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September 29, 2008 | Empowering International Organizations to Manage Climate Policy

John Mathiason: The Copenhagen Conference will hopefully produce a successor to the Kyoto Protocol; but then the real work begins. Independent organizations will be necessary to tackle adaptation and mitigation requirements, while ensuring, through effective monitoring, that states comply. Self-policing is not an option.

September 26, 2008 | Local Authorities are Key to Transatlantic Climate and Energy Cooperation

Dale Medearis: Following the collapse of a cap-and-trade climate bill in the US, it is evident that any substantive policies will begin at the local and state levels. Fortunately, this also happens to be the level at which the US and Germany can pursue very solid and mutually beneficial cooperation.

September 3, 2008 | The World Needs a Third Industrial Revolution

Alexander Ochs: This policy report examines the twin challenges of climate change and energy security for the US and Germany, focusing on the third industrial revolution – the revolution that has to occur to transform our current combustion engine-based societies into an energy-efficient and climate friendly world.

August 15, 2008 | Doing Good Efficiently

Finn E. Kydland: Six Nobel Peace Prize laureates asked themselves what the most effective way would be to spend $75 billion in order to make the world a better place. The ranking list they developed gives very different answers than those policymakers usually do.

August 1, 2008 | The Next Big Project for the EU is Energy

Michaele Schreyer and Ralf Fuecks: Current energy crisis poses a significant threat to international economic and political stability. The current make-up of the EU is ill-equipped to deal with this challenge. The Union urgently needs an institutional reform: a European Community for Renewable Energy which would transform its economy into an energy-efficient system.

July 26, 2008 | Defending Europe in the Future: Revising the European Security Strategy

Daniel Fiott: Any revision of the European Security Strategy later this year should aim to deal with the security threats posed by climate change, energy security, human security, cyber crime and the incoherence of the European Union’s military capabilities.

June 25, 2008 | Global Warming Heats Up the Issue of Arctic Sovereignty

Markus Kaim: Climate change is causing a growth of possibilities for the use of the Arctic. Canada’s Arctic policy, dominated by claims to sovereignty and territory, conflicts with that of its direct competitors in the region (Denmark, Canada, USA, Russia, and Norway) and is at odds with German and European efforts to support multilateralism and uphold international legislation.

June 19, 2008 | Europe's Century

Parag Khanna & Alpo Rusi: Despite the Irish no vote, the EU’s destiny is to lead the world on security, trade and climate change. Increasingly, globalization requires structure and organization on the local level, and the EU, which benefits from high credibility, is setting standards for other regions around the world.

June 14, 2008 | Pollution as a Human Rights Issue

Leah Strauss: Both the UN Environment Program and Human Rights Council have acknowledged the ever-present human element of environmental degradation. Globally, the recognition that those who pollute are violating human rights is of urgent importance, nowhere more-so than in China.

June 11, 2008 | Addressing the Emerging Challenges of Climate Change

Frank-Walter Steinmeier & David Miliband: Germany and the UK want to develop an effective European and multilateral strategy to anticipate the new policy challenges of climate security. Indeed, an off-balance global climate will spawn ravaging crises, conflicts, and disasters that require an international response.

June 2, 2008 | High Hopes for an US-EU led International Climate Change Policy

Axel Berg: After the elections in the US, Europeans are expecting to forge ahead with transatlantic cooperation on climate policy. Whoever is in the White House, expectations are high, especially among the Germans who want to set precedents and increase pressure on the international community.

April 7, 2008 | The $100 Barrel: Long Term Gains, Short Term Costs

Memo 5: Members of the Atlantic Community are more concerned about the short term consequences than the potential long term benefits of the current high oil price.

March 27, 2008 | After Bali: A Shift in Climate Policy Leadership

Sascha Müller-Kraenner: The EU and the US have the responsibility as well as the financial and technological means to address the climate challenge. Yet their approach needs to be internationally orientated so that it also offers a platform to the new assertive voices of China, India, Russia and others.

