Security and Climate Change - Related

Energy in the State of the Union: Not a Bad Place to Start

ecurran — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last night, President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union address to Congress. The speech is being characterized by many in the media as many things: populist in tone, a campaign year positioning speech, and a mild tongue-lashing for Congress.

A New Security Architecture for the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Arctic will experience extraordinary economic and environmental change over the next several decades. Commercial, human, and state interaction will rise dramatically. More drilling for oil and gas in the region and growing shipping and ecotourism as new shipping routes come into existence are just a few of the examples of increased human activity in the Arctic.

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

Security Implications of the Changing Energy Landscape

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Even before the onset of the credit crunch and the global economic meltdown, energy markets were already in the midst of signifi cant change. Energy demand growth earlier in the decade had eroded existing spare capacity, creating persistently tight markets in which any geopolitical or weather-related supply interruption often resulted in precipitous spikes in commodity prices.

The Future of Low Carbon Growth

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the wake of the economic crisis, the conversation about global cooperation to deal with climate change has shifted almost entirely to a discussion about the competitive economic advantage to be gained from leading in socalled clean energy technologies.

Pacific Partners

jdunton — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The United States and New Zealand are natural “Pacific Partners.” The two countries share fundamental values and overwhelming common interests. Their views align on appropriate norms and modalities for ensuring the Asia-Pacific region can prosper in a positive and peaceful environment. It is timely for a good relationship to be elevated to another level.

Environmental Issues of a Unified Korea

nanderson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Considering the present tension between the two Koreas, manifested in the Cheonan-Ham incident, it might sound a little too soon to talk about the issues of a unified Korea. However, as we have seen in the German Unification case, the unification of the Korean Peninsula may come unexpectedly. If it does, the cost will be high.

Potential Secure, Low Carbon Growth Pathways for the Chinese Economy

lhyland — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The CSIS Energy and National Security Program commissioned this paper as part of its ongoing work focused on the implications of secure, low carbon pathways. The following paper, prepared by Jiang Kejun of the Energy Research institute, part of the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines the possible pathways that China could follow to reach its energy and climate goals

Cancun Climate Negotiation

ian — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

For the last two weeks international climate negotiators met in Cancun, Mexico for the 16th Conference of Parties (COP) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

PacNet #58 - Combatting Climate Change – We Need a New Process

bMizuno — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

United Nations climate change talks in Cancun commencing this month won’t yield concrete action to reduce carbon emissions. In fact, the premises underlying the UN climate change talks are flawed.

Green Dragons

jdunton — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The negotiations held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009 fell well short of global expectations. The UNFCCC process is intended to reach an agreement in which near-term national interests are set aside in the interest of future generations of the world as a whole.

The Geopolitics of Energy

jdunton — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

For a variety of reasons—population growth, development, economics, investment and infrastructure needs, geopolitics, policy/governance, and the expected impacts of climate change, to name but a few—the current global energy system is unsustainable in its present form.

Asia's Response to Climate Change and Natural Disasters

jdunton — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This new report by energy, regional, and humanitarian disaster specialists at CSIS examines the politics of climate change in Asia, the region’s response to natural disasters, and the implications for the future geometry of Asia’s institutions and U.S. policy in the region. The assessment looks broadly at two areas of nontraditional security cooperation in Asia: (1) climate change, including the domestic political factors in Asia and the regional strategies for securing low-carbon pathways; and (2) regional approaches to disaster management. The volume draws on case studies to assess the utility of existing and emerging institutions—the promises as well as the problems—as the United States and the region seek greater cooperation on both traditional and nontraditional security challenges. The authors discuss the problems related to lack of coordination at different levels, the uncertain role of the military, and continuing gaps in resources and expertise in key organizations.

Earth Observation for Climate Change

ian — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Until this year, America’s civil space policies—and the budgets that derive from it—were shaped to a considerable degree by the political imperatives of the past and by the romantic fiction of spaceflight.

PacNet #25A - Glacial Melt and a Himalayan Trilateral Commission

bMizuno — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Himalayan plateau spreads across Afghanistan, Pakistan, China’s Xinjiang and Tibetan regions, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Throughout much of history, the Himalayas served as a bridge, not a barrier, integrating rather than separating ethnic affiliations.

PacNet #25 - Climate Security in East Asia: New Opportunities for Non-traditional Cooperation

bMizuno — Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Later this month, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke goes to China to promote US clean energy technologies while Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton follow for the second round of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. All will discuss ways to strengthen the US-China relationship by combating environmental degradation.

U.S. Strategic Interests in the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

During the height of the Cold War, the Arctic region was considered a geostrategic and geopolitical playground for the United States and the Soviet Union, as strategic bombers and nuclear submarines crossed over and raced below the polar cap. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the region diminished in strategic importance to the United States. Now, 20 years later, senior U.S.

Adapting for Future Resource Challenges

mentman — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

To date, efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to slow and eventually reverse the negative impacts of a changing climate have received most of the political and popular attention afforded to the issue of climate change.

