Podcast Selection

The Climate Allies Europe Needs

With the next big climate conference about to get underway in Glasgow, major breakthroughs look elusive. Among the spectres at the feast are raging geopolitical tensions, high energy prices, the ongoing pandemic and — in…

Energy and climate change, with IEA chief Fatih Birol

In this COP26 special, we look at the immense challenge of making energy carbon-neutral. As the International Energy Agency records a surge in coal use and record jump in greenhouse gas emissions, its head, Fatih…

Climate change: Lessons from Denmark

Denmark is at the forefront of the global effort to fight climate change. It has committed to cut emissions by 70% below 1990 levels by 2030. It also wants to be carbon neutral by 2050…

How Germany should move on from Merkel

In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, our chief economist Christian Odendahl is joined by CER’s director of foreign policy, Ian Bond, and research fellows Elisabetta Cornago and Zach Meyers. They consider Europe’s current…

Sergei Ryabkov: Russia and energy security

Stephen Sackur speaks to Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Moscow is set to be a major beneficiary of the extraordinary spike in fossil fuel energy prices - does that mean Moscow will flex its…

Inside the Paris Climate Agreement

These days, with the world divided as it is, it’s hard to imagine more than 195 countries coming together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yet that’s precisely what happened in 2015 with the Paris Climate…

What will COP26 achieve?

World leaders will gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate change conference but what will they achieve? We've not reached one of the goals set 10 years ago to protect the planet's diverse wildlife. So,…

Episode 16: COP26, the state of play

September 2021 saw a series of significant diplomatic events which could be key to successful climate negotiations at COP26. Now with mere weeks to go before the main event, attention is increasing on the major…

How green is nuclear energy?

Is nuclear energy ‘sustainable’ and deserving of tax breaks? It’s a question dividing member states of the European Union which is considering what role nuclear should play in efforts to wean the continent off fossil…

A green fiscal pact

"How can the European Union increase green public investment while consolidating budget deficits? Past crises and consolidation episodes have resulted in major public investment cuts. However, in order to meet the European Union’s climate goals,…

Exploding energy prices

"Why the sudden spike in European electricity and gas prices? Wholesale gas prices have reached record highs in the past months, leaving EU governments scrambling for emergency aid to help households cope with their rising…

Methane: The other greenhouse gas

The latest UN climate report concludes that while carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main driver of global warming, another gas - methane - is likely responsible for between 30-50% of the current rise in temperatures.…