Show Notes
The multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a critical role in addressing climate change and have a key role to play in delivering on the 'New Collective Quantified Goal' on climate finance, agreed at COP29. This Climate Briefing episode focuses on the newest of the MDBs: the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), launched in 2016. What are the similarities and differences between the AIIB and the other MDBs? What is the AIIB doing to address climate change? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Kim-See Lim (Chief Investment Officer, Public Sector (Region 1) & Financial Institutions and Funds (Global) Clients at the AIIB) and Hans Peter Lankes (Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive at the Overseas Development Institute; Visiting Professor in Practice at the LSE Grantham Research Institute; and a Senior Fellow at the LSE/Oxford International Growth Centre). In the introduction to the episode, Anna and Bhargabi speak about growth trends in global renewable energy generation, climate politics in the UK, the US-China trade spat and the ratification of the High Seas Treaty.
More from The Climate Briefing
In November, global climate negotiators will gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for the latest round of the UN climate talks at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31). This episode explores how, amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis, global conflicts or emerging El Niño conditions, the negotiations may shape progress on implementation. We unpack the key issues to look out for at this conference: the role of Türkiye and Australia's shared leadership, growing adaptation and finance needs, and the leadership vacuum in climate diplomacy. To discuss this, Bhargabi is joined by Pelin Zorlu, Senior Research Fellow and Lead on Climate and Energy at Chatham House, to speak with Jennifer L. Morgan, Former State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the German Federal Foreign Office, and Ümit Şahin, Head of the Climate Change Program at the Istanbul Policy Centre. For more on these issues, watch the recording of Making the Case for COP in a Fractured Geopolitical Environment, with the COP30 and COP31 Presidents, alongside the COP32 President-Designate. The discussion explored the continuing value of multilateral climate diplomacy amid geopolitical tensions.
This season of droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires has shone a light on a growing vulnerability: the security of our water resources. Following the Stockholm World Water Week that took place last month and an upcoming UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi later this year, this episode explores questions around how climate change and growing demand are reshaping global water security. It considers: Where is water becoming a source or a tool of geopolitical tension? Is the international system equipped to manage these pressures? What can be done about it? To find out, Bhargabi and Beatrice Mosello speak to Susanne Schmeier, Professor of Water Cooperation, Law and Diplomacy at IHE Delft and Utrecht University, and David Michel, Senior Associate (non-resident) at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Read more expert commentary around this topic here: The world is far off meeting its growing water needs. Can the UN still lead the response? | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank, India and Pakistan still cannot agree to restore the Indus Waters Treaty – but re-engagement could help bring lasting peace | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank and Europe's summer of fires: Burnham must centre climate adaptation in policies | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank.
The World Bank Group (WBG), along with the other multilateral development banks (MDBs), plays a critical role in helping its client countries transition to low-carbon economies and strengthen their resilience to the impacts of climate change. In late June, however, following pressure primarily from the United States, the WBG abandoned its target of allocating 45 per cent of its financing to climate-related activities. The Bank's broader Climate Change Action Plan, which was due to expire on 30 June 2026, was nevertheless extended. What are the implications for the WBG's work on climate change? How can 'climate-progressive' MDB shareholders navigate these challenging dynamics? And what might the US administration do next? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak with Melanie Robinson (Global Climate, Economics and Finance Program Director at the World Resources Institute) and Dr Nancy Lee (Senior Fellow and Director for Sustainable Development Finance at the Center for Global Development).
At COP30, Parties agreed to develop a 'Just Transition Mechanism', which many hailed as one of the real bright spots of the conference. Climate Action Network International, for example, called the decision 'one of the strongest rights-based outcomes in the history of the UN climate negotiations'.
Attention is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence as its capabilities and influence permeate nearly every sector. AI's growth raises important questions about its environmental footprint; risks associated with future scale, and how such a globalised industry can be effectively governed.