December 10, 2007 | Climate Change Increases the Risk of Terrorism

Julianne Smith and Alexander T. J. Lennon: We contend that in the years to come climate change will further disrupt the stability of already volatile regions, which has the potential of producing multitudes of discontented individuals prone to radicalization.

September 7, 2007 | For Transatlantic Future, Look Beyond Heads of State

Casey S Butterfield: The German foreign minister’s recent visit to California illustrates an important trend: the Atlantic Community as we know it is expanding. Today’s global challenges call for more cooperation between cities, states, civil societies, and citizens.

September 3, 2007 | Addressing the Security Consequences of Climate Change

Josh Busby: I offer solutions on how countries can get from concern about the security consequences of climate change to action on its effects. Expanded support for adaptation and disaster response is needed, with continuing focus on emissions reductions.

July 13, 2007 | The Rise of Liberal Japan

Joseph S. Nye: We cannot overlook Japan as a global powerhouse. How its people and government respond to emerging China will be “one of the great questions for this century.”

June 14, 2007 | Blair's Farewell Breathes New Life Into G8

John Kirton: I report on the diplomatic victories of the 2007 G8 Summit. And I praise Tony Blair for helping to finally bring Bush “into the transatlantic club” on climate change. This year’s achievements on emissions reductions, Africa and security should help to boost the G8’s relevance in a globalized world.

October 6, 2008 | Avoiding the Worst-Case Scenario

Efforts to address carbon emissions must be undertaken with exigency. ++ Developing countries like China, India and Brazil are responsible for half of all carbon emissions worldwide; their output has doubled over the past two decades. ++ 8.47 gigatons of emissions were released in 2007, up 2.9 percent over 2006. ++ Polluters will not change their energy policy until the US takes action. ++ The US

September 29, 2008 | Alexander Ochs, Center for Clean Air Policy

Alexander Ochs is director of International Policy at the Center for Clean Air Policy. As such, he provides strategic guidance on all aspects of international climate policy at the center. He oversees CCAP’s international efforts and also advises on their US strategy. Alexander is also the founding editor of FACET - Forum for Atlantic Climate and Energy Talks, and a senior fellow at the American

September 18, 2008 | A Strategic Economic Engagement with China

Given the interdependence between the economic growth of China and the world, it is necessary to integrate China into the global economy system. ++ One option is the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), which brings US and Chinese policymakers together to expand the bilateral relations. ++ Due to the long consultation that the Chinese government needs for decision making, the dialogue is

September 3, 2008 | Humanity Must be Earth's Physician

While geoengineering may tempt mankind with promises of correcting global warming, we must not fall prey to the vicious cycle of scientifically tinkering with our planet. ++ Instead, humanity must adapt to a changing and warming environment by utilizing oases on continents and the Artic basin, which would be habitable in a warmer world, to ensure sufficient resources for our survival. ++ Saving

August 28, 2008 | "Sustainable Thinking" Beats "Cap and Trade"

Current “cap and trade” approach to the fight with global warming will not effectively solve the problem. ++ At its core, climate change is not a problem of technology or policy – the problem lies in our frame of mind. ++ We won’t save our planet unless we overcome system blindness and embrace “sustainable thinking,” characterized by 4 steps: “discover, dream, design, and

August 21, 2008 | We Need an International Court for the Environment

So far all global efforts to tackle climate change have lacked impact, legitimacy and transparency - the situation is dire and calls for more radical solutions. ++ It is crucial to create a global legal structure of control in the form of an international court for the environment. ++ Such a powerful and imperial body could provide the catalyst for a global consensus concerning the best solution

July 25, 2008 | The G8 Leaders Must "Get Their Act Together"

There are four main problems that deepen the world crisis: incoherence of American leadership, lack of global financing, lack of contact between scientific experts and politicians, and finally the fact that the G8 ignores the UN and the World Bank — institutions offering the best hope to tackle global problems. ++ The Group of Eight summits have turned into photo opportunities and illustrate the

