Insights into COP26
Experts from The Fletcher School share their perspectives on critical issues during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
Below we offer a list of articles, webinars, and more featuring insights from members of the Fletcher community regarding climate change and environmental policy around the world.
- Watch BBC World TV News Interview with Dean Rachel Kyte
on the COP26 Climate Change Conference 2021.
- Mung beans, bunnies and the Muppets: PM’s green rhetoric ‘insulting and divisive’.
November 13, 2021
Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted in The Guardian.
“The messaging was confusing – mung beans, Kermit the Frog, that this was an environment agenda rather than a [global] safety and health and survival agenda,” says Rachel Kyte, formerly a top climate official at the World Bank, now dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University in the US. “Saying he gave [Cop26] a six out of 10 chance of success as he arrived at the UN general assembly was odd.”
Read full article here - Kelly Sims Gallagher, Academic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at The Fletcher School, is quoted in the South China Morning Post article – US-China rivalry 'threatens to undermine further action on fighting climate change.'
November 11, 2021
Read full article here - China Briefing, US-China Glasgow declaration; Calls for ‘concrete actions’; Xi’s absence at COP26
November 11, 2021
Kelly Sims Gallagher, Academic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at The Fletcher School, is quoted in the CarbonBrief.org - "Offshore Wind: Critical to Achieving U.S. Climate Goals | U.S. Climate Action Center at COP26", Panel hosted by The Fletcher School, MIT’s Energy Initiative and NECEC
November 10, 2021
As we look toward a clean energy future, wind is seen as a potential paradigm changer for the Northeast, which boasts some of the most abundant offshore wind resources on the planet. Yet questions linger. This virtual panel, featuring Fletcher's Mieke van de Wansem and Barbara Kates-Garnick, analyzes these critical questions.
Watch the panel recording here - "Decade to Deliver: Leading the transition to a sustainable future", The Crowd Podcast
November 9, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte and other environmental experts join episode 4 of The Crowd's "Decade to Deliver" podcast series, where they reflect on some of the recent announcements from COP26 and look ahead to the focus of today on clean energy, and the role of business in the development and maintenance of reliable, equitable and renewable energy sources.
Listen to the podcast episode here - "The view from inside the Glasgow climate summit: A focus on faster policy changes as talks intensify – amid grandstanding and anger outside", The Conversation
November 8, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte recounts what she is seeing and hearing, both inside the negotiations and outside, at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Read the full article here - "US court blocks Biden's vaccine mandate for companies", BBC Sounds Podcast
November 7, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte joins this BBC Sounds episode to discuss what to expect during the final week of the UN climate conference in Glasgow.
Listen to the episode here - "COP26 climate summit shifts from pomp and promises to difficult negotiations", Washington Post
November 7, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted in this Washington Post article about how global leaders are met with the difficult task of hammering out an agreement on what nations will actually do together to combat global warming — and how.
Read the full article here - "Carbon pricing crucial to net zero, agree global policymakers and businesses at COP26", MarketScreener
November 4, 2021
A panel of expert policymakers, including Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte, called for rapid introduction of carbon pricing around the world at the U.N.'s COP26 summit, saying that "carbon pricing can retool [England's] economy to deliver net zero."
Read the full article here - "Over 40 Countries Pledge at U.N. Climate Summit to End Use of Coal Power", The New York Times
November 4, 2021
The decision by the Biden administration and other countries across the globe to stop financing overseas fossil fuel development, paired with investments in green energy, is “really significant,” says Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte. She states that this resolution may help ease tensions between developed and developing countries.
Read the article here "U.S., other countries cut funding for international fossil fuel projects", Marketplace
November 4, 2021“It’s the sort of tip of the spear of the exit of public financing from fossil fuels,” says Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte when asked about the United States' and other countries pledge to stop financing international fossil fuel projects that emit carbon, which was announced at COP26 on Thursday, November 4.
