Nick Mabey gave this speech in March 2022 at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy conference in Environmental Democracy.

The core point I want to make today is that we need to put democratic values, institutional strengthening, and governance innovation back at the heart of climate action if we are serious about protecting everyone from catastrophic climate damage.

Putting Democracy back into Climate Action, 2022

Setting up the Climate Problem, is a “fireside chat” held at Goals House during COP 26 in 2021 with Nick Mabey, Co-founding Director and Chief Executive of E3G and Earth System Science Professor Mark Maslin from University College London.

A wide-ranging discussion covering why leaders find it hard to “get” the climate emergency, the politcal barriers to climate action, the declining influence of the fossil fuel industry, and optimism or pessimism over prospects for real progress in Glasgow.

Europe is the major power which has invested most in driving global climate action; leading global decarbonisation at home while spending politcal capital abroad and transferring billions to developing countries. This it not surprising as EU core interests are deeply threatened by climate change and European citizens strongly mobilised to see action. Despite this European climate diplomacy is still underpowered and fragmented requiring major reforms to deliver climate safety for Europeans.

EU Observer Podcast, November 2021

Nick Mabey discusses the state of the climate transitions and how the first ever London Climate Action Week aims to speed up action globally and in London Itself.

LCAW 2019 - Green and Tonic Interview

As negotiations over the post-Brexit settlement started in earnest in 2017, Nick Mabey gave a keynote speech at the Irish Institute for International and European Affairs in Dublin on how energy and climate cooperation could help prevent the worst crash Brexit scenarios.

The presentation was recorded

The outcomes of international processes in 2015 will have a material impact on the medium term security environment and short term economic, geo-political and budgetary priorities.

2015 is not the Superbowl and will not result in an “end state” climate regime which credibly limits climate risk below 2C. 2015 needs to do enough to keep the world within critical risk limits, deliver investment certainty and public confidence.

High Stakes, Speech Woodrow Wilson Centre, 2015

Based on his time in government and the E3G, Nick Mabey reflects on progress by 2013 in reforming UK structural policies, governance and incentives to deliver the low carbon transition Chatham House Conference, 2013

In 2013 Nick Mabey gave a speech to the QED Forum in Brussels on the risks and opportunities for EU energy infrastructure in the coming decade.

Nick Mabey gave this speech at the Irish Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin in 2011 outlining the implications of China’s 12th five year plan for global climate action and European diplomacy.

Better ways of driving policy and political change are needed to deliver our climate and sustainable development goals. The barriers to fast enough change are not primarily economic, technical or analytical but political and institutional. We can use new approaches to accelerate and better direct change – but this is as much about innovation, design and new skills as it is about new analysis.

This presentation uses examples from E3G’s work to illustrate new approaches to drive practical systemic change. Why “Muddling Through” Wont Do, CDKN Speech, 2011 and Why Muddling Through Wont Do, Presentation, 2011

Nick Mabey gave a keynote speech art the 30th Anniversary of the MIT Technology and Policy Programme in 2006.

He explains how he had used the methods and approaches he learnt at TPP to shape policy in government, and lays out the challenges for programmes like TPP in helping change the “operating system” of decision making so it better supports sustainable development