July 24, 2008 | "The Good News About Energy"

The tendency to use cleaner, lower carbon fuels is gathering speed without mandates or subsidies. ++ Indeed, the necessity to adapt infrastructure and emerging economies’ use of whatever their indigenous resources to industrialize means the process will not be quick or smooth; but change is underway. ++ China and India, for instance, still heavily rely on coal, but in the long term, they plan to

July 23, 2008 | We Need to Challenge Climate Change Consensus

Scientists who challenge the mainstream theory of global warming and claim that the increase in global temperatures is not caused by greenhouse gas emissions struggle to attain funding and publish their findings. ++ Mankind’s culpability for climate change has been elevated to orthodoxy and any dissenters are said to suffer from ostracism. ++ This is a mistake – an overwhelming embrace of

July 21, 2008 | Gore Calls for Carbon-Free Electric Power

Former Vice President Al Gore said that Americans must abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within a decade. ++ Although his engagement against global warming is well known, Gore argued in this speech that the reasons for renouncing fossil fuels go far beyond environmental concern. ++ He cited military-intelligence studies warning of “dangerous national security implications” tied to

July 15, 2008 | Clean Technology Fund to Tackle Climate Change

The Clean Technology Fund - a multilateral initiative developed by the G8 and the World Bank -, would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by financing the use of clean technology in developing countries. ++ CO2 emissions of developing economies will soon exceed those of the developed ones. ++ Only advanced technology can help emerging economies curb their emissions growth without affecting

July 11, 2008 | Cowboy Diplomacy and Climate Change

Bush’s “cowboy diplomacy” is changing the way the world addresses climate change. ++ The new G8 document reflects the approach of the White House since 2002. ++ For the first time, the G8 acknowledged that progress will depend on technological advancements and that any climate program requires the involvement of countries like China and India. ++ It also recognized that

July 11, 2008 | G8 on Climate Change: Promises Are Not Enough

G8 group agreed to cut green house emission by 50 percent. ++ But the final agreement establishes no interim goals that would require prompt and meaningful investments in cleaner energy. ++ China and India made clear that it is the developed world who contributed the most to the man-made emissions and who therefore must do most of the heavy lifting. ++ Scientists believe that cuts of at least 25

July 10, 2008 | Sascha Müller-Kraenner, European Representative of The Nature Conservancy

Foreign policy, European integration and environmental policy are subjects of predilection for Sascha Müller-Kraenner and questions on which he has extensively published in the past. He previously worked for the Heinrich Böll Foundation as director for Europe/North America, head of the program on foreign and security policy, and founding director for the North American office in

July 10, 2008 | G8 Meeting: No Progress at All

The G-8 summit seemed more interested in harmony than in making progress on pressing issues. ++ G8 agreed to cut emissions by “at least” 50 percent, but the old conflict regarding the question who should start retained. ++ Farming subsidies in the Western as well as the massive failures of monetary policy, both responsible for the current food crises, were not even mentioned. ++ G8 remains a club

July 4, 2008 | Global Challenges Require Urgent Actions

Climate change and economic “stagflation” threaten the very future of our planet. ++ The only way to solve these challenges is to act globally. ++ Essentially, to resolve the food crisis, export restrictions need to be lifted and a second “green revolution,” - what once transformed Southeast Asia - needs to take place. ++ Climate change can be stopped if new limits are set

July 2, 2008 | Geoengineering an Answer to Climate Change?

