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IGSD’s mission is to promote fast climate mitigation to slow near-term warming and self-propagating climate feedbacks.

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Excerpts from Durwood Zaelke's speech at the launch of "Tackling Non-CO₂ Emissions: Pathways for Himachal Pradesh" developed by the Department of Environment, Science, Technology & Climate Change, Government of Himachal Pradesh, with support from Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) and TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute. Link to report: https://www.igsd.org/publications/tackling-non-co2-emissions-pathways-for-himachal-pradesh/ Durwood Zaelke at Himachal Pradesh Report Launch

Durwood Zaelke at Himachal Pradesh Report Launch

IGSD May 27, 2026 12:46 am

Interview with Durwood Zaelke TRT World- Texas Floods

TRT World- Texas Floods

IGSD July 14, 2025 9:49 pm

Durwood Zaelke speaking at London Climate Action Week for We Don't Have Time on June 25th 2025. Read the full program here: https://www.wedonthavetime.org/events Durwood Zaelke at London Climate Action Week 2025

Durwood Zaelke at London Climate Action Week 2025

IGSD July 9, 2025 3:52 pm

At Super Pollutant Day, co-hosted by the Climate & Clean Air Coalition, the Pisces Foundation, and the ClimateWorks Foundation, IGSD promoted the multiple benefits of mitigating super climate pollutants, including their critical role in keeping warming well below 2ºC, the outer limit set by the Paris Agreement. Super Pollutant Day on September 12th was hosted as part of California Governor Jerry Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit. The full day event hosted two high-level panels, Why we need to act now and Commitments and action. The event served as a call to action and included commitments to reduce super pollutants from national, state, and local governments, business, and non-profit organizations. Two of the world leading scientists noted that the super pollutants are the low hanging fruit. Solutions exist now, they are technically feasible, and in many cases can be achieved at no-net cost. The Climate & Clean Air Coalition also hosted their annual awards ceremony. The 2018 winners included Prof. V. Ramanathan, Dr. Mario Molina, actor and climate activist Leonardo DiCaprio, Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, among others. Super Pollutant Day, Global Climate Action Summit

Super Pollutant Day, Global Climate Action Summit

IGSD July 7, 2025 11:23 pm

Interview with IGSD President Durwood Zaelke TRT World - Summer of drought

TRT World - Summer of drought

IGSD August 21, 2024 3:25 pm

Question by Judge Pérez Manrique at the Public Hearing of the Advisory Opinion on Climate Emergency and Human Rights, Bridgetown, Barbados. What are the global governance issues that have led us to the climate emergency? Durwood Zaelke.

What are the global governance issues that have led us to the climate emergency? Durwood Zaelke.

