S2-EP 012 . A Historic and Personal View on the Impacts of American Social Evolution on Climate Action: A Conversation with Bill McKibben (Part 1)

Energy Current: In Search of Net Zero System

The intense rivalry between U.S. and China, the ongoing brutal war between Russia and Ukraine, and the potential geopolitical conflict risk in the South China Sea remain the big challenges to addressing the climate crisis via productive international cooperation. Under the complicated domestic and international situations and uncertainties, how can we understand the climate policy and actions in both the United States and China? Where could the fragile partnership between the two countries go in the next 2-3 years? In Part 1 of the conversation, Bill McKibben, a well-known author, and environmentalist, discusses how the dynamic interaction between social responsibility and hyper-individualism of the American nation generates influences on its collective climate actions in the past half century and why the long shift of American society matter with the global efforts on tackling climate change. In Part 2 of the conversation, Bill McKibben will focus on China and share his insights, hope, and analysis on the future world climate governance and collaboration as well as what the roles of both China and the U.S. could look like during the long journey.

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