https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/events/peter-betts-memorial-lect...
This event is jointly organised by the LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the LSE Global School of Sustainability (GSoS) and the World Resources InstituteGlobal climate agreements have successfully created a near-universal framework for cooperation, but they have not yet delivered emissions reductions at the scale and speed required to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. A new phase of climate diplomacy is needed, and is likely to depend on a combination of strong multilateral institutions and complementary coalitions that can accelerate implementation, mobilize investment, and raise ambition.
This year’s Pete Betts Memorial Lecture reflects on the evolution of the international climate regime from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change through the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement to the latest outcomes of COP28 and COP30, examining how climate diplomacy has adapted to changing political realities, economic opportunities, and scientific imperatives. While the Paris Agreement achieved near-universal participation and helped embed climate action into national policy frameworks, and while technological advances such as low-cost renewable energy and rapid growth in electric vehicles offer grounds for optimism, global emissions continue to rise and current commitments remain insufficient to achieve agreed temperature goals. The lecture explores whether smaller, focused “coalitions of the willing” on issues such as methane, forests, cities, finance, and fossil-fuel transitions can complement the UN process. It argues that the most effective path forward is a pragmatic combination: maintaining the UN climate regime at the centre of international cooperation while building practical partnerships that can drive implementation, accountability, and accelerated action during this decisive decade for climate change.
Meet our speaker
Professor Jonathan Pershing has extensive experience at the highest level of US climate policy and has played a key role in creating international climate agreements. He has held significant positions in the US Department of State — including as the US Special Envoy for Climate Change — and at the US Department of Energy, as well as leadership roles in the World Resources Institute and the International Energy Agency.
Meet our chair
Lord Nicholas Stern is the IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at LSE, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Chair and Co-Founder of the LSE Global School of Sustainability and Head of the India Observatory. He has held academic positions at Oxford, Warwick, MIT, the Ecole Polytechnique, the Collège de France, the Indian Statistical Institute and Renmin University. His public roles include serving as Chief Economist of the EBRD and the World Bank, Second Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury, Director of Policy and Research for the Prime Minister’s Commission for Africa, Head of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change and Head of the Government Economic Service. A former President of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society, he was knighted in 2004, appointed a life peer in 2007, and made a Companion of Honour in 2017. He has published more than 25 books and 200 articles and his most recent book is “The Growth Story of the 21st Century: The Economics and Opportunity of Climate Action” published by LSE Press in 2025 (Open Access).
How to attend
To attend this event in person
