Eurasia Group’s Gerald Butts: US climate change debate has moved from finger-pointing to solutions

November 05, 2021

EG’s Gerry Butts: US Climate Change Debate Moves From Finger-pointing to Solutions | Global Stage

Five years ago, for the US president to say it's time to move away from fossil fuels sounded like an episode of The West Wing. Not anymore, says Eurasia Group Vice Chairman Gerald Butts. In his view, the climate debate in the West has (finally) moved from who's responsible, to what we're going to do about it — "much more productive ground." Butts admits the enormous inertia in the US political system that'll fight change on climate, but ultimately believes that "when you take the very long view, the direction of travel of has set in."

From Your Site Articles

Hard Numbers: Tesla approves $1 trillion Musk package, Kazakhstan wants to join Abraham Accords, Typhoon rips through Vietnam, & More

Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022.

Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

Q+A: Climate tries for a comeback at COP30

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz walk after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, on November 7, 2025.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

What We’re Watching: Orbán seeks Russian oil carveout from Trump, Nigerien uranium to pass through risky area, Israel hits southern Lebanon

US President Donald Trump and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025.

Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

Eurasia Group’s Gerald Butts: US climate change debate has moved from finger-pointing to solutions

GZEROMEDIA

More from GZERO Media

What the US can learn from China's infrastructure boom

On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how the US and China are both betting their futures on massive infrastructure booms, with China building cities and railways while America builds data centers and grid updates for AI. But are they building too much, too fast?

Are we entering a new era of nuclear weapons testing?

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt asks whether the world is sliding back into the dangerous era of open nuclear weapons testing, and it all started with a misunderstanding by US President Donald Trump.

In Hungary, Orbán's grip on power is slipping

Don't let a chummy White House visit fool you. He's on the ropes.

Government shutdown grounds flights

Hard Numbers: Tesla approves $1 trillion Musk package, Kazakhstan wants to join Abraham Accords, Typhoon rips through Vietnam, & More

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

GZEROMEDIA

Q+A: Climate tries for a comeback at COP30

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

What We’re Watching: Orbán seeks Russian oil carveout from Trump, Nigerien uranium to pass through risky area, Israel hits southern Lebanon

Rebeca Grynspan on reforming the UN for a new era

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan argues that reform must begin with recognizing how much the world has changed since 1945.

You vs. the News: A Weekly News Quiz - November 7, 2025

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

Responsible AI for a digital world

How do we ensure AI is trustworthy in an era of rapid technological change? Baroness Joanna Shields, Executive Chair of the Responsible AI Future Foundation, says it starts with principles of responsible AI and a commitment to ethical development.

Eurasia Group’s Gerald Butts: US climate change debate has moved from finger-pointing to solutions

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how the US and China are both betting their futures on massive infrastructure booms, with China building cities and railways while America builds data centers and grid updates for AI. But are they building too much, too fast?

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt asks whether the world is sliding back into the dangerous era of open nuclear weapons testing, and it all started with a misunderstanding by US President Donald Trump.

Don't let a chummy White House visit fool you. He's on the ropes.

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan argues that reform must begin with recognizing how much the world has changed since 1945.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

How do we ensure AI is trustworthy in an era of rapid technological change? Baroness Joanna Shields, Executive Chair of the Responsible AI Future Foundation, says it starts with principles of responsible AI and a commitment to ethical development.