2015 ended on a very positive note in terms of climate diplomacy efforts. The adoption of the Paris Agreement is widely considered to be a great success. It hasn’t all been easy, but it’s been necessary for 2016 to keep the pace. Thankfully, numerous people, institutions and countries have stepped forward to ensure the debate hasn’t run dry.
The Climate Diplomacy platform has also been dedicated to monitoring and supporting this debate, by gathering and promoting stories, which touch on different aspects of climate diplomacy. Thus, to again end the year on a positive note and maintain the motivation for 2017, we’ve compiled our top ten climate diplomacy stories published on our platform over the past year:
By Benjamin Pohl
Why do some measures which address the causes of migration still ignore climate change? Do we need a policy revolution to achieve integrated, long-term solutions? Benjamin Pohl looked at recent action by the EU.
By Kaj Fischer
Most of the progressive policies and significant challenges with regard to climate change are found in cities. A study by adelphi looks at ways of integrating urban actors in international climate governance to find more effective climate solutions. Kaj Fischer summed up the results.
By Dhanasree Jayaram
In the run up to and during the COP21 negotiations, many eyes were on India, as it was perceived to be a potential “bridging” nation, but also as a “challenge”. Dhanasree Jayaram sheds some insight on what India’s aspirations might be after the Paris Summit.
By Johannes Ackva
Mission Innovation is an initiative by twenty leading countries to double their research and development (R&D) budgets for clean energy innovation in the next five years. In this opinion piece, Johannes Ackva lays out why this initiative is essential in order to complement carbon pricing and deployment policies, and, thus, should receive far more attention.
By Stephan Wolters and Dennis Tänzler
The success of the landmark Paris Agreement ultimately hinges on sustained efforts in the years to come. Stephan Wolters and Dennis Tänzler suggested five elements for EU Climate Diplomacy to keep up the positive momentum.
By Lukas Rüttinger
What are the links between climate change and extractive industries and why is this relevant for international politics? Lukas Rüttinger summed up the findings of a 2016 report and highlights four entry points for foreign policy.
By Sabine Blumstein
Climate change is expected to intensify droughts and other water-related challenges in many international river basins, making adaptive capacity building crucial. Sabine Blumstein summarised the findings of a report by adelphi that outlines different water policy tools used in many river basins to support climate change adaptation, but also explains a number of deficiencies.
By Stephan Wolters
The new EU Global Strategy “Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe” recognises the strategic importance of climate change. This is an important step to integrate climate diplomacy into the EU's overall foreign policy thinking, according to Stephan Wolters.
By Jonathan Rozen
The realization of the SDGs, and with them the conditions for peaceful societies, is directly threatened by worsening climatic conditions. Climate change directly impacts socio-economic development outcomes, such as food and livelihood security. Author Jonathan Rozen argues that efforts on sustaining peace and advancing sustainable development require bold climate action that looks beyond short-term political constraints.
By Stephan Wolters
How to deal with the impacts of climate change on peace and stability? What are the key climate-fragility risks to development in Africa and how can integrated policy responses be designed and implemented? Two side events at COP22 discussed entry points for addressing climate-security risks on the ground.
We are entering the last days of the BCSC 2020, with insightful discussions on a number of climate security challenges still to come, as well as the launch of our “21st Century Diplomacy: Foreign Policy Is Climate Policy” essay series. Building on the high-level political Part I of BCSC 2020 back in July, this second part aims to bring together the field’s various actors in the realm of climate, development and security policy in one digital space to meet the strategic goals of sharing good practice on what works on the ground and help inform policy processes.
The novel corona virus has had the world in its grip for months. Most countries’ immediate response was to focus on internal issues: they resorted to nationalistic approaches, closing borders and even competing for equipment, even though a multilateral approach was necessary. In the longer term, will this crisis strengthen the ties between nations? Or exacerbate the flaws of today’s multilateralism?
The pandemic and racial justice protests call for justice and crisis preparedness – an opportunity also to act on climate change. Successfully taking advantage of this momentum, however, requires a climate strategy that ensures everyone has a voice and a stake. Here, Paul Joffe builds on a previous correspondence about how to begin that effort in this time of crisis.
Now in its second decade, the ambitious African Union–led restoration initiative known as the Great Green Wall has brought close to 18 million hectares of land under restoration since 2007, according to a status report unveiled by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at a virtual meeting on Monday, 7 September.