Listen to the full podcast here- "COP26: oil price soars even as the world turns against fossil fuel", Financial Times
November 4, 2021
Fletcher research professor and managing director of the School's Climate Policy Lab Amy Myers Jaffe is quoted about the oil supply shortages and the skyrocketing price of barrels.
Read the full article here - "4 key issues to watch with climate negotiations underway at COP26 in Glasgow (UPDATED)", The Conversation
November 3, 2021
In this updated op-ed published in The Conversation, Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte shares the key topics that global leaders discussed at the U.N. Summit on Climate Change in Glasgow.
Read the full article here - "How Industry Challenges and Emerging Solutions Influence the Green Transition", New York Times Events
November 3, 2021
This session, which features Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte, provides high-level perspectives on the industry challenges and emerging solutions related to forging a fossil-fuel independent future.
Watch the full segment here - "Climate Summit Turns Its Focus to a Contentious Question: Who Pays?", The New York Times
November 3, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted about questions surrounding the enormous costs of climate change and the movement toward climate finance, saying “we’re not there yet, but things are starting to move in the right direction.”
Read the full article here - "Is carbon offsetting any more than ‘greenwashing’?", Channel 4 News
November 3, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte joins a segment on Channel 4, where she discusses the potential impact of regulating the market to help combat climate change.
Watch the segment here - "Australia refuses to join global pledge led by US and EU to cut methane emissions", ABC News Australia
November 2, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on Australia's refusal to join the global pledge to cut methane emissions, which was announced at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last week. She says the country's stance on climate action is generally "really disappointing".
Read the full article here - "Biden’s Climate Message Blunted by Elusive Win on Spending Plans", US News
November 1, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on how global leaders view the United States' climate plans, following President Joe Biden’s address at the U.N. Summit on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.
Read the full article here - "Climate expert Rachel Kyte says what's at stake at the Glasgow summit", Blick (Switzerland)
October 31, 2021
The UN climate summit begins today in Glasgow. Dean and climate expert Rachel Kyte explains what is at stake - and calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels.
Read the full article here - "COP26 in Glasgow set to focus on ‘writing the climate rule book’", The National
October 31, 2021
“Glasgow is the world coming together to ensure that we are on track and if we are falling short, to raise our ambition," says Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte in this article published in The National. She explains that the negotiations between governments, but businesses and civil society can create the necessary push in forging a collaborative, global path forward in combatting climate change.
Read the full article here - "Climate change, Covid and energy prices top G-20 agenda as world leaders convene", NBC News
October 30, 2021
Climate experts have been underwhelmed by efforts made so far by G-20 countries to cut emissions and have urged more ambitious goals. This includes Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte, who says that leaders from G-20 countries ought to use the COP26 as an opportunity to share their ambitious plans to cut down greenhouse gas emissions, or else they may face harsh criticism from other countries around the globe.
Read the full article here - "Biden's climate leadership is on the line at COP26", Axios
October 30, 2021
As the world prepares for COP26, Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte says that all eyes will be on the two biggest carbon emitters, China and the U.S., both of which have left other countries disappointed so far.
Read the full article here - "How to meet America’s climate goals: 5 policies for Biden’s next climate bill", The Conversation
October 30, 2021
Fletcher’s Kelly Sims Gallagher outlines five types of policies that could help the United States achieve its climate change targets.
Read the full article here - "The COP26 Climate Talks Are Opening. Here’s What to Expect.", The New York Times
October 30, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on the importance of collective global action regarding this week’s U.N. Summit on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.
Read the full article here "Sustainability Stars: Influential climate adviser Rachel Kyte", 24/7 Wall Street
October 29, 2021Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte shares her thoughts on the upcoming U.N. Summit on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow in this in-depth interview.
Learn more here- "The Glasgow climate talks will fall short. Here are other ways to accelerate progress.", MIT Technology Review
October 28, 2021
Just days ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, many experts are questioning whether the summit will be successful in providing a clear-cut path forward in the global fight against climate change, including Fletcher's Academic Dean and Director of the school's Climate Policy Lab Kelly Sims Gallagher, who says that goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can serve as a “a distraction from near-term action.”