Understanding “Green Jobs”

ian — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. economy has lost over 7 million jobs in the past two years and has a 9.7 percent unemployment rate.1 Despite signs of economic recovery, job creation has been slow going and it will probably take many years for the United States to return to previous employment levels.

Assessing the Global Green Stimulus

lhyland — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Over the past year, some of the world’s leading economies have responded to the global financial crisis with large stimulus packages. Many of those packages included a significant “green” component aimed at positioning the countries to be competitive in the carbon-constrained global economy of the twenty-first century.

The Final Day in Copenhagen

ian — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is likely to be achieved at the climate change talks in Copenhagen?

Next Steps for the Transatlantic Climate Change Partnership

jdunton — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

For much of the last two years the international community has worked toward developing an international agreement to lay out the basic framework of a new climate change regime. The slow progress to date does not result from a lack of effort or opportunity. The European Union has set forth ambitious goals and continues to urge all developed countries to follow suit.

Crunch-Time in Copenhagen

lhyland — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The international community is more than halfway through the final negotiating period to reach a climate change deal in Copenhagen. Despite the optimistic turn of events in the weeks leading up to the negotiations which brought new pledges from several countries including the United States, China, India, Brazil, and others, the potential for a political agreement envisioned by the s

The Day after Copenhagen

ian — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As the international negotiations on climate change in Copenhagen draw nearer, negotiators and political leaders are struggling to combat the growing public perception that the talks are destined for failure.

South Asia Monitor: Bangladesh: Bangladesh's Climate Change Emergency - December 1, 2009

udukkipati — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As one of the countries most seriously affected by climate change and natural disasters, Bangladesh has been forced to be resourceful and resilient. Without outside help, however, the country of 160 million will not have the capacity to address climate-related environmental changes as their severity and frequency increase.

Energy and Geopolitics in China

jdunton — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The world was surprised when China emerged in 2004 as a major importer and consumer of oil. Today, that surprise has been replaced by growing concern that the China of tomorrow may be in a position to challenge the United States not only for economic leadership but for political leadership as well.

Water and Agriculture: Implications for Development and Growth

jdunton — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

At a time of mounting population pressures, environmental declines, and growing demand for water, the Paul H.

The Future Role of the International Energy Agency

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

On October 14, 2009, Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, CSIS Counselor and Trustee, delivered a keynote address to the International Energy Agency in Paris to mark the 35th anniversary of its creation and discuss its future amidst a landscape of evolving energy, climate, and geopolitical realities.

Energy and Climate Change at the North American Leaders Summit

ian — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Will energy and climate change be on the agenda for the upcoming North American Leaders Summit?

Declaration on U.S. Policy and the Global Challenge of Water

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The United States now has the opportunity to take a global leadership position on a critical resource—water—that will become even more critical in the future. The world over, water is intricately linked to the stability and security of communities and nations, human health, education, economic prosperity, humanitarian relief, and stewardship of the physical environment.

A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

At first glance, improving energy security and addressing climate change may seem irreconcilable goals: achieve an adequate, reliable, and affordable energy supply for the United States, while at the same time reducing emissions of dangerous global warming gases into the atmosphere.

Evaluating the Energy Security Implications of a Carbon-Constrained U.S. Economy

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Technology plays an important role in determining how energy is produced, delivered, and consumed.

Earth Observations and Global Change

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Is it possible to predict or alleviate the impacts of natural and manmade disasters? From California wildfires to Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico to the changing climate to the ongoing violence in Darfur, environmental and national security events are around the world are unfolding more and more quickly.

Managing the Transition to a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Future

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the years to come, the world must meet the energy needs of a growing and developing world population while mitigating the impacts of global climate change.

The UN Climate Change Conference

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The purpose of the annual UN Climate Change Conference, held over two weeks this year in Bali, was to determine the scope and timetable for negotiating a climate agreement for when the Kyoto Protoc

Water and Energy Futures in an Urbanized Asia

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Urbanization is taking the world by storm. In the last 107 years, the proportion of humanity living in cities has skyrocketed from 13 to 50 percent. This trend can be expected to continue. The United Nations predicts that 60 percent of the global population will live in cities by 2030.

PacNet #48B - Climate Change, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

ASEAN’s 13^th Summit in Singapore was highly eventful. Despite splendid efforts by the host to run the meeting and the series of related gathering of leaders – the 11^th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit, the 3^rd East Asian Summit (EAS) – as smoothly as possible, the unexpected volte face of Myanmar, which prevented UN envoy Ibrahim Ga

The Age of Consequences

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

In August 2007, a Russian adventurer descended 4,300 meters under the thinning ice of th North Pole to plant a titanium flag, claiming some 1.2 million square kilometers of the Arctic for mother Ru

Energy Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Is there a model for Western Hemisphere energy cooperation? How would individual countries and the hemisphere as a whole benefit from cooperative understandings for hemispheric oil and natural gas? What are the impediments to creating cooperative agreements, and how can the region overcome them? What would be the consequences of not adopting a plan for energy cooperation in the Americas?