to clean energy.
The UN climate summit delivered on a loss and damage fund, but it fell short on goals to reduce emissions and avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
Progress on President Biden’s climate agenda will slow with a split Congress. But with federal efforts dulled, state-level action could supply added momentum.
The Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the scope of the agency’s regulatory powers with broader implications for all federal rulemaking on climate.
Responsible for powering the country and its economy, the U.S. energy grid has come under increasing strain due to climate change, and the threat of cyberattacks looms.
The Inflation Reduction Act promises the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history—$370 billion—and could lead to significant emissions reductions over the next decade.
The Supreme Court’s decision on the EPA also undermines Biden’s leadership in the global fight against climate change.
Program Experts
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The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world’s largest stockpile of emergency crude oil, has helped shield the United States from energy supply crunches, but debate persists over its management.
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The UN climate summit delivered on a loss and damage fund, but it fell short on goals to reduce emissions and avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
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Billion-dollar disasters such as Hurricane Ian are on the rise in the United States. Officials should take swift action to reduce the damage and protect Americans.