A New Foreign Policy Paradigm for the Sustainable Future of People and the Planet

The world is facing numerous challenges brought on by industrialization. The combination of climate change, pollution, and rapid biodiversity loss has been described as a triple planetary crisis. We see the effects across the entire globe – from the tops of the highest mountains to the bottom of the deepest ocean, from the equator to the poles, and even in space. They are having dramatic impacts on daily lives everywhere. Extreme weather events caused by climate change – increasingly intense and severe droughts, water scarcity, wildfires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms – are changing the security landscape, triggering mass migrations, and increasing tensions over food, water, and land. Pollution causes more than seven million premature deaths a year globally. Additionally, nature and biodiversity loss threaten to disrupt the vital ecosystem services that provide all our basic needs, including food systems, drinkable water, clean air, fertile lands, and healthy oceans.

These intertwined environmental challenges have traditionally been considered local issues to be addressed through local governance.  But now we know that the only way to tackle them fully is through global cooperation. Given the tensions and conflict in the world, it is surprising and propitious that so many global environmental agreements are being forged today. From the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to the Paris Climate Accord, to the Global Biodiversity Framework, to the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement for the high seas, we see signs of global cooperation that show promise and, if successful, will be unprecedented in history.

What would improve the chances of success for these global agreements and initiatives?  And how will the United States – the “indispensable nation” – play a role? How will the United States and the world adapt foreign policy and cooperation to meet this moment?  This year’s lecture and discussion will consider these questions.

About the Speaker:

The Honorable Monica Medina is an Arnhold Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International.  She most recently served as the first woman President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. From 2021-2023, she was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the first U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources at the U.S. State Department. She is a former small business owner having founded Our Daily Planet, an environmental e-mail newsletter. From 2015-2021, Medina was also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Medina has had a long career in environmental law, policy, philanthropy, media, and advocacy, including at the Walton Family Foundation and the National Geographic Society. In addition, from 2012-2013, Ms. Medina served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and from 2009-2012 as the Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ms. Medina is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She attended Georgetown University on an Army R.O.T.C. scholarship and began her legal career on active duty in the Honor’s Program of the Army General Counsel’s office. For her service in the Army, Ms. Medina was awarded an Army Commendation Medal in 1989, and a Meritorious Service Medal in 1990. In 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta awarded Ms. Medina the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, its highest civilian honor.

For additional event information use the following link.

This event is in alignment with the Duke Climate Commitment

A special thanks to Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy; the Program in American Grand Strategy; the Office of Global Affairs; the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, and the Ocean Diplomacy Working Group for promoting the 2024 Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. Lecture in International Studies. 

Date: September 5th
Location: Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room, Rubenstein Library 153
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM