In every region on Earth, climate change is threatening societies and ecosystems with a variety of extreme conditions, while resources to address these threats remain scarce. These conditions demand a greater reliance on international cooperation, science diplomacy, and a collaborative approach to regional priorities. A region such as the “Third Pole” would do well to examine how the Arctic Council structure for international cooperation has helped the Arctic as a whole address pressing issues, and how something similar might allow other regions to improve their understanding of environmental changes, prepare for likely social impacts, and build resilience for the future.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has slammed the brakes on the collaborative operations of the Arctic Council. An interim Indigenous Arctic Council could ensure that critical research keeps pace with the rapid rate of climate change in the region, among other benefits, argues Joel Clement.

Faced with an accelerating climate crisis, mounting political frustrations, and a congressional stalemate, Joel Clement writes that the White House must take the lead on climate action by curtailing fossil fuel extraction on public lands and providing economic protection to the communities that will be most impacted by the coming energy transition.

It's become something of a blood-sport to attack the Biden administration for not aggressively tackling the climate crisis. But a recent executive order calling for the federal government to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 shows that the federal government is still determined to drive the clean energy transition, with or without the Senate's support.

In November 2021, the Arctic Initiative hosted Arctic Climate Week, a public showcase of the crucial work being done by Belfer Center faculty and fellows on the rapidly warming Arctic and pathways to a resilient future for the region.

After Maine voters rejected the Central Maine Power corridor, Joel Clement and Pete Didisheim make the case that public involvement, fair compensation, and wise site selection are critical to the success of clean energy projects.

Joel Clement writes that because the Biden administration  has moved to repair the damage done by the Trump administration, colleagues from around the global Arctic are optimistic once again about partnering with America on solutions to regional crises .

Joel Clement writes that while climate change is a scientific matter, climate action is a political one, and, if done right, can usher in dramatic social, economic and ecological improvements.

Ian Masters and Joel Clement assess how much time has been lost by governments in facing the looming crisis of climate change, in particular here in the U.S. where the last four years were not only wasted, but were steps backwards from the urgent challenges made clear by yesterday's alarming IPCC report.

Joel Clement describes the influence of U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin over the Department of the Interior and advises that a forward-looking legislator in a fossil-fuel state would be wise to fight aggressively for financial commitments to make the people in their state part of the vanguard of the new clean energy economy, rather than set back the U.S. economy by fighting the inevitable energy transition itself.