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  "authors": [
    "David Livingston"
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Source: Getty

In The Media

Climate Change Fight

With U.S. climate leadership lagging, the G-7 is finding ways to move forward in spite of U.S. reluctance while China looms as the new international climate powerhouse.

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By David Livingston
Published on Jun 12, 2017
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Program

Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics

The Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program explores how climate change and the responses to it are changing international politics, global governance, and world security. Our work covers topics from the geopolitical implications of decarbonization and environmental breakdown to the challenge of building out clean energy supply chains, alternative protein options, and other challenges of a warming planet.

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Project

Carnegie Oil Initiative

The Carnegie Oil Initiative analyzed global oils, assessing their differences from climate, environmental, economic, and geopolitical perspectives. This knowledge provides strategic guidance and policy frameworks for decision making.

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Source: CGTN America

Carnegie’s David Livingston joined CGTN’s Rachelle Akuffo to discuss the outcomes of the G-7 environment meeting focusing on the new role being played by the United States under a Trump administration. Livingston noted that the U.S. decision to not engage on climate may have backfired. 

“It should be noted that the U.S. probably hoped to really hold things up by refusing to make progress on climate in this round of G-7 environment ministers talks, but it was reduced to simply . . . being a footnote at the bottom of the leaders declaration.”

Livingston pointed out that while the G-7 talks did yield needed progress on “greening of the global financial system,” that the United States and EU lag considerably behind China on these efforts. In fact, with U.S. leadership lagging on climate, Livingston says that China’s role as a leader on climate “is probably the great story of the next few decades.”

Referring to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord as essentially an “own goal,” Livingston points out that “China’s President, Xi Jinping met not with the energy secretary of the United States, but with California Governor Jerry Brown,” as China prepares for new ways to engage the world on climate.

This interview was originally broadcast by CGTN America.

About the Author

David Livingston

Former Associate Fellow, Energy and Climate Program

Livingston was an associate fellow in Carnegie’s Energy and Climate Program, where his research focuses on emerging markets, technologies, and risks.

    Recent Work

  • Article
    Advancing Public Climate Engineering Disclosure

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    Working Around Trump on Climate

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David Livingston
Former Associate Fellow, Energy and Climate Program
Climate ChangeNorth AmericaUnited StatesEast AsiaChina

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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