Read the full article here - "What’s at stake at COP26—the crucial global climate summit", National Geographic
October 28, 2021
Regardless of the COP26 summit’s outcome, experts say more ambitious goals to reduce climate change are critical, including Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte. Dean Kyte says the U.S.’s inability to get a right-sized plan through the Congress needs to be addressed before global action can be properly initiated.
Read the full article here - "4 key issues to watch as world leaders prepare for the Glasgow climate summit", The Conversation
October 26, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte shares the key topics that global leaders will likely discuss at the upcoming U.N. Summit on Climate Change in Glasgow.
Read the full article here "Little Things to Keep Climate Negotiators Happy at Glasgow Talks", Bloomberg Quint
October 26, 2021Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted in this Bloomberg Quint article about logistical successes and failures of past United Nations Climate Change conferences.
Read the full article here"Fletcher Dean Kelly Gallagher on COP26, Climate Change, and International Agreements", Politics & Media 101
October 25, 2021In this podcast, a live audience interviews Fletcher's Academic Dean, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, and Climate Policy Lab Director Kelly Sims Gallagher on the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), international agreements, and what we can expect to see.
Listen to the podcast episode here- "The COP26 summit to fight climate change is about to start. Here's what to expect", NPR
October 25, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on the United Nation's upcoming Climate Change Summit, also referred to as COP26, noting that there is huge pressure from civil society, the public, investors, and politicians for the summit to initiate significant change in the fight against climate change.
Learn more here - "Biden carries Trump's hard line toward Beijing to coming summits", NBC News
October 24, 2021
Kelly Sims Gallagher says that it is “crucial” for China and the United States to “maintain a channel of dialogue on [climate change cooperation], and that ought to be possible no matter how contentious the relationships get.”
Read the full article here - "Poorest countries to gain from new climate funding plan to break Cop26 impasse", The Guardian
October 24, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on potential climate financing plans for developing nations ahead of the COP26 Summit, via an article in The Guardian.
Read the full article here - "How gender matters in the climate fight", POLITCO
October 22, 2021
The “glass cliff phenomenon, when women take on leadership roles at a period of big crisis, emergency or economic downturn because the risk of failure is highest," says Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte in this POLITCO article about women's role in the global fight against climate change.
Read the full article here - "Paris’s Promises and Glasgow’s Gut Check: Assessing the U.N. Climate Change Conference’s Impact", Foreign Policy "Heat of the Moment" Podcast
October 21, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is interviewed by podcast host John Sutter about the historic Paris Agreement of 2015 and what to look forward to during the U.N.'s Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
Listen to the podcast here - "COP26: Your essential guide to the crucial climate conference", New Scientist
October 20, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted in this article about the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. and how it is the world's last chance to spur real action on global warming. But what issues are at stake – and what does a good outcome look like?
Read the article here - "'Brown recovery' wipes out hopes that pandemic stimulus would drive climate spending", POLITCO
October 19, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted about the failure to allocate COVID-related stimulus funds towards climate change goals noting that “it’s not too late, but the G-7 and the G-20 need to do something bigger after the [climate conference].”
Read the article here - "The Climate Question: Putin and the Planet", BBC Sounds Podcast
October 17, 2021
Fletcher Assistant Professor of International History Chris Miller joins the BBC Sounds podcast to discuss the possibility of decarbonization in Russia and how it poses not only an economic risk, but a personal and political risk for the Kremlin. - "Insights from International Law Professor and Expert Advisor John Cerone on landmark UN ruling."
October 14, 2021
Fletcher Visiting Professor of International Law John Cerone comments on the landmark ruling for human rights law in the context of climate change.
- "Major Climate Action at Stake in Fight Over Twin Bills Pending in Congress", The New York Times
October 10, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte comments on President Joe Biden's plan to attend the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, stating that he should use the platform to share a detailed plan of how the country will combat climate change.
