America’s top climate diplomat John Podesta headlined the Columbia Global Energy Summit, which was held at the Center on Global Energy Policy. In his remarks, Podesta outlined five areas: the severity of climate change and the urgent imperative to act, America’s efforts to address climate action under the Biden administration, the role of global trade in emissions, the announcement of a White House Climate and Trade Task Force and America’s support for international initiatives. Podesta’s address included commitments such as the establishment of the Climate and Trade Task Force, reaffirmed financial support made by the US at COP28 towards clean energy, and expressed a desire for continued dialogue and cooperation with partners such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) as they pursue their own climate programmes. Podesta concluded his remarks by emphasising global trade policies and cooperation as platforms to address climate change: “We can maintain the status quo—a race to the bottom—with trade policies that reward countries that use dirty production and non-market practices to gain a competitive advantage. Or, we can work together to create a race to the top in global trade.”
