The chapter 'Canada: Reframing a well-established partnership' in the book 'European Foreign Policy in a Decarbonising World', examines Canada and EU-Canada relations as they strive to decarbonise their economies.

The United States is at a critical juncture in its future climate policy directions. By engaging in transatlantic climate cooperation not only with allies, but also sceptical parts of society, Europe can help drive the climate conversation forward.

With the recent climate action announcements of the Biden administration, the US joins China and the EU in the club of superpowers committed to climate neutrality.

Several climate security studies have assessed the risks of climate change to security and examined potential foreign policy responses, but the connection between climate change and foreign policy remains underexplored. The new Climate Diplomacy Report of the German Foreign Office takes up the challenge.

As the second week of COP25 begins in Madrid, it is time to stress once more the importance of building momentum for adaptation. There is obviously a need for adaptation planning, implementation and financing. However, so far only seventeen countries have presented National Adaptation Plans (NAP) - despite international partners providing important support.

“I want you to panic”. This was the message that 16 year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg gave to the World Economic Forum in Davos on 25 January, and in it she struck right to the intergenerational justice issue at the heart of the sustainability project.

Limited access to energy is a significant barrier to development and holds back efforts to improve living conditions in developing and emerging economies. Around the world, 1.1 billion people still do not have access to electricity, and 2.8 billion still rely on animal and crop waste, wood, charcoal and other solid fuels to cook their food and heat their homes.

There is no denying that the US exit represents a tremendous setback for the Paris Agreement and climate diplomacy – not least because the US, currently the world’s second largest emitter and largest historical emitter, was a decisive player in negotiating the main elements of the agreement in the run-up to the Paris conference and made crucial contributions toward removing some of the main barriers.

The landmark decision on a new climate agreement in Paris in December 2015 is a major step in preventing dangerous climate change. How dangerous climate change could be is indicated by the Global Report on Internal Displacement 2016, just published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

The EU and its Member States have been major contributors to achieving the landmark Paris Agreement. Dennis Tänzler and Stephan Wolters outline what needs to be done to keep up with this high level of engagement.

Climate change as a Security Council topic is no longer breaking news. On the contrary, it has seemingly become a good tradition to organize a debate once in a while about the ways in which climate change is going to affect peace and stability. So the vested interest of the international community is obvious. However, what is the reason for the renewed attention on this topic? Indeed, there may be several.

The G7 Foreign Ministers can take a leading role in avoiding the increased weakening and even total collapse of states and societies threatened by fragility challenges. Resilience - understood as the existential ability of a nation or society to cope with major crises - has to become the compass for foreign policy.

Contributing to the emerging literature on the geopolitical and foreign policy implications of decarbonisation and energy transition processes, this book sheds light on the future of the European Union’s (EU) external relations under decarbonisation.

This report offers guidance for climate change adaptation programming in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. It consists of a guide on conflict-sensitive adaptation as well as three analytical chapters which describe the analytical, conceptual and empirical basis.

Since the European Parliament issued its resolution on climate diplomacy in June 2018, several important trends have been shaping this area of the EU’s external action, enabling progress and posing new challenges.

Key areas of collaboration include a transatlantic business dialogue on climate neutrality, expanded efforts on research policy exchange, and broad engagement of subnational efforts to implement long-term decarbonisation strategies.

This report explores the main impacts of climate change on the water cycle and water-dependent sectors, and develops recommendations for how the water sector and water-related activities can contribute towards the goals of climate mitigation and adaptation.

The Policy Paper “Running up that hill - A New Start for Transatlantic Climate Policy” develops an eight-point programme to make the transatlantic relations the engine of global climate neutrality. With Biden’s victory, the USA can again take its place as a driving force in international climate policy.

Under the Paris Agreement, governments have committed to radically cutting greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades. This decarbonisation process has profound implications for both domestic and foreign policy, and is likely to have important geopolitical consequences. As a global power and leader on climate action, the EU has an important role to play in meeting these challenges.

With the advance of climate change and environmental changes threatening livelihoods, their impacts on migration and displacement are receiving increasing attention in research, politics, and civil society. The three reports in this series evaluate the evidence base for policymaking, and provide entry points for responses in the field of climate change adaptation.

Based on the findings from the report "Geopolitics of Decarbonisation" this policy brief focuses on six fossil-fuel exporting countries – Azerbaijan, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Qatar – where fossil fuels have played an important role in external relations with the EU and analyses how they may be affected by the decarbonisation of Europe.

An increasing number of scholars and analysts point out that the necessary decarbonisation of the global economy will impact international affairs and geopolitics. But do we agree on what geopolitics of decarbonisation is (not)? This paper draws on the literature on both geopolitics and decarbonisation to help structure the discussion and identify pertinent questions.

The guidelines for conflict-sensitive adaptation to climate change outline how to design and implement an adaptation project in a fragile or conflict-affected context. Addressed at planners and project managers, the guide provides tools and methods to ensure that an adaptation project does not exacerbate tensions and, ideally, contributes to peace and stability.

The so-called Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group can be considered as an example of the importance of early action in the field of adaptation in order to initiate a transformative change towards resilient societies.

This paper maps out the relevance of the SDGs to foreign policy. Taking the six SDGs under review at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2018 as entry points, we analyse how progress on specific SDGs may support or undermine progress on foreign policy priorities, especially SDG 16: peace.

This policy brief explores the way in which linking climate change adaptation and peacebuilding measures presents opportunities and challenges for conflict prevention. It argues that integrating these two sectors could play a major role in preventing the triggering and escalation of climate-related conflicts and in promoting peace.

Climate change poses numerous challenges for international river basins that are likely to intensify in the decades to come. Ensuring sustainable development and political stability in these basins requires effective adaptation to the impacts of climate change. To overcome existing shortcomings and strengthen adaptive capacities, the water (cooperation) and climate communities should engage proactively and seek to create synergies between their instruments.

What is the current and what will be the future role of the climate energy nexus in the G20? Did the adoption and entry into force of the Paris Agreement influence the agenda of the G20 fora or vice versa? To provide answers to these questions, this paper critically assesses, inter alia, the status of approaches to address the climate-energy nexus in the G20 countries and provides recommendations for the climate and energy agenda of the German G20 presidency in 2017.

Many transboundary water basins around the world are facing climate-related challenges that will intensify in the decades to come. Successful adaptation will be an important precondition for ensuring sustainable development and political stability in these basins. At the same time, stability and cooperation are preconditions for successful adaptation. How can riparians best achieve these interrelated objectives? And how can water and climate diplomacy strengthen each other?

Given the transversal, and universal, nature of the climate challenge, what priorities should shape foreign policy action on climate issues in the decade ahead? What should be the focus of European climate diplomacy?

This paper examines the relevance of cities and city networks in the current international climate policy architecture, especially with respect to the evolution of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) and climate finance as well as other developments linked to COP21. Furthermore, the paper addresses the role that cities should play based on their potential to drive climate policies from the bottom up.

This publication seeks to illustrate the rationale and results of climate diplomacy activities – efforts undertaken to help foster a response to climate change that is commensurate with its status as one of the key foreign policy challenges of the 21st century.

“A New Climate for Peace: Taking Action on Climate and Fragility Risks”, an independent report commissioned by members of the G7, identifies seven compound climate-fragility risks that pose serious threats to the stability of states and societies in the decades ahead.

In this episode, Dennis Tänzler and Daria Ivleva highlight findings of their recent report on EU climate diplomacy, identifying progress made and tasks for the Parliament going forward. Key topics to consider include trade policy and finance, gender equality, and tackling climate security risks.