Climate change [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Briefing 03-02-2023

Last year’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP27, made some headway in efforts to fight climate change, but its overall progress was limited. The gathering agreed to create a loss-and-damage fund, to support poorer countries disproportionately affected by climate change while only being responsible for a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions. Governments at COP27 also called for reform of the International Monetary Fund and the multilateral development banks, to align global public finance with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate. However, the meeting produced barely any new initiatives on climate mitigation, which are needed to take to keep alive the Paris 1.5°C temperature-reduction goal. The European Union is debating a response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, which provides for US$369 billion investment in energy security and combatting climate change, but may threaten to lure away from Europe some clean-tech corporate investment. This note offers links to recent commentaries, studies and reports from international think tanks on climate issues. More papers on the topic can be found in a previous edition of ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking.