Climate Diplomacy

Tackling climate change is the most ambitious diplomatic project ever attempted. Success will require the best of traditional diplomacy coupled with new innovative approaches to International cooperation.

Nick Mabey has been active in the practice of climate change diplomacy since he represented WWF in the build up to UNFCCC COP 3 in Kyoto (1997). He was deeply involved in the design of the first global emissions trading schemes and in the intense debates over the economics of strong early climate mitigation action.

In the UK government Nick worked with John Ashton in the UK Foreign Ministry to establish its world leading climate diplomacy network. Nick also initiated the EU “Green Diplomacy Network” which mobilises diplomats on environmental issues from across Europe.

Nick was involved in issues ranging from the UK government response to George Bush withdrawing the USA from the Kyoto Protocol to advising on the UK’s 2005 Gleneagles G8 climate agenda. Nick also helped drive the the prescient but ultimately politically doomed 2002 G8 Renewable Energy Task Force.

Outside government, Nick has been central to building new international alliances to drive stronger climate action between business, cities, civil society and progressive governments in advance of the Copenhagen (2009) and Paris (2015) climate summits.

Nick Mabey continues to be an active media and public commentator on the geopolitics and progress of climate change diplomacy. He advises governments in Europe and beyond on climate diplomacy strategy and was appointed a “Friend of COP 26” by the UK COP President from 2019-2022.

Nick has written extensively on the design of whole of government climate diplomatic tools, methods and capacity, especially in the EU, and on the broader need for a redesign of global governance systems and the UN to meet the climate challenge.