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Centers & Programs

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.

About the Program
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

Climate Change

Carbon Dioxide Removal: Can It Be Effective?

Governments and companies are embracing new emissions-reducing technologies that pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. But it is uncertain whether this can work at the scale and in the time necessary to avert climate calamity.

Expert Brief by Alice C. Hill March 29, 2024 Energy Security and Climate Change Program

Climate Change

How Big a Climate Threat Are Atmospheric Rivers?
Atmospheric rivers are gaining in intensity across California and the western United States. Communities need to adapt to the havoc wrought by this weather phenomenon.

Article by Alice C. Hill and Tess Turner March 22, 2024 Energy Security and Climate Change Program

Climate Change

The Age of Climate Disaster Is Here Link

with Alice C. Hill via Foreign Affairs August 25, 2023

Climate Change

The 1 Percent for Climate Link

with Alice C. Hill and Sally Yozell via Stimson November 30, 2023

Climate Change

Did the COP28 Summit Give a Boost to Renewable Energy Plans?
Leaders at the UN climate meeting in Dubai signaled a crucial pivot away from fossil fuel use, but significant hurdles remain for a speedy transition to emission-free energy.

Article by Zongyuan Zoe Liu December 13, 2023

Energy and Environment

Global Energy Tracker
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.

Tracker by Benn Steil August 7, 2023 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Alice C. Hill

Climate Change

The Weather of Summer 2023 Was the Most Extreme Yet Link

Featuring Alice C. Hill via Council on Foreign Relations September 18, 2023

Climate Change

Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures
International efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But experts say countries aren’t doing enough to limit dangerous global warming.

Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland December 5, 2023 Renewing America

United States

Action on Planet and People Depends on Growth
Mobilizing investments needed to transition to net-zero energy require broad public backing and participation. Since poor people are less likely to support climate action, simultaneous efforts to alleviate poverty are essential.

Blog Post by A. Michael Spence, Anu Madgavkar and Sven Smit September 14, 2023 Renewing America

Climate Change

Climate Change and U.S. Property Insurance: A Stormy Mix
Accelerating risks and damage from climate change are spurring private insurers in the United States to limit coverage in a growing number of areas, thus imposing mounting stress on local communities and straining the country’s overall economic health.

Article by Alice C. Hill August 17, 2023 Renewing America

Program Experts

Alice C. Hill

David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment

Varun Sivaram

Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate

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