With devastating wildfires, unprecedented flooding, and record-smashing levels of heat, the world is seeing a significant rise in extreme weather events—and some experts warn the trend may be the “new normal.” Against that backdrop, policymakers, officials, civil-society leaders, and activists are gathering in the hopes of forging a decisive global response to the climate crisis. Will countries react quickly enough with policies to limit rising temperatures and help people adapt to the new normal? And will developing countries receive the attention they deserve at COP28? Our experts are on the case in Dubai.

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Live analysis

New Atlanticist

Nov 30, 2023

Expert analysis: The successes and shortcomings in the fight against climate change at COP28

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts dispatched to Dubai, where they analyzed how global leaders responded to the greatest challenges posed by climate change.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy Transitions

Featured events

Upcoming events

December 2 – December 12, 2023

The Global Energy Center co-hosts the Global Decarbonization Accelerator (GDA) Connect space featuring panel discussions on accelerating pathways to net-zero, interviews, networking, and more.

Featured from across the Council

Global Energy Center

The Global Energy Center (GEC) will deploy its convening power and vision for climate action and energy innovations on the ground in Dubai to engage in dialogue; host its flagship event, the Global Energy Forum; and provide timely commentary and analysis on developments and outcomes at the climate conference.

Global Energy Forum

The ninth Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum will be held June 17 and 18 in Washington, DC. Please check back regularly for updates on our programming.

Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center

Arsht-Rock will put adaptation, finance, and policy solutions for climate resilience at the heart of every discussion and agenda at COP28. Our team will elevate this urgent issue and showcase the innovative solutions that are already protecting lives and livelihoods from the impacts of climate-driven extreme heat.

Middle East Programs

empowerME Initiative

The Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative will be hosting two sessions live, on the ground during COP28, titled: Unleashing the Green Energy Potential in the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. The first session will discuss the policy and regulatory framework to promote the green energy sector, and the second will discuss enabling green energy potential in the region through finance and innovation. In addition, we will be providing daily live updates on the developments in COP28 in the blue and green zone, with a focus on the global south and the MENA region.

empowerME climate profiles

The Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative will be highlighting the dire climate situation for differing nations in the Middle East and North Africa region through our “Climate Profiles” series.

Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and TRENDS Research and Advisory in the United Arab Emirates are partnering for their 3rd annual conference on “Sustainable Security in the Middle East,” focusing this year on “the Soft and Hard Implications of Climate Action.” The two-day conference will take place in the Green Zone at COP28 during the afternoons of the 4th and 5th of December.

Atlantic Council in Turkey

The Atlantic Council IN TURKEY & Turkey Programs is hosting a joint event on December 9 with Trends Research and Advisory, a UAE based think tank to launch a report on cooperation between the Turkey and the GCC towards the clean energy transition in line with the Atlantic Council’s focus on leveraging regional cooperation to bolster clean energy. Turkey and the GCC share many synergies in the energy sector and unlocking the mutually beneficial areas of cooperation can play a vital role in addressing the challenge of climate change to the region.

Africa Center

The Africa Center will place African solutions at the forefront of the global discussion taking place at COP28. Featuring a report launch on the potential impact of Green Banking Ecosystems, the Africa Center will convene a Green Zone event series highlighting the need for a renewed climate finance architecture that takes African realities into account. The Center will also take a comprehensive look at the role that Island nations play in connecting the continent to the rest of the globe, and their global leadership in combating climate change.

GeoTech Center

The GeoTech Center will emphasize space-based capabilities contribution to climate science and sustainability research at COP28. A Blue Zone panel discussion will explore how space assets and their data can meaningfully progress critical climate research, including the role of international bodies in maximizing the impact of these efforts.

All publications

EnergySource

Nov 2, 2022

A new Europe-MENA energy interdependence: The role of hydrogen

By Giampaolo Cantini

A deeper Europe-MENA relationship could aid a secure transition in Europe and create lucrative low-carbon export opportunities and industries in North Africa. Hydrogen could be the cornerstone of these new ties, and COP27 could be the perfect forum to develop them.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

EnergySource

Nov 1, 2022

China’s energy security realities and COP27 ambitions

By Joseph Webster, William Tobin

China will enter COP27 firmly playing both sides of the energy transition. The country is a global leader in clean technologies, but it is also pouring money into new coal plants and production. Beijing may have to choose between its climate aspirations and its coal realities to compete successfully with the West.

China Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Nov 1, 2022

How Europe can salvage its climate credibility at COP27

By Michał Kurtyka and Paddy Ryan

Europe’s recent energy policies have begotten accusations of climate hypocrisy, as the continent blocks access to financing for gas projects in developing countries yet scours those countries for gas supplies for its own use. At COP27, Europe can—and should—responsibly reconcile those contradictions.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Oct 31, 2022

COP27 and financing for sustainable energy development

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

COP27 will place the issue of climate finance front and center. The need to provide adequate support for developing nations beset by climate-related hardship and pursuing transition policies cannot be overstated.

Climate Change & Climate Action Energy & Environment
traffic light sign underwater

COP

The Atlantic Council’s coverage of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, listed by year.