Read the article here - "How Green is the Greenback? An Analysis of the Environmental Costs of Cash in the United States", Digital Planet, The Fletcher School
October 8, 2021
New research from Digital Planet, a research center at Fletcher that studies the impacts of emerging technologies around the world, analyzes the environmental impacts of physical cash in the United States compared to its digital alternatives, such as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Learn more here - "China’s Power Crunch Exposes Tensions Ahead of Key U.N. Climate Summit", The New York Times
October 7, 2021
Kelly Sims Gallagher points out the tug of war in China over coal production, via an article in The New York Times.
Read the article here - "Climate Pressure Mounts for Biden As a Major Conference Looms", TIME Magazine
October 5, 2021
In a recent article in TIME about President Biden's stance on climate policy, Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte says “people’s worst fear is that while President Biden is well intentioned and means it when he says that America is back, the political system in the United States can’t deliver.”
Read the full article here - "Policy Watch: Kerry tells world leaders to ‘stop the BS’ and lift ambition at Glasgow", Reuters Events
October 5, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte is quoted from a Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions webinar in which she addressed the “massive to do list” related to climate change efforts.
Learn more here - "Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit 2021", Hosted by The International Air Transport Association (IATA)
October 4, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte presented a keynote address at the 2021 Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit in Boston, Massachusetts, where she stressed the importance of forging a collaborative path forward between the private and public sectors in reaching a net zero future by the year 2050.
Learn more and watch the keynote here - "Supporting Low-Carbon Energy Through a New Generation of Tax Credits", Gilbert E. Metcalf
September 2021
New research led by Tufts University Professor of Economics Gilbert E. Metcalf and Fletcher's Climate Policy Lab highlights policy improvements that could make tax credits a more cost-effective tool for promoting low-carbon energy, and thereby reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Read the full policy brief here (PDF) "The Political Economy of Hydropower Dependent Nations," Imad Ahmed (F'11)
September 2021
Fletcher Master of International Business Alumnus Imad Ahmed (F'11) recently published a book that aims to inform better energy policy in hydropower dependent countries which are vulnerable to climate shocks. Using Zambia as a case study, Ahmed focuses on the impact of increasing energy insecurity as global warming affects a fifth of the world population living in these regions, many of which are afflicted with drought.- "Promoting Inclusive and Impactful Research, Development, and Demonstration Programs," Kelly Sims Gallagher, Gregory Nemet
September 2021
New research led by Fletcher's Academic Dean, Director, Climate Policy Lab and Co-Director, CIERP Kelly Sims Gallagher and University of Wisconsin Madison professor Gregory Nemet highlights the need to make energy research and development in the United States more inclusive and impactful.
Read the full policy brief here (PDF) - "The Net Zero Trap: Countries Need to Reduce Emissions Now, Not Just in the Distant Future", Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs
September 30, 2021
In her most recent article in Foreign Affairs, Fletcher's Academic Dean Kelly Sims Gallagher explains that in order to avoid intolerable climatic disruption, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, known as COP26, must focus on holding countries accountable for implementing policies that focus on emission reductions in the short-term future, not just the long-term.
Read the article here - "Decarbonizing Shipping: A Call to Action", Hosted by Global Maritime Forum
September 22, 2021
In this interactive webinar, Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte joins a panel of experts from over 100 companies from across the maritime space in discussing how government action, coupled with action from the private sector, can support commitments to decarbonize shipping by 2050, support industrial-scale zero emission shipping projects through national action, and deliver the policy measures that will make shipping the default choice by 2030.
Watch Dean Kyte participate in the webinar here - "COP26: The road to Glasgow," Stories of our times podcast
September 16, 2021
As COP26 draws closer, are negotiations as far along as they need to be? Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte joins this episode of the "Stories of our times" podcast to discuss this important question.
