The Western-led international order is waning as emerging powers across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East gain influence, reshaping global governance into a multipolar system. This shift has coincided with a worsening climate crisis — the 1.5°C threshold has now been exceeded for two consecutive years — exposing the gap between scientific urgency and political action. Traditional multilateralism, exemplified by the COP process, is increasingly fragmented, giving way to regional blocs and ad hoc alliances. Climate governance has evolved from cooperative environmentalism into a field defined by competition, resource control, and strategic power, where trade, technology, and energy policies shape global influence more than treaties or shared commitments.

As climate and economic priorities converge, control over critical resources like lithium and rare earths has become central to both green and defense technologies, linking sustainability with geopolitical dominance. Land use, food security, and supply chain sovereignty now drive policy decisions, while private corporations, local governments, and financial actors take on leadership roles once held by states. This decentralized, polycentric governance model highlights the intersection of environmental, technological, and security agendas. Against this backdrop, the upcoming event will examine the challenges of global climate governance in the digital and mining eras, explore pathways for integrating adaptation and mitigation within the UNFCCC framework, and foster dialogue on innovative partnerships to advance climate action.

Organizers: CEBRI and Institute for Climate and Society (ICS).