China’s role in international climate diplomacy and action
Release Date: 03/14/2025
What has the first year of Trump 2.0 meant for the climate?
The Climate Briefing
Exactly one year has passed since President Trump returned to the White House. How has the first year of Trump 2.0 impacted global efforts to address climate change, and what might happen going forward? To discuss this, Anna and Bhargabi are joined by (former US National Climate Advisor, former EPA Administrator and Chair of the America Is All In Coalition).
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Positive and negative tipping points
The Climate Briefing
In the final episode of the year, Anna speaks to Professor (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter) about climate tipping points – the thresholds where a tiny change could lead to large and often irreversible transformations in the Earth system, with potentially disastrous consequences. Examples of such ‘negative’ tipping points include the dieback of the Amazon rainforest, the melting of the Greenland icesheet, and the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). But not all tipping points are bad. In the interview, Anna and...
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What happened at COP30?
The Climate Briefing
COP30 in Belém is over. What happened at the conference? What were the main outcomes? And what needs to happen next? To find out, Anna speaks to Jennifer Morgan (Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance; and former State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the German Federal Foreign Office) and David Waskow (Director for the International Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute).
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COP30: Key issues to watch
The Climate Briefing
COP30 is about to begin. Where do we stand ahead of the conference? What are the key issues to watch, and how might the complex geopolitical context influence the discussions in Belém? To find out, Anna is joined by three Chatham House colleagues: Ana Yang (Director of the Environment and Society Centre), Bernice Lee (Distinguished Fellow and Senior Advisor) and Nick Bridge (Associate Fellow at Chatham House and former UK Special Representative for Climate change). For additional analysis, please see: The expert comment ‘What can COP30 achieve, following US withdrawal and...
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What is Brazil’s vision for the ‘Action Agenda’?
The Climate Briefing
The incoming COP30 host, Brazil, has signalled it wants COP30 to mark the moment the UNFCCC transitions to a ‘post-negotiation’ phase, and that efforts should focus on action and implementation going forward. As part of its work to make this a reality, Brazil is reforming the UNFCCC’s ‘Action Agenda’, a process bringing together cities, regions, businesses, investors, civil society and governments to implement the Paris Agreement. To find out more about Brazil’s vision for the Action Agenda, co-hosts Anna and Bhargabi speak to Dan Ioschpe, Brazil’s Climate High-Level...
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How can the AIIB help deliver on the new climate finance goal?
The Climate Briefing
The multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a critical role in addressing climate change and have a key role to play in delivering on the ‘New Collective Quantified Goal’ on climate finance, agreed at COP29. This Climate Briefing episode focuses on the newest of the MDBs: the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), launched in 2016. What are the similarities and differences between the AIIB and the other MDBs? What is the AIIB doing to address climate change? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Kim-See Lim (Chief Investment Officer, Public Sector (Region 1) &...
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How can COP30 help tackle deforestation?
The Climate Briefing
Forests play a critical role in the fight against climate change. With COP30 taking place in the Amazon, addressing deforestation is likely to be a topic of high priority at the meeting. But what can actually be achieved? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director of WWF-Brazil, and Edward Davey, Head of the UK Office of the World Resources Institute. In their introduction to the episode, Anna and Bhargabi speak about key developments at the opening of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and New York Climate Week.
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How is Trump 2.0 affecting the renewable energy industry?
The Climate Briefing
Trump 2.0 poses a huge challenge for the renewable energy industry in the US. Not only has the administration rescinded environmental incentives and regulations with bearing on future projects, it has also in various ways delayed and/or obstructed offshore wind projects already under construction (like the Empire Wind and the Revolution Wind projects). What does all of this mean for the renewable energy industry in the US? What does it mean for US competitiveness and the global energy transition? In the introduction, Anna is also joined by Chris Aylett, a Research Fellow at Chatham House's...
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The Future of Climate Diplomacy 3: Dr Joanna Depledge
The Climate Briefing
In this third instalment of the Future of Climate Diplomacy mini-series, Climate Briefing hosts Anna and Bhargabi explore what lessons that can be drawn from the history of the climate negotiations and how this can inform the future of climate diplomacy. To do this, they are joined by long-time COP researcher Dr (Research Fellow at the Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance and at Centre for Science and Policy, both at the University of Cambridge). This week’s Climate Briefing also includes a chat with Dr (Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House’s...
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How could the ICJ’s advisory opinion impact international climate diplomacy and action?
The Climate Briefing
On the 23rd of July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the obligations of states in respect to climate change. The Advisory Opinion makes clear that states have far-reaching obligations under international law to prevent harm to the climate system and that breaching such obligations could result in having to make reparations, among other things. So, what impact might the ICJ’s ruling have on international climate diplomacy and action, including climate-related litigation? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Dr , who is an...
info_outlineChina is the world’s largest emitter and dominates the production of low-carbon technologies worldwide. It thus plays a key role in global efforts to address the climate crisis.
How has China obtained its leading position in the production of green technologies? What role does China play in international climate negotiations? How important has the US-China relationship been in global efforts to reduce emissions, and what will happen now when Donald Trump is back in the White House?
To discuss this and more, Ruth and Anna are joined by Li Shuo (Director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute) and Chris Aylett (Research Fellow at the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House).
To read Chris Aylett’s report on UK-China cooperation on climate, please click here