Climate Change

Mitigation of climate change is the global public good par excellence. Mitigation, if provided, would be available to all people in the world and the benefits of that mitigation enjoyed by one person would not reduce the benefits for the rest of humanity. However, climate change mitigation has a profound complication: its intergenerational or intertemporal dimension, which stems from the fact that GHGs, once emitted, remain in the atmosphere for centuries.

Securing a Just Transition to a Low Carbon Economy

The F20 High-Level Forum in Tokyo, Japan in 2019 provided an international platform to illuminate and discuss the most pressing questions for the then upcoming G20 summit in Osaka.

Ernesto Zedillo spoke about the lack of international coordinated action to tackle climate change. “The bottom line stemming from the best evidence and scientific analysis is that, notwithstanding the laudable progress of recent years — particularly in renewable energy, the world is significantly off-track to prevent a major climate disaster.” Watch the video (external link — opens in new window) or read the presentation (external link — opens in new window).

International Cooperation and Climate Change

The indispensable need for international cooperation in combating climate change was discussed in this English translation of an interview with Ernesto Zedillo (external link — opens in new window) that appeared in the Japanese publication, The Mainichi, in July of 2019. 

Climate Clubs

International approaches to climate change have basically failed so far.

Yale Professor William Nordhaus makes a powerful and well-elaborated argument on overcoming free riding in international climate policy in his Presidential Address to the American Economic Association, subsequently published in the American Economic Review. Read the Climate Clubs article (PDF — opens in new window).

2021 China Climate Investment and Finance International Forum

The China Climate Investment and Finance Call for Papers was launched in 2020 at an online ceremony for China’s national low-carbon day.

Prospective respondents were encouraged to produce research and concrete ideas that can be translated into more enlightened and effective policies in this multinational undertaking. A selection of the top authors will then be invited to participate in the 2021 China Climate Investment and Finance International Forum.The Review Committee is co-chaired by by Xie Zhenhua, president of the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Institute of Tsinghua University and YCSG Director, Ernesto Zedillo. View the online Call for Papers (external link — opens in new window) event here.