Listen to the podcast episode here - "From Fossil to Low Carbon: The Evolution of Global Public Energy Innovation", Hosted by Fletcher's Center for International Environmental Policy and Climate Policy Lab
September 14, 2021
Fletcher's Center for International Environmental Policy and Climate Policy Lab hosted a webinar to discuss their new publication in WIREs Reviews about global government energy RD&D investments between 2000-2018. Their new research reveals that global public RD&D investments in fossil fuels technologies have decreased in recent years while clean energy has been on the upswing. Given the findings, the researchers who participated in the webinar hoped to answer the question, “Should we be optimistic about global clean energy innovation efforts against climate change?”
Watch the webinar here - "Air conditioning is adding to the climate crisis. But it doesn’t need to be.", Rachel Kyte, The Boston Globe
September 8, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte discusses how we can rethink heating and cooling systems around the globe so that they have less of a negative impact on the environment.
Read the article here - "Fuel economy and the price of gasoline: Evidence from fueling-level micro data," Shinsuke Tanaka, Christopher Knittel
September 6, 2021
Research conducted by Fletcher's Assistant Professor of Economics Shinsuke Tanaka and Professor of Applied Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management Christopher Knittel use novel micro-level data on on-road fuel consumption and fuel prices in Japan to estimate both the contemporaneous and dynamic effects of gasoline prices on on-road fuel economy.
Read more here "As wildfires rage, infrastructure bill aims to mitigate their impact," Amy Myers Jaffe, MarketPlace
August 10, 2021Fletcher Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab Amy Myers Jaffe weighs in on how the proposed infrastructure bill addresses climate change-related wildfire prevention and resilience.
Learn more- "With global warming getting worse, urgent action is needed, climate scientists say," The Boston Globe
August 10, 2021
Fletcher Professor Emeritus William Moomaw comments on the latest warning on climate change from the U.N.'s International Panel on Climate Change, via an article in The Boston Globe.
Learn more "A Global Climate Tipping Point? Understanding The U.N. IPCC Report," WBUR
August 9, 2021
Professor Emeritus William Moomaw is interviewed on WBUR about the latest warning on climate change from the U.N.'s International Panel on Climate Change.- "Democrats Seek $500 Billion in Climate Damages From Big Polluting Companies," The New York Times
August 4, 2021
Fletcher Research Professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab Amy Myers Jaffe comments on a proposed bill to charge major U.S. oil and gas companies fees based on their greenhouse gas emissions in The New York Times.
Learn more - "The clock is ticking to make Cop26 a success", Rachel Kyte, The Times
July 23, 2021
Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte says, "we need commitment and leadership in action, not just words," in an article she published in The Times, referencing the need for global leaders to take more concrete steps in the fight against climate change. According to Dean Kyte, the U.N.'s Summit on Climate Change, which will be held in Glasgow in late October and early November 2021, could be the perfect opportunity for leaders to move the needle forward in global environmental policy.
Learn More "Electricity storage technology is not a luxury line item," Amy Myers Jaffe, The Hill
July 15, 2021Amy Myers Jaffe outlines the importance of electrical storage technology for developing U.S. electric grid resiliency and for competing with countries that are investing in energy research and development in The Hill.
Learn more- "New US climate strategy opens up old faultlines with Europe", Financial Times
April 23, 2021
US policy experts, including Fletcher's Kelly Sims Gallagher, concur that America is still playing catch-up on climate policy, even if Biden administration officials insist on fortifying their climate policy.
Read the full article here - "Washington to Glasgow: Global Climate Diplomacy Over the Next Six Months", Event co-hosted by The Fletcher School and Climate Policy Lab
April 22, 2021
This virtual event features a discussion between Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte, Academic Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy Kelly Sims Gallagher, and Research Professor and Managing Director of Fletcher's Climate Policy Lab Amy Meyers Jaffe about the key takeaways from President Biden's Leaders Summit on Climate. Together, they discuss the current state of climate policy and action on a global scale about make predictions about how this may change as we prepare for the UN's Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
Watch the event recording