Geoengineering as a solution to the problem of global warming deserves more attention from policymakers. ++ Solutions such as injecting ultra-fine sulfur particles into the stratosphere or spraying clouds with saltwater to increase their reflectivity may not be a panacea for climate change but they have a potential to slow it down and it would be much cheaper than mitigating GHG emissions. ++

July 2, 2008 | Recession Pushes the Planet Down the Agenda

A recent Ipsos Mori poll suggests a gradual loss of interest in the issue of climate change. ++ The specter of recession intensifies political pressure to abandon green policies. ++ Governments try to save the economy and the planet at the same time though these two aims are contradictory. ++ They base their policies on the false assumption that there is a cheap alternative to a green economy. ++

June 24, 2008 | Using the Oil Shock to Prevent Climate Shock

Reducing the West’s dependence on fossil fuels from Russia and the Middle East requires lowering reliance on this type of energy altogether. ++ Many governments are “doing their utmost to increase and subsidize supplies” but this is not the revolutionary kind of action needed to avoid catastrophe. ++ Democratic leaders need to “lead, decide, and inspire,” display courage and stop shying away from

June 18, 2008 | Are Second Generation Biofuels a Curse or a Blessing?

In the debate regarding climate change and the shortage of fossil fuels, biofuels were for a long time considered to be the ideal solution. However recently, they have increasingly come under fire. Critics denounce the fact that through production of ethanol and biodiesel, the foodstuffs which are urgently needed in poor countries end up in the gas tanks of Western cars. In addition, the

June 18, 2008 | Climate Change Brings Forth a Century of Violence

Until now, no one really seems to realise what kind of threat climate change represents for human beings living together on Earth. In his book “Climate Wars”, the social psychologist Harald Welzer therefore warns us against only perceiving climate change as a natural catastrophe and not as a collapse of the social order. In this sense, the social consequences of this development, rather than the

June 9, 2008 | Tourism and Climate Change: The Guilty Gain

International tourism is undergoing very rapid changes. New travelling habits, an increased awareness of price, short notice and short term holidays - and the wish for more flexibility and individuality as well as rising energy prices are constantly creating new challenges for the tourism industry. Unpredictable incidents have added to this: terrorist attacks (New York, Bali, Djerbra, Morocco,

June 4, 2008 | Antarctica's Sea Ice is Deceptively Growing

Since the late 70s, scientists have observed that the size of Polar South’s sea ice is expanding. ++ At a first glance, this could be mistaken for a positive development, however, other readings have shown that inland ice is melting at much more rapid rates. ++ This, coupled with the melting of earth’s four largest glaciers and cataclysmic melting of the Arctic, could still lead to a

May 30, 2008 | US Must Lead the Global Climate Change Initiative

The climate change bill currently being debated in the US Senate is paramount for actual, sustainable improvement. ++ Not only for the sake of the environment, economies have recently experienced that innovation and emissions reduction can be quite lucrative. ++ In this spirit, one can expect the entrepreneurial character of the US economy to deliver a new age of greener policy and consumption.

May 29, 2008 | G8 Adopts a Cooperative Approach to Climate Change

At this year’s G8 summit, the focus will be convincing big emitters (China, US) and developing countries to commit to the Kyoto protocol. ++ Making attractive proposals to encourage emission cuts and highlighting their benefits in terms of energy consumption and pollution reduction will require diplomatic leadership. ++ As part of environment ministers’ Kobe initiative, a sector-specific approach

May 9, 2008 | Saving Lives is the Immediate Priority in Burma

The reluctance of Burma’s military rulers to help their own people in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis is criminal. ++ The international community should use a measured approach in encouraging Burma to accept aid and de-prioritize the scheduled constitutional referendum. ++ Greater involvement should be elicited from regional actors such as China and Thailand. ++ Pressuring too hard will only be

May 8, 2008 | "Mass Starvation is Completely Avoidable"

Even without the food crisis, hundreds of millions do not have enough food. ++ We should demonstrate utmost concern and use this crisis as an opportunity to bring long overdue reforms and help vulnerable populations overcome long-existing food shortages. ++ Guaranteeing global food security requires solving structural problems, ending unfair trade practices, and tackling climate change

May 6, 2008 | Fighting Global Warming While the Earth is Cooling

German researchers have reported that natural climate variability may offset the noticeable effects of human-induced global warming over the next decade, until 2020. ++ In the short term, policymakers should not ease efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions but welcome the break as a time to cooperate and plan the planet’s environmental future. ++ While a decade is a short amount of time and

