Climate and power: ending the oil age?

Decarbonisation will not be easy. While necessary for the climate in the long run, working through the costs and benefits of going green now is a domestic economic challenge with strategic implications for the world’s leading powers. Each country thus approaches international climate talks with the goal of ensuring that they come out as far ahead as possible. As such, the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris is a key moment for developing an international framework for moving forward on climate issues. What factors will influence their efforts to cut out carbon and adapt to a changing planet?