On 12 March 2026, the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) hosted a dialogue event in Tokyo featuring Nathan Hultman, Director of the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland and Professor at the School of Public Policy, alongside JCI members.

Dr. Hultman is a leading international climate policy expert who has long been involved in developing national climate goals (NDCs) and climate strategies under the Paris Agreement. He has extensive experience in government and research roles, including serving as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of State, where he was involved in negotiations on the U.S. NDC and U.S. – China cooperation. The Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, where Dr. Hultman serves as Director, collaborates with the U.S. non-state and subnational actors’ coalition “America Is All In” to analyze the greenhouse gas reduction impacts of initiatives by U.S. state governments and corporations.

During the event, Dr. Hultman provided an update on the latest climate change trends in the U.S. and globally. This was followed by a lively Q&A session and exchange of views with nearly 30 participants from JCI member companies and local governments.

Ryna Yiyun Cui and Jiehong Lou (pictured top right), who are Associate Research Professors at the Center, also participated in the event. They shared examples of various concrete measures taken by non-state and subnational actors, which further deepened the discussion.

At a time of significant changes to U.S. federal climate policy, this event provided a valuable opportunity to learn firsthand from leading experts about real-world developments. These included the steady progress of climate change measures by states, cities, and companies despite these headwinds, as well as collaboration among non-state and subnational actors. Such insights are not typically accessible to those of us based in Japan.

Profile
Nathan Hultman
Director, Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland, United