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The agency’s mandate has expanded from strengthening energy security to boosting the global clean energy transition, but it is facing pushback from critics who believe this mission undermines oil and gas investments.
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Energy Security and Climate Change Program
Climate change poses grave risks to humanity; confronting it will require a massive transformation of the world’s energy systems. Fossil fuels like oil and gas still shape global geopolitics and provide energy to billions, but burning those fuels causes catastrophic changes to the climate. To avoid worsening climate change, nations need to speed the transition toward clean energy. In addition to investing in clean energy to reduce emissions, countries also need to build resilience to 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.
98% of the world's population was exposed to higher temperatures in the summer of 2023, made at least twice more likely by carbon dioxide pollution.
Featured
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool to improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasting, with 2024 proving to be a banner year for swift progress.
A new Duke University study argues that the existing U.S. electricity system already has the capacity to power massive additions of data centers that will be needed for the further development of artificial intelligence.
As the effects of climate change mount, high-carbon energy sources continue to provide most of the world’s power. On average, 84 percent of tracker countries’ energy comes from high-carbon sources such as oil, whereas 16 percent comes from solar and other renewables. Low-carbon sources, however, are on the rise, particularly in developed countries.
The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps to limit the damage.
Program Experts
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President Trump’s NOAA cuts will significantly hamper the public’s understanding of the environment and weather forecasting, negatively affecting people in the United States and abroad.
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Several studies have attempted to model the effects of climate change on the economy, with varying results. But one fact remains certain: The costs of climate change will hit emerging markets and developing countries the hardest.
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U.S. policymakers need a new strategy to confront the risks of climate change, compete in the global energy transition, and stay the course regardless of which political party is in power. A doctrine of “climate realism” could earn bipartisan support by decisively pursuing American interests.
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Global consumption of fossil fuels remains stubbornly high despite decades of climate agreements. As demand continues to rise, the need for innovative solutions has become critical.
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The agency’s mandate has expanded from strengthening energy security to boosting the global clean energy transition, but it is facing pushback from critics who believe this mission undermines oil and gas investments.
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Artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool to improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasting, with 2024 proving to be a banner year for swift progress.