IGSD April 26, 2024 2:16 pm

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10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement Roundtable Reducing Methane Emissions from the Energy Sector Methane Abatement: Overcoming the Diplomatic Impasse Between Binding Law and Voluntary Action This high-level roundtable, convened to assess progress since the Paris Agreement, immediately exposed the central strategic schism in the global effort to curb methane emissions. While consensus exists on the urgency of tackling this potent greenhouse gas, the discussion revealed a fundamental divide between the call for a legally binding international framework, championed by climate-vulnerable nations, and the preference for voluntary, industry-led action advanced by major energy corporations. This tension between imposed regulation and incentivized engagement defines the current landscape and will dictate the pace of any meaningful progress. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados articulated the case for a binding global treaty with stark clarity, dismissing purely voluntary schemes as inadequate to meet the scale of the climate crisis. Grounding her argument in the existential threat faced by island nations, she highlighted the increasing intensity of climate-related disasters. For Mottley, the failure to control methane leaks is not only an environmental failing but an economic absurdity, characterizing the practice of flaring and venting as simply "burning cash." She forcefully advocated for moving beyond pledges to a formal "legal construct that obligates each country," citing the Montreal Protocol as "probably the most successful climate agreement that we've ever had" and the template for a new, mandatory methane regime. This position frames voluntary action as a luxury the planet can no longer afford, demanding the certainty and accountability that only international law can provide. Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, presented a narrative of industry-led pragmatism and evolving corporate responsibility. He asserted, "If you want to act, you need to measure," detailing his company's use of drones and detectors to move beyond spreadsheet-based estimates to empirical data. His argument posits that voluntary commitment, driven by measurement and peer-to-peer engagement within the industry, is the most effective path to tangible reductions, framing the challenge as one of technical capacity-building and partnership rather than compliance. The moderator Tim Gould, Chief Economist at the International Energy Agency (IEA), provided the essential context for this divergence by noting that while renewable energy deployment has shown remarkable momentum, methane emissions have remained "stubbornly high." Existing voluntary frameworks, while laudable, have yet to bend the global emissions curve. Prime Minister Mottley's intervention suggested that market-based solutions, if left entirely to their own devices, produce inequitable outcomes and fail to deliver comprehensive results, as evidenced by the lack of insurance access in climate-vulnerable regions. The debate thus pivots on a crucial question: whether the incremental progress of voluntary charters is sufficient, or if the persistent level of emissions proves the inherent limitations of any approach short of a binding international agreement. Beneath the strategic disagreements lies a shared acknowledgment of the problem's technical solvability and economic logic. Both Mottley's "burning cash" analogy and Pouyanné's detailing of investments in leak detection and repair confirm that many methane abatement measures are commercially viable. The core issue is not a lack of technology or a prohibitive cost, but a failure of incentives and political will to enforce universal adoption of best practices. While industry leadership can demonstrate what is possible, a broader mechanism is required to "equalize" performance and raise the operational floor for all producers. The strategic implication of this roundtable is that the methane challenge is a microcosm of the wider climate action dilemma, where progress is constrained not by technical feasibility but by competing philosophies of governance. The impasse between legally binding frameworks and voluntary industry initiatives remains the single greatest barrier to rapid, global-scale methane mitigation. Resolving this will likely require a hybrid approach that leverages the accountability of regulation to establish a non-negotiable floor for performance, while simultaneously empowering industry-led platforms to accelerate the deployment of technology and best practices. Follow us on social media • 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 - https://twitter.com/ParisPeaceForum • 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 - https://www.linkedin.com/company/parispeaceforum • 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 - https://www.facebook.com/parispeaceforum • 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 - https://www.instagram.com/parispeaceforum/ • 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 - https://www.tiktok.com/@parispeaceforum_
10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement Roundtable Reducing Methane Emissions from the Energy Sector
October 29, 2025 4:56 pm
Methane Abatement: Overcoming the Diplomatic Impasse Between Binding Law and Voluntary Action This high-level roundtable, convened to assess progress since the Paris Agreement, immediately exposed the central strategic schism in the global effort to curb methane emissions. While consensus exists on the urgency of tackling this potent greenhouse gas, the discussion revealed a fundamental divide between the call for a legally binding international framework, championed by climate-vulnerable nations, and the preference for voluntary, industry-led action advanced by major energy corporations. This tension between imposed regulation and incentivized engagement defines the current landscape and will dictate the pace of any meaningful progress. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados articulated the case for a binding global treaty with stark clarity, dismissing purely voluntary schemes as inadequate to meet the scale of the climate crisis. Grounding her argument in the existential threat faced by island nations, she highlighted the increasing intensity of climate-related disasters. For Mottley, the failure to control methane leaks is not only an environmental failing but an economic absurdity, characterizing the practice of flaring and venting as simply "burning cash." She forcefully advocated for moving beyond pledges to a formal "legal construct that obligates each country," citing the Montreal Protocol as "probably the most successful climate agreement that we've ever had" and the template for a new, mandatory methane regime. This position frames voluntary action as a luxury the planet can no longer afford, demanding the certainty and accountability that only international law can provide. Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, presented a narrative of industry-led pragmatism and evolving corporate responsibility. He asserted, "If you want to act, you need to measure," detailing his company's use of drones and detectors to move beyond spreadsheet-based estimates to empirical data. His argument posits that voluntary commitment, driven by measurement and peer-to-peer engagement within the industry, is the most effective path to tangible reductions, framing the challenge as one of technical capacity-building and partnership rather than compliance. The moderator Tim Gould, Chief Economist at the International Energy Agency (IEA), provided the essential context for this divergence by noting that while renewable energy deployment has shown remarkable momentum, methane emissions have remained "stubbornly high." Existing voluntary frameworks, while laudable, have yet to bend the global emissions curve. Prime Minister Mottley's intervention suggested that market-based solutions, if left entirely to their own devices, produce inequitable outcomes and fail to deliver comprehensive results, as evidenced by the lack of insurance access in climate-vulnerable regions. The debate thus pivots on a crucial question: whether the incremental progress of voluntary charters is sufficient, or if the persistent level of emissions proves the inherent limitations of any approach short of a binding international agreement. Beneath the strategic disagreements lies a shared acknowledgment of the problem's technical solvability and economic logic. Both Mottley's "burning cash" analogy and Pouyanné's detailing of investments in leak detection and repair confirm that many methane abatement measures are commercially viable. The core issue is not a lack of technology or a prohibitive cost, but a failure of incentives and political will to enforce universal adoption of best practices. While industry leadership can demonstrate what is possible, a broader mechanism is required to "equalize" performance and raise the operational floor for all producers. The strategic implication of this roundtable is that the methane challenge is a microcosm of the wider climate action dilemma, where progress is constrained not by technical feasibility but by competing philosophies of governance. The impasse between legally binding frameworks and voluntary industry initiatives remains the single greatest barrier to rapid, global-scale methane mitigation. Resolving this will likely require a hybrid approach that leverages the accountability of regulation to establish a non-negotiable floor for performance, while simultaneously empowering industry-led platforms to accelerate the deployment of technology and best practices. Follow us on social media • 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 - https://twitter.com/ParisPeaceForum • 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 - https://www.linkedin.com/company/parispeaceforum • 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 - https://www.facebook.com/parispeaceforum • 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 - https://www.instagram.com/parispeaceforum/ • 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 - https://www.tiktok.com/@parispeaceforum_ 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement Roundtable Reducing Methane Emissions from the Energy Sector

10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement Roundtable Reducing Methane Emissions from the Energy Sector

IGSD October 29, 2025 4:56 pm

Climate strategies have long relied on the GWP100 standard, the foundational metric that equates greenhouse gases to carbon dioxide over 100 years. While carbon remains essential, this approach misses the opportunity to mitigate nearly 50% of the most fast-acting and potent warming pollutants. This session explored why companies and governments are investing in near-term mitigation alongside net-zero strategies, and the future of this game-changing approach. Moderator: Kiff Gallagher, Executive Director, GHR Panelists: Randy Spock, Carbon Credits and Removals Lead, Google David Babson, Executive Vice President, Climate & Energy, XPRIZE Dr. Gabrielle Dreyfus, Chief Scientist, IGSD Hara Wang, Co-Founder, Chief Programs Officer, Cascade Climate Event: North America Climate Summit 2025 For more information about GHR: Visit our website: https://www.heatreduction.com/ Contact us: info@heatreduction.com NACS 2025 (Panel) - Too Hot to Ignore: Unlocking Near-Term Wins to Cool the Planet

NACS 2025 (Panel) - Too Hot to Ignore: Unlocking Near-Term Wins to Cool the Planet

IGSD September 29, 2025 5:53 pm

Climate action has rightly focused on carbon dioxide. But there are other threatening pollutants we must pay attention to. Super pollutants are powerful compounds that warm the planet much more than carbon dioxide. Super pollutants are responsible for nearly half of the warming we’ve experienced so far. And they can seriously harm human health. In this Wellcome Guest Lecture, a panel of experts discuss the urgent threat of super pollutants, why you might not have heard of them despite their importance and the solutions that might be working. Our experts in this lecture are: Drew Shindell, Nicholas Professor of Earth Sciences, Duke University Gabrielle Dreyfus, Chief Scientist, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development Claire Henly, Executive Director, Super Pollutant Action Alliance Chapter titles: 00:00 Intro 00:18 Super pollutants, defined 00:51 Kinds of super pollutants 01:51 Super pollutants and climate change 02:25 Decarbonisation 04:42 Emissions-reduction actions 06:45 Benefits of reducing methane 07:43 Why we must urgently reduce super pollutants 08:46 Q&A: Why we haven’t heard of super pollutants 11:11 Q&A: Health impacts of super pollutants 17:14 Q&A: Super pollutants gaining momentum 19:29: Q&A: Regions most affected and solutions 23:33 Q&A: Possibility of legal cases for action 🔔 Subscribe to Wellcome on YouTube: https://wellc.me/3Blh0c1 💬 SOCIAL MEDIA: Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/wellcome-trust/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellcometrust/ Follow us on X: https://x.com/WellcomeTrust Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wellcometrust.bsky.social/ Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellcometrust 🔗 MORE FROM WELLCOME: Wellcome is a global charitable foundation. We want everyone to benefit from science’s potential to improve health and save lives. Read our latest stories, opinions and reports: https://wellcome.org/news-and-reports Learn more about our work: https://wellcome.org/what-we-do Find our latest funding opportunities: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding What are super pollutants? | Wellcome

What are super pollutants? | Wellcome

IGSD August 22, 2025 3:23 pm

Extreme summer heat is hitting parts of the northern hemisphere, pushing the world closer to breaching the 1.5°C global warming limit, climate expert Durwood Zaelke warns. Northern hemisphere hit with heatwaves, wildfires this summer

Northern hemisphere hit with heatwaves, wildfires this summer

IGSD August 4, 2025 11:16 am

Webinar: Diálogo y reflexiones sobre la Opinión consultiva 32/25 de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos sobre emergencia climática y derechos humanos. Derecho a defender el ambiente sano en el contexto del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos. En este webinar discutiremos el rol de las personas, grupos, pueblos indígenas y organizaciones defensoras ambientales frente a la emergencia climática en el marco del procedimiento de Opinión Consultiva ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CorteIDH), realizada por los Estados de Colombia y Chile, con el propósito de contribuir jurídicamente a la reflexión sobre las obligaciones de los Estados en materia de prevención, protección y garantía de derechos de las personas defensoras del ambiente, que fue publicada por la CorteIDH el 3 de julio https://bit.ly/CorteIDH_OC32-25 A partir de los argumentos presentados en el amicus curiae “Reconocimiento de las personas, grupos y organizaciones defensoras ambientales como un grupo en situación de vulnerabilidad en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos y obligaciones de los Estados para su protección en el contexto de la emergencia climática” ante CorteIDH y que podrán encontrar en el siguiente link: https://bit.ly/Amicus_ALLIED Diálogo y reflexiones sobre la OC32/25 de la CorteIDH sobre emergencia climática y derechos humanos

Diálogo y reflexiones sobre la OC32/25 de la CorteIDH sobre emergencia climática y derechos humanos

IGSD July 28, 2025 5:15 pm

The world’s highest court has ruled that states have a duty under international law to prevent climate change - and that they have to pay full reparations to those affected if they fail to do so. Climate specialist Durwood Zaelke has more on this ruling. ICJ rules states have a duty to prevent climate change

ICJ rules states have a duty to prevent climate change

IGSD July 24, 2025 1:01 pm

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