Climate Change and Climate Action

“Go forth and set the world on fire”

As the world rages around the raging fires, I have to wonder: Is this the moment where we will finally see the forest for the trees? Why are we continuing to look into a crystal ball, as if the climate crisis is somehow our future, when it’s so glaringly clear that it is our present?

Trump hails “time for optimism” on climate change, but US leadership still missing

By David A. Wemer

While “Trump is right [that] this is a time for both optimism and action,” John E. Morton, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, said, Trump “is wrong to suggest that the future lies in fossil fuels.” By emphasizing fossil fuel production, Livingston said, “Trump missed a key opportunity to sell the story of a United States that can still—with the right policies—commercialize zero-carbon technologies as well as any other country in the world.”

Will climate change move the needle in 2020?

By David A. Wemer

From the release of the Green New Deal to global protests on environmental policy, “climate [has become] a prominent national issue and all the attention it received in 2019 guarantees that it will be a top issue in an American presidential election for the first time ever,” according to former US Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL).

How can oil and gas companies contribute to the energy transition?

By David A. Wemer

“There is no thing that is a magic solution” to climate change, according to Musabbeh Al-Kaabi, chief executive officer for petroleum and petrochemicals at the Mubadala Investment Company, but oil and gas companies are increasingly realizing that “the future outlook for energy consumption will require different sources of energy.”

Climate commitments needed to head off threats of volatility and instability

By Adal Mirza

A widening gap between perceptions and reality of the global energy markets could increase volatility as governments, policy makers, and industries struggle to tackle climate change, according to Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency.

International grid integration: Efficiencies, vulnerabilities, and strategic implications in Asia

By Phillip Cornell

In order to meet growing global demand for electricity, and in response to an increase in renewables, power networks and markets are evolving and becoming increasingly interconnected. South and Southeast Asia have already had some success with interconnections, and China’s vision and Belt and Road Initiative loom large in the region, but there are geopolitical concerns to contend with. Could a US model manage these concerns? What is the state of regional power markets in Asia and investment in regional grid infrastructure, and what responses are we already seeing to emerging trends?

Transforming the power sector in developing countries: Geopolitics, poverty, and climate change in Bangladesh

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

As the South and Southeast Asian region faces increasing energy demand due to both population and economic growth, countries like Bangladesh must meet that demand while facing and overcoming critical environmental and energy security challenges. How is Bangladesh seeking to diversify its energy mix and establish more local and decarbonized power systems, and what are key opportunities for future government and foreign investment?