Key Actors and Sector Opportunities for US and International Climate Change Cooperation

Climate change has received renewed attention on the US foreign policy agenda as the world attempts to reach a historic breakthrough in climate diplomacy this year in Paris. International cooperation between countries that make up the engines of the world economy can carry this forward in a significant way. This has been displayed in the recent US-China and US-India agreements, demonstrating ways to bridge the divides that frame UN climate negotiations. The New York Declaration on Forests shows how key players in an economic sector can effectively formulate a plan that addresses a key portion of the climate puzzle.

Even if a successful agreement is reached in Paris, implementation is going to be equally, if not more, important. Can sectoral processes or efforts organized around particular themes and topics help elevate the level of ambition or compliance by key regional actors? This requires an understanding of what sectors matter and how focused activities around particular topics might push the agenda forward. What elements of key national political economies can be identified that have a significant effect on climate? Can sectors that have received working-level attention in recent years—energy production, energy efficiency, and monitoring—cross these distances between regions and nations and be elevated in the US foreign policy and global agenda? If so, how will this be achieved? What are the implications for Paris 2015 and beyond?

Key Regional Actors and Sector Opportunities for International Climate Change Cooperation, a new conference report from an international workshop earlier this year provides recommendations in response to these questions.

The policy salon will begin with a brief presentation by Dr. Joshua Busby and Nisha Krishnan from the University of Texas at Austin, where the workshop took place, after which dinner guests will be able to respond to the analysis.