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Christiana Figueres

Christiana Figueres

13 commentaries
3 videos & podcasts

Christiana Figueres is a former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where she oversaw the landmark Paris agreement on climate change.

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  1. Flipping the Environmental Narrative
    cfigueres15_Getty Images Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics /Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Flipping the Environmental Narrative

    Mar 13, 2023 Christiana Figueres explains the importance of bringing the right perspective to bear on recent progress and outstanding challenges.

  2. Rays of Hope in the Climate Struggle
    cfigueres14_ Drew AngererGetty Images_ira Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Rays of Hope in the Climate Struggle

    Aug 29, 2022 Christiana Figueres & May Boeve think that the new US Inflation Reduction Act will accelerate international efforts to tackle global warming.

  3. The Food Revolution Is Up to Us
    cfigueres11_plantgardencity Getty Images

    The Food Revolution Is Up to Us

    Sep 24, 2021 Christiana Figueres shows why a transformation of the global food system is just as important as the clean-energy transition.

  4. Norway's Sovereign Duty
    cfigueres13_OLE BERG-RUSTENAFP via Getty Images_norwaysovereignwealthfund Ole Berg-Rusten/AFP via Getty Images

    Norway's Sovereign Duty

    Sep 17, 2021 Christiana Figueres, et al. explain how the country's massive wealth fund can be used as a powerful tool to combat climate change.

  5. The Promise of Decarbonization
    cfigueres10_GettyImages_vonderleyenthunberg Getty Images

    The Promise of Decarbonization

    Oct 5, 2020 Christiana Figueres advocates policies to direct global economic recovery toward a more sustainable and resilient system.

  1. spence173_ Joe RaedleGetty Images_power Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the Power Sector

    Michael Spence

    Making the power sector fit for the twenty-first century requires a “banker” that finances and coordinates relevant long-term investments, and an “architect” that guides the development of a complex, interconnected smart-grid system. National governments need to fill both roles.

    argues that developing flexible, stable, and resilient smart grids requires an expanded industrial policy.
  2. op_janeway16_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_bidenchips Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The Rise of Mesoeconomics

    William H. Janeway

    A growing body of literature focusing on the domain between the microeconomic and the macroeconomic has become increasingly relevant in a world beset by supply shocks. Armed with such insights, those designing industrial policies will have a better chance of achieving their overlapping economic- and national-security goals.

    details how a long-neglected field of economic study can be applied to today's most pressing policy challenges.
  3. strain27_Philipp von Ditfurthpicture alliance via Getty Images_AIeducation Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What the AI Pessimists Are Missing

    Michael R. Strain points out that the technology will help to address many of the risks it creates.
  4. ito37_Spencer PlattGetty Images_columbiaprotests Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Innocent Bystanders of College Protests

    Takatoshi Ito laments that a radical minority can disrupt the lives of so many in the broader university community.
  5. lacamera1_Wang DongzhenXinhua via Getty Images_COP28 Wang Dongzhen/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Only Public-Private Cooperation Can Accelerate Decarbonization

    Francesco La Camera & Bruce Douglas explain how to translate political commitments into actual wind turbines and solar panels.
  6. haass167_ANATOLII STEPANOVAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldiers Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

    Defining Success in Ukraine

    Richard Haass calls for a shift to a defensive posture and efforts to bring about a long-term ceasefire.
  7. aslund75_Pierre CromGetty Images_ukraineconflict Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    A Unified Western Strategy for Ukraine

    Anders Åslund proposes a maximalist approach to military aid to replace the current piecemeal injections of old weapons.
  8. khrushcheva180_ContributorGetty Images_shoiguputin Contributor/Getty Images

    Russia’s Battle of the Ministries

    Nina L. Khrushcheva sees a high-ranking official's recent arrest as a sign of declining confidence in Vladimir Putin's leadership.
  9. ghosh77_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_ajaybanga Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    The “Billions to Trillions” Charade

    Jayati Ghosh explains why using development banks' resources to incentivize private-sector finance is unlikely to succeed.

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