May 2, 2008 | The Children Will Pay for Climate Change

Since global warming – by causing “natural” disasters, disease, and conflict – is threatening the lives and livelihoods of ever more children in the third world, we need to increase our contribution to the cost of adapting to climate change so that it is more evenly shared. ++ Governments, the private sector, and individuals must take action and adapt aid to the level of

April 30, 2008 | Resentment Could Fester Deadly Anger

Climate change, resource shortages, and crippling, high food prices caused by the increased consumption of advanced and developing economies has unleashed a tide of resentment in poorer regions. ++ If Western culture and influence gets the blame for the health and capacity failures of the Third World, we could witness the rise of a “deadly anger now associated with Islamic

April 24, 2008 | International Institutions Are in a Crisis of Confidence

While the most global threats like climate change or terrorism are at an impasse, the existing international institutions do not provide the needed framework for their solving. ++ They do not reflect the real distribution of economic and military power and ignore the needs and interests of developing countries. ++ To overcome mutual mistrust, G8 und G5 should be combined into one grouping.

April 23, 2008 | New US President Must Deliver Hope for Conservation

While it is undisputed that a new Democratic president would improve environmental policies, it might not be enough. ++ A call for the US to set an example in conservation for rising industrial economies must be heeded. ++ Restricted by domestic approval, each candidate proposes little in the way of emissions reduction, whereas studies show that a greener policy would hardly dampen the economy.

April 22, 2008 | Google Gathers Earth Day Pledges

Googlers from around the world are exchanging ideas and intentions on how to combat climate change on the Earth Day-specific mashup map. ++ The “nifty map” is part of the initiative “go green with Google” which provides ideas, energy saver gadgets, and a database of NGOs focusing on environmental sustainability. ++ The map is an inspiring platform to raise awareness and

March 10, 2008 | The Perverse Effects of Biofuels

Despite progress on climate change, there is an imminent threat on food security. ++ Decreased rainfalls and the rush to grow biofuels in an unsustainable manner is causing food prices to soar and putting the world at risk of a food crisis. ++ Expected growth of the population and increasing wealth in developing nations will exacerbate the problem by exerting added pressure on food and energy

January 28, 2008 | India and China on Climate Change: Let's Work Together

Apart from hosting international sporting events in the near future, Delhi and Beijing have a lot in common at the moment, according to Narayani Ganesh of the Times of India: both face increasingly serious environmental challenges.
However these common issues offer opportunities for scientific cooperation, as shown by a memorandum on environmental collaboration signed during PM Manohan

January 23, 2008 | Climate Change Threatens International Security

The geopolitical consequences of climate change are determined as much by political, social and economic factors as by the climatic shift itself. As a rule wealthier countries will be better prepared to cope with the effects of climate change whilst developing countries are least able to do so. For example, an increase in rainfall could be a blessing for a country that can capture, store, and use

January 8, 2008 | Dealing With the Dragon

Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics at Princeton, argues in the NY Times that the biggest foreign policy issues for the next president will not be related to 9/11 or the war in Iraq. Rather, they will involve the consequences of China’s rapid economic growth.

The $100 a barrel oil price is a “made-in-China phenomenon,” given that China has been responsible for about a third of the

September 7, 2007 | Blame Governments, Not Climate Change, for Future Failed States

Idean Salehyan, coauthor of “Climate Change and Conflict: The Migration Link,”argues in Foreign Policy that climate change cannot be the exclusive cause of future wars for water and resources. Corrupt and tyrannical governments should remain under scrutiny. Ban Ki-Moon’s statement linking the horrors in Darfur to climate change is false and misleading: Khartoum is the source of the

April 25, 2007 | Joseph Nye on Soft Power After Iraq

America has a “profound misunderstanding of the nature of power in world politics,” says Harvard professor Joseph S. Nye. Power is distributed at three levels: unipolar military relations among states, multipolar economic relations, and transnational issues outside the control of governments. The most urgent challenges faced by the US today, such as the Iraq war, global climate change, pandemics,