Environment and Energy

To meet our aggressive climate targets and combat climate change, the Global North must adopt a financing strategy that genuinely aligns with the Global South’s needs, which are rooted in economic growth and prosperity.

Proposed government solutions to mitigating the effects of climate change have systematically excluded the people it effects the most. A solution that centers climate changes’ effect on people must better acknowledge the historical harm that has been done for real restoration to occur.

On April 23, 2024, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor John McQuillan spoke with former Indonesian Minister of Trade Gita Wirjawan. The conversation focused on a range of topics related to the future of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

The economic diversification goals of the Arab Gulf, combined with the high potential for renewable energy development in Central Asia, have led two regions that have been closely associated with fossil fuel extraction to collaborate on the advancement of renewable energy production.

Looking to the future, a democratic Venezuela should unleash its animal spirits and open the country’s mineral wealth to foreign direct investment without national ownership requirements. Privatization and economic liberalization are essential to secure the $58 billion needed to restore crude output to pre-oil socialism levels.

Amidst the climate predicament, from the undercurrents of politics, academia, and advocacy, the long-overlooked idea of “degrowth” is surfacing. It provides a vision for economic prosperity, human well-being, and environmental sustainability.

Disproportionately affecting women, lack of access to clean fuels for cooking leads to 3.7 million untimely deaths annually from household air pollution.

On November 13, 2023, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor Jane Petersen spoke with former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The conversation covered a range of topics including what other countries can learn from Colombia’s peace agreement, poverty alleviation efforts, and the fight against climate change.

Carbon markets can be understood as a three-legged stool on which part of our climate goals rests; if one of the legs is missing, the stool falls. Unfortunately, today’s carbon market debates focus on two of those three legs whilst ignoring the other.  

Harmonized data lies at the heart of the climate agenda, but do we pay enough attention to the development of the figures that we see? Do we ever question how the figures are calculated?

Alternative protein sources, such as insects, have emerged as promising solutions that could help reduce the environmental impact of food production while providing a nutritious and accessible protein source.

Failure to recognize and manage the nexus of the relationship between climate and security could have significant ramifications in the future between and within countries and communities. Without considering these, efforts to promote sustainable development and peace may fall short.