ECFR ON AIR

Action on climate financing is long overdue. Inadequate mitigation and adaptation have already led to substantial loss and damage in the most vulnerable countries. But the scale of investment required to mitigate global warming is beyond the capacity of rich governments, far less developing countries. To square this circle, Barbados’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, last year made a bold proposal: the Bridgetown Initiative. In this episode of Europe Listens, ECFR’s Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin welcome Avinash Persaud, special envoy on climate finance to Mia Mottley. How can the Bridgetown Initiative prevent nations on the climate frontline getting trapped in endless cycles of disaster and debt? What role can private-sector capital play in combatting climate change? And how can transformative ideas succeed in international climate diplomacy? This podcast was recorded on 4 April 2023. Further reading: Breaking the deadlock on climate: The Bridgetown Initiative by Avinash Persaud Speech at the opening of the COP27 World Leaders Summit by Mia Mottley The 2022 Bridgetown Initiative We’ll always have Paris: How to adapt multilateral climate cooperation to new realities by Anthony Dworkin and Mats Engström Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate change is an immediate existential threat to the coral islands that make up the Maldives, one of the lowest-lying countries in the world. Recent predictions estimate that, by 2050, rising sea levels could render 80 per cent of the country uninhabitable. By 2100 – in just 77 years time – the entire country could be submerged. None of this is news to the Maldives. To kick off this series of Europe Listens, ECFR’s Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin welcome Shauna Aminath, the Maldives’ minister of environment, climate change, and technology. What are the most pressing priorities for the Maldives in the fight against climate change? Is international climate diplomacy delivering for those nations on the climate frontline? And what to expect from COP28 later this year? This podcast was recorded on 3 May 2023. Further reading: Climate risk country profile: Maldives by the Asian Development Bank Adaptation gap report 2022 by the UN Environment Programme Decarbonisation nations: How EU climate diplomacy can save the world by Susi Dennison and Mats Engström Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China is becoming ever more important to global affairs. But political and geopolitical challenges, as well as the covid-19 pandemic, have diminished Europeans’ ability to engage with Chinese thinkers and understand their views and ideas about the world. In this mini-series, Mark Leonard and Janka Oertel try to change that by engaging in conversations with some of the best Chinese academics, researchers, writers, and journalists on diverse topics in Chinese internal debates that matter most to Europeans.  --  In our third episode, we are joined by Pan Chengxin, associate professor of international relations and public policy at the University of Macau and one of China's leading scholars of quantum relational theory and its application to world politics. Pan talks us through an innovative way of looking at international relations using quantum physics, specifically the concept of quantum holography. What is quantum holography and how does it change our understanding of basic concepts like power? How can we better understand the rise of China under this conceptual framework? And what are the potential implications of this quantum view of the world for how we deal with global challenges like climate change? - China’s Rise and Rethinking International Relations Theory by Chengxin Pan and Emilian Kavalski (Eds.)- Enfolding Wholes in Parts: Quantum Holography and International Relations in European Journal of International Relations by Chengxin Pan- Reclaiming Substances in Relationalism: Quantum Holography and Substance-based Relational Analysis in World Politics in Millennium: Journal of International Studies by Chengxin Pan- Quantum Mind and Social Science: Unifying Physical and Social Ontology by Alexander Wendt - Wholeness and the Implicate Order by David BohmThis podcast was recorded on 21 February 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China is becoming ever more important to global affairs. But the covid-19 pandemic, as well as political and geopolitical challenges, mean that Europeans’ ability to engage with Chinese thinkers and understand their views and ideas about the world has diminished. In this mini-series, Mark Leonard and Janka Oertel will try to change that by engaging in conversations with some of the best Chinese academics, researchers, writers, and journalists on diverse topics in Chinese internal debates that matter most to Europeans.---In this second episode, our host Janka is joined by Liu Hongqiao, an independent policy consultant and award-winning journalist focusing on China’s emergence and its global impact on the environment, biodiversity, energy, and the climate. Together, they will discuss China’s role at COP27 and the country's outlook on its energy transition. How is China doing in regard to its ‘dual-carbon’ goals set for 2030 and 2060? What kind of climate narratives can be found in China? And finally, where does the country see itself on the global stage of climate policy and what does this positioning mean for the rest of the world? Hongqiao Liu: Can China achieve its ambitious climate pledges? | TED Countdown: https://buff.ly/3WFzCML Liu Hongqiao articles: https://buff.ly/3PNlI8P This podcast was recorded on 28 November 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast was recorded on 23 November 2022, one day before the Urumqi apartment fire, which was followed by nationwide protests against the zero-covid policy in China.-China is becoming ever more important to global affairs. But the covid-19 pandemic, as well as political and geopolitical challenges, mean that Europeans’ ability to engage with Chinese thinkers and understand their views and ideas about the world has diminished. In this mini-series, Mark Leonard and Janka Oertel will try to change that by engaging in conversations with some of the best Chinese academics, researchers, writers, and journalists on diverse topics in Chinese internal debates that matter most to Europeans.--In the first episode, the hosts are joined by Wang Jisi, the founding president of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University and one of the world’s most prominent scholars on US-China relations. Together, we will learn about China’s understanding of global order and the recent developments in the geopolitical landscape with a focus on US-China. What can we take away from China’s stance at the G20 summit? What is to come for US-China relations going forward? And finally, what do the outcomes of the 20th Party Congress mean for Europe and the world? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the EU builds up its global footprint, it’s crucial to avoid European naval gazing. Instead, Europe needs to engage partners around the world on their expectations and concerns about the EU’s activities and ambitions. That's why it's time for Europe to listen carefully and with curiosity!Episode 4 with Dr Togzhan Kassenova, a Washington, DC-based senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research, SUNY-Albany.Previously, she served on the UN secretary general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. Dr Kassénova is also the author of “Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb,” which was published by Stanford University Press earlier this year. “Europe Listens” is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project, supported by Stiftung Mercator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the EU builds up its global footprint, it’s crucial to avoid European naval gazing. Instead, Europe needs to engage partners around the world on their expectations and concerns about the EU’s activities and ambitions. That's why it's time for Europe to listen carefully and with curiosity!Episode 3 with Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the first woman to be elected as WHO Regional Director for Africa to discuss global public health in times of COVID. “Europe Listens” is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project, supported by Stiftung Mercator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the EU builds up its global footprint, it’s crucial to avoid European naval gazing. Instead, Europe needs to engage partners around the world on their expectations and concerns about the EU’s activities and ambitions. That's why it's time for Europe to listen carefully and with curiosity!Episode 2 with Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan“Europe Listens” is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project, supported by Stiftung Mercator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the EU builds up its global footprint, it’s crucial to avoid European naval gazing. Instead, Europe needs to engage partners around the world on their expectations and concerns about the EU’s activities and ambitions. That's why it's time for Europe to listen carefully and with curiosity!Episode 1 with Professor C. Raja Mohan, director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.“Europe Listens” is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project, supported by Stiftung Mercator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our fourth and last episode, we’ll discuss how Germany should tackle digitalisation and tech innovation. As this area had been somewhat neglected during the Merkel years, the new government should buckle up, shoulder this massive task and really start shaping its own and EU efforts on tech sovereignty.Find out more about our tech sovereignty work: https://ecfr.eu/category/digital/Find all our recommendations for the next German government here: https://ecfr.eu/topic/german-election-2021/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.