21st Century Diplomacy: Foreign Policy Is Climate Policy
Publisher: adelphi
Author(s): Alexander Carius, Noah J. Gordon, and Lauren H. Risi
Date: 2020
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Prevention, Governance, Humanitarian Assistance, Peace and Security Operations
Countries: China, India, United States
Efforts to mitigate climate change must be firmly ensconced in broader governing bodies and regulatory institutions. The world has set course for a future where temperatures are 3-4°C higher by the end of the century. Set against the 1.1°C rise experienced since the industrial revolution, our current trajectory should be setting off alarm bells in every corner of the globe. To limit temperature rise to 1.5°- 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 (the goal set forth by the Paris Agreement), not only will we have to reduce global emissions to net zero, we will need to pursue negative emissions. Deploying the technologies required to achieve negative emissions, like carbon dioxide removal or solar radiation management, brings into the equation a host of questions that, if left unanswered, could further exacerbate the impacts of the very phenomenon they seek to keep at bay and spark their own crisis.
To chart a new course forward, the Wilson Center and adelphi invited a diverse set of foreign policy leaders, analysts, and thematic experts from around the globe to elucidate the connections between climate change and broader foreign policy objectives. What are the challenges ahead? And perhaps more importantly, where are the opportunities for driving transformative change towards a decarbonized world that is both more prosperous and more equitable?