Global Issues
Charting new paths for Antarctic protection despite China’s resistance
Calls to renegotiate the agreements that govern the Antarctic, out of frustration at China’s and Russia’s opposition to establishing new areas for protection, would only put at…
Existential risk is a whole-of-society challenge
Existential risks have been in the news recently. In May, a group of prominent artificial intelligence experts and industry leaders warned that “Mitigating the risk of extinction…
The Quad: Tackling the spider, not cobwebs, in cyberspace
The Quad – the strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the United States – is accustomed to dealing with threats to international security, including those…
Paris climate summit: A new global financing pact takes shape
France held the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact last month, and, as with many climate summits, one can be forgiven for being disappointed with the outcome. Despite…
Economic diplomacy: Power shifts with Jakarta
Trading places
It’s now half a century since Australia and Indonesia signed a bilateral investment agreement leading to serial government initiatives mostly on the Australian…
Don’t believe the hype: the many futures of AI
The portrayal of artificial intelligence (AI) in popular culture tends to gravitate towards extremes: either humanity benefits from the riches and efficiencies of ubiquitous…
From hydrocarbons to hydrogen? Gulf states seek the good oil in green transition
Hydrogen has been hailed as an energy of the future and the technical fix in the green transition. But as hydrogen’s technological and cost barriers continue to fall, there remain…
Jokowi’s visit to Australia is about much more than electric vehicles
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo carries a personal ambition in his visit to Australia this week, to secure Australia’s support for Indonesia’s nascent electric vehicle ambitions…
The looming fate of Fukushima’s contaminated water
In the coming months, Japan will be in a position to enact its long-announced plan to release contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific…
Replenishing the Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established in 2010 as a linchpin for global solidarity between rich and poor countries. Operating under the United Nations Framework Convention…