On March 11th, 2026, WorldBoston hosted Dr. Kelly Sims Gallagher, Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, for a Great Decisions program.
This event featured a timely discussion on climate change, the impact of climate change on economics, and the COP summit. Dr. Gallagher began the fireside chat discussing the Conference of the Parties (COP), an annual meeting to discuss climate change. The most recent COP, COP30, was hosted in Belen, Brazil, in November 2025. Unfortunately, the COP was less successful than hoped for, as 79 participating countries failed to adopt Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the end of the conference. The Paris Agreement, adopted by 195 Parties at COP21, with the goal of limiting global warming, requires participating parties to put forward NDCs on reducing national emissions. However, as Dr. Gallagher discussed, the exit and re-entry of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement has caused stress to this process.
The U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement under the first Trump administration in 2020, rejoined under the Biden administration in 2021, then withdrew in 2025 under the second Trump administration. As Dr. Gallagher explained, as the U.S. is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, it is hard to incentivize countries to reduce emissions if one of the largest polluters is not putting forth similar efforts.
Dr. Gallagher later discussed that the U.S. and China are the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. They are also, as she noted, “historically bitter enemies.” China, unlike the U.S., has remained dedicated to reducing emissions. Dr. Gallagher attributed this to the fact that China has never had a debate on the science of climate change–historically also suffering from urban air pollution in a way that the U.S. has not. Because of this, China has pushed for and found more opportunities within clean technology. During the Q&A section of the Great Decision program, Dr. Gallagher mentioned that she hopes for healthy competition over clean technology between the two countries.
During the Q&A, Dr. Gallagher discussed what could be expected of climate policy in the wake of the U.S. conflict with Iran. With oil prices in flux, Dr. Gallagher noted that countries are particularly vulnerable, and it is yet to be seen how countries transition to finding sources of energy, be it coal or renewables. Despite these unknowns, in her closing remarks, Dr. Gallagher discussed that she sees hope for the future of international climate policy. She looks forward to technological developments, from electric vehicles to nuclear energy, and to seeing how small sets of nations find ways to compromise and collaborate on ways to mitigate and push back against climate change.
