Originally launched in 2022 and comprehensively updated in 2025, the Blue Carbon & Climate Change (BCCC) Quarterly is a policy-oriented newsletter published in the first week of each quarter that tracks major trends, policy developments, and governance dynamics related to climate change in China, the United States, and globally. Building on its original foundation, the redesigned Quarterly now covers a broader range of climate-related issues and developments, offering readers a more integrated view of how climate governance is evolving across regions and sectors. A defining feature of the updated edition is the introduction of two in-depth special sections — the Climate Change Project Profile and the Climate Change Actor Profile — which provide structured insights into key initiatives and the institutions shaping climate policy and implementation.
The Climate Change Actor Profile section is designed to provide concise and structured insight into institutions, agencies, or organizations that play an influential role in shaping climate and environmental outcomes. These profiles focus on the actors’ mandates, operational structures, key areas of work, and their recent actions or changes in direction.
Besides offering a comprehensive coverage, the Actor Profile also aims to give readers a grounded understanding of why an actor matters at this moment—both in terms of their past contributions and current trajectory. Particular attention is given to how their recent decisions affect broader policy trends, climate negotiations, or environmental governance at national, regional, or global levels.
The European Union’s (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) represents one of the most ambitious and controversial climate policies in recent years. It is the world’s first carbon tariff created to complement the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) by addressing the persistent challenge of carbon leakage and leveling the playing field for EU producers. CBAM places a carbon price on imported goods to ensure that EU producers are not put at a competitive disadvantage and to extend the EU’s decarbonisation signal beyond its borders. It is a unique piece of climate policy that allows the Union to exert more of its climate ambition to other parts of the world and accelerate global climate action.
The ICAS Team launched the Climate Change Project Profile section to provide accessible, issue-focused briefings on key mechanisms, tools, and initiatives shaping climate policy and implementation. These profiles aim to explain how specific climate-related frameworks operate, assess their recent developments, and examine their real-world impacts across different sectors and regions.
Each profile offers a timely overview of a selected topic—ranging from policy instruments to technical approaches—chosen for its relevance to the current global climate agenda. While grounded in factual research and institutional updates, the profiles also include a layer of analysis that highlights implications, points of tension, and areas where international cooperation, innovation, or greater attention may be needed moving forward.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund and a central pillar of the UN climate finance architecture. Established in 2010 under the UNFCCC as an operating entity of its Financial Mechanism, the Fund was designed to channel resources from developed to developing countries to support both mitigation and adaptation. The GCF is tasked with helping the Global South pursue low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways. Its mandate is closely tied to the Paris Agreement, where it plays a critical role in assisting developing countries to realize and raise the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The Institute for China-America Studies is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to strengthening the understanding of U.S.-China relations through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.
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