Geoeconomic contestation and domestic politics have complicated the race to decarbonise economies. Political trust must undergird long-term investments, and decision-makers must consider concerns about the diversification and de-risking of new supply chains. It is vital to find new routes for financing to flow from banks, institutions, and sovereign wealth funds of Europe and the Gulf to the high-growth, renewable energy-hungry markets of the Global South. 

Climate finance, and therefore, climate action itself, must be de-risked, decoupled from the volatility of traditional great-power rivalry, and insulated from political swings in the West. Meanwhile, checks on consumption and demand-side actions are growing politically difficult, and energy security keeps rising in national priorities. 

Clearly, states need more routes to low-carbon economic abundance that escape political and economic tripwires—including through technological advances and greater efficiency of production. This panel breaks taboos and ask the big questions about how we can ensure the planet rises above politics.  

• If Washington steps back from climate action, what new plurilateral partnerships can take its place? Can sub-national entities—whether states or cities—pick up some of the slack? What can sub-sovereign governments elsewhere do to help? 
• Instead of solely chasing the elusive goals of deep emissions reduction or carbon sequestration, should we focus more resources on using energy efficiently, through deep and broad technological change?  
• With nations wary of over dependence on major powers, how can climate action be framed to reassure, rather than alarm security hawks? 
• How do we keep finance and technology flows insulated from such concerns? 
• What are the future pitfalls for the global renewable build-out? Will we fund grid upgrades at the same scale that we are creating new renewable capacity, and how can we plan to meet base-load demand—whether from nuclear energy, or large-scale storage? 

Speakers 

Erik Solheim, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment, Norway 

Amitabh Kant, Former G20 Sherpa, India 

Alisee Pornet, Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer, French Development Agency, France 

Niven Winchester, Professor, Economics, Auckland University of Technology; Senior Fellow, Motu Economic, New Zealand  

Seema Paul, Programme Director, Sequoia Climate Foundation, United States of America 

Moderator

Louise van Schaik, Head of Unit - EU & Global Affairs, Clingendael, Netherlands