Royce William Warren

There is something quietly instructive about the Winter Olympics. They rely not on technology alone, but on cooperation with the natural world: a relationship climate change is steadily eroding, with direct consequences for the future of the Winter Olympics. Snow must fall. Ice must form. Temperatures must stay within narrow margins. No amount of money, optimism, or human will can negotiate with physics. That is why recent headlines about climate change threatening the Winter Olympics should...

Every Human Has Rights...and Responsibilities We are consumed by our demand for rights: the right to free speech, to assemble, to health. Rights give us the freedom to move about in safety and to choose our friends. These are the benefits of a modern, democratic society. Others cannot simply come along and deny us these rights. Less conspicuous in this partially written social contract is the fact that our demand for rights must also allow for - and protect - those same rights for others. We...

Dozens of country flags stand outside a building I’ve followed COP negotiations since the very first Council of the Parties in Berlin, and one thing has remained true throughout: words are cheap, and actions speak louder. Across three decades, the COP process has often felt painfully disappointing - particularly in years when oil-producing states or fossil-fuel companies dominated the agenda. Yet when we look back now, especially in light of the COP30 outcomes, it’s undeniable that these...