Global efforts to address climate change appear headed on a collision course with national self-interest and great power politics. In the United States, now the world’s largest producer of oil and gas, President Donald Trump is systematically reversing federal climate policy advances of the previous administration and seeking to actively impede the energy transition. China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, has secured a commanding position across all major clean technology supply chains, relying on decades of state intervention to build an unrivalled comparative advantage. Meanwhile, Europe appears cornered, traditionally relying on the U.S. for security and increasingly for still-needed fossil fuel supplies, while at the same time seeking to sustain its ambitious European Green Deal in the face of growing economic pressures and electoral backlash.
How will evolving political dynamics and national interest affect the pace and direction of decarbonization efforts, including international climate cooperation?
Programme:
Keynote:
Michael Mehling, Non-Resident Fellow, FIIA & Deputy Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Comment:
Antto Vihma, Research Professor, FIIA
Welcoming words & chair:
Emma Hakala, Leading Researcher, FIIA