A Penn Global Project Climate Security and Geopolitics
For better or worse, responses to the world’s climate crisis are shaped as much by geopolitical as by energy, economic, or ecological concerns.
Climate change entails international collective action, yet the world’s largest economies and emitters are divided by mutual suspicion, rivalry, and competition in the political-military, economic, and technological arenas.
Overview
This research project aims to understand how the return of great power rivalry in each of these domains affects the prospects for international climate action, with particular emphasis on China. It identifies, explores, and analyses both how geopolitics complicates climate action, and how it may present opportunities to boost investment in mitigation on one hand, and adaptation on the other. This focus on the implications of geopolitics for climate action, rather than on the implications of climate change for international relations and security, distinguishes this research from existing work in the field of climate and environmental security.
Based within Penn Global at the University of Pennsylvania and launched with the support of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Browne Center for International Politics at Penn, this initiative will position Penn as the leading source of research and solutions at the intersection of climate policy, security, and international relations. Though rooted in rigorous research, the initiative will be aimed squarely at policymakers both in the U.S. and at the multilateral level.
Five Workstreams
RETHINKING CLIMATE SECURITY WITH GREAT POWER COMPETITION IN MIND
- Climate Geopolitics vs Climate Security: In a world where geopolitics shapes climate action, what are gaps in academic research?
- Climatizing Security, An Agenda for Policy: In a world where geopolitics shapes climate action, how can national security policy be most effectively synergized with climate action?
PROBING THE SECURITY AND GEOPOLITICAL RISKS OF CLIMATE INTERVENTION
- Geoengineering Governance and Risk Mitigation: What changes in global governance are needed to address the risk of potential geoengineering interventions, especially those that might be undertaken unilaterally?
EXPLORING'S CHINA'S ROLE IN CLIMATE CHANGE AMIDST GEOPOLITICAL RIVALRY
- China’s Contributions to Climate Finance: Just how much has China contributed to global climate finance? Can it be induced to give more?
- Chinese Conceptions of Climate Security: How do Chinese leaders, elites, and military officers view climate change? How do their views shape China’s approach to climate policy?
- China’s Climate Soft Power: How does China use its involvement in international climate issues to bolster its soft power? What are the implications for US national interests?
ASSESSING THE IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE PROTECTIONISM AND GEOECONOMICS
- Quantifying the Externalities of China-centric Clean Tech Supply Chains: China’s clean technology is cheap, but the costs don’t necessarily reflect subsidies, intellectual property leakage, and other externalities. How can we quantify these externalities, and what are the implications for policy?
- Implications of a US CBAM: What does the EU experience tell us about the value of a potential US equivalent to its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)? What issues would policymakers need to consider in implementing a US equivalent?
- Bolstering US competitiveness in next-generation clean technologies: What are the most promising sectors and technologies for US firms to gain a competitive advantage over those of geopolitical rivals? How can US policy best advantage these firms and sectors?
TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CLIMATE SECURITY LEADERS
- Penn Global – Perry World House Policy Fellows Program: Supported by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, this Program helps Penn graduate students explore non-academic public service careers focused on addressing and engaging with the world’s climate crisis.
Meet the Expert
Scott Moore, Ph.D.
Scott Moore, Ph.D., is Practice Professor of Political Science, Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, and Senior Advisor to The Water Center at Penn at the University of Pennsylvania.
His primary research interests center on China, climate change, and security. Other research and teaching interests include water security and China’s role in the biotechnology sector. Dr. Moore’s first book, Subnational Hydropolitics: Conflict, Cooperation, and Institution-Building in Shared River Basins (Oxford University Press, 2018), examines how climate change and other pressures affect the likelihood of conflict over water within countries. His latest, China’s Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China’s Rise and the World’s Future (Oxford University Press, 2022), explores China’s role in global public goods provision against the backdrop of geopolitical rivalry and competition. His current research and book project focuses on how the return of great power rivalry between major economies and emitters shapes prospects for climate action at the international level.
Expert Insights
Explore expert insights and articles on climate security and geopolitics, offering in-depth analysis of current trends and strategic challenges.
Foreign Affairs | Craig Martin and Scott Moore | August 14, 2024
Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) has gained traction as a cheaper, less complex approach to solar engineering, but the method still remains intensely controversial due to potential risks such as unintended global weather and climate disruptions. Martin and Moore discuss SAI, the risks posed by this solar geoengineering initiative, and the urgency with which global governance is needed to monitor and regulate its deployment.
Foreign Policy | Scott Moore & Erin Sikorsky | March 30, 2023
As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and second-largest economy, China’s climate efforts are increasingly seen as inadequate. This presents significant geopolitical challenges for China while creating opportunities for the United States and its allies to enhance its leadership on climate. Moore and Sikorsky discuss Beijing's increasing isolation in global climate negotiations, the chance for Washington to step up, and the implications for global efforts to tackle climate change.
