On August 7, the 2025 Climate x Leadership Training Program, hosted by the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC), held its second live session, focusing on Global Climate Governance.

Prof. Yasuko Kameyama, Director of the Sustainable Society Design Center at the University of Tokyo and former researcher at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies, led an insightful session on global climate governance. Her lecture covered the fundamentals of climate change, traced the evolution of international climate negotiations, and analyzed recent policy developments in the global effort to address this critical challenge.

During the lecture, Prof. Kameyama introduced the DPSIR model to explain climate change, emphasizing mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage as key response strategies. She highlighted the strong link between rising carbon emissions and global temperature increases, stressing the urgency of closing the emissions gap. Tracing the history of negotiations from the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, she explained the shift toward nationally determined contributions. Prof. Kameyama concluded by noting how the cost balance between action and inaction has evolved: renewables are becoming more affordable, while the costs of adaptation continue to rise—making emission reduction an increasingly rational and urgent choice.

The 2025 Climate x Leadership Training Program, hosted by the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC), and strategically supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and GAUC's global partners, aims to empower youth with the knowledge, skills, and tools to become the climate leaders of tomorrow. The program inspires participants to envision a sustainable future, take meaningful action, and unlock their potential as leaders for a carbon-neutral future.

Next week’s sessions will explore Climate x Nature, featuring three distinguished speakers. The first lecture is scheduled on August 12 bring by two distinguished Professor, Dr. Jenna from Columbia University and Dr. Dilip from Indian Institute of Science.

Reporter: Maximilian Arras

Editor: Najiang An

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