How can we negotiate with autocracies on the climate crisis?

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration

When it comes to the climate crisis, how do you negotiate with an autocracy?

It is the case today, and it is almost certain to remain so for the dwindling number of years in which we can hope to stave off the worst of climate breakdown, that the bulk of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from countries that are not democratic. Add to that, many of the major suppliers of oil and gas — the Gulf petrostates for instance, plus Russia, Venezuela and a few others — are likewise authoritarian.

Their outsize impact puts autocratic nations in the spotlight when it comes to global climate talks. How their governments decide to act will be crucial to the planet’s future