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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
The Future of LNG Trade: Inflexible, Inefficient, and Polarized?
This Energy Explained post represents the research and views of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Center on Global Energy Policy. The piece...
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The Nexus of Climate Policy and National Security
As President Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan laid out a strategy for what he called a “foreign policy for the middle class.” Using the metaphor of a...
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April 29, 2025
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Stabilizing Your Career in a Rapidly Changing Industry
Please join the Women in Energy initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA for a public roundtable featuring Claire Steichen, Founder of Clear Strategy Coaching. The fast-evolving energy...
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This report represents the research and views of the author. It does not necessarily represent...
This report represents the research and views of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Center on Global Energy Policy. The piece may be subject to further revision. Contributions to SIPA for the benefit of CGEP are general use gifts, which gives the Center discretion in how it allocates these funds. More information is available at https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/about/partners. Rare cases of sponsored projects are clearly indicated.
For a full list of financial supporters of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA, please visit our website at https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/partners. See below a list of members that are currently in CGEP’s Visionary Annual Circle.
CGEP’s Visionary Annual Circle
This list is updated periodically.
Jay Bernstein
Breakthrough Energy LLC
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
China’s dramatic economic growth in the 21st century has made it not only the second largest economy in the world but also a powerhouse in the global energy system. Now, as the top energy consumer and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, China is being closely watched and judged as its impact on energy markets and climate grow more profound. Looking forward, many issues are expected to shape the evolution of China’s energy sector, not least of which is its development status. Is it still a developing country or is it now an advanced economy? While China’s economic might makes it a superpower alongside the United States, it still faces many of the major challenges of a typical developing country, such as widespread energy poverty, including 400 million people without access to clean cooking, significant air pollution, and dependence on increasing energy use to fuel future economic growth. By fusing developing/developed country attributes with major global clout, China is unique: a hybrid superpower. Unlike advanced economies, China’s energy needs will continue to rise substantially going forward, increasing its influence over global energy and climate issues.
A new paper from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs examines these questions from the energy perspective, and assesses its implications regarding the evolution of energy globally and efforts to address climate change. It is authored by adjunct senior research scholar Philippe Benoit and nonresident fellow Kevin Tu.
Evaluating China’s development status is not just an academic exercise. Understanding the nature and implications of China’s unique status can help in designing energy and climate policies and in fostering an international framework that better promote sustainable growth both within China and abroad. The research paper provides insights for analysts and policymakers into the challenges presented for China and the international community in analyzing the drivers of China’s national energy policies and international implications. It articulates some of the structural and other factors likely to heavily influence China’s behavior on energy and related climate issues, with profound implications for the rest of the world.
Read the blog on State of the Planet: https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/07/23/china-still-developing-country-matters-energy-climate/.
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Energy Abundance Alone Won’t Fix the Climate
Energy abundance isn't a climate strategy—it delays clean energy progress, harms global cooperation, and repeats past policy mistakes.
Energy and Climate Issues During the Trump Administration’s First 100 Days
President Donald Trump has made energy a clear focus for his second term in the White House. Having campaigned on an “America First” platform that highlighted domestic fossil-fuel growth, the reversal of climate policies and clean energy incentives advanced by the Biden administration, and substantial tariffs on key US trading partners, he declared an “energy emergency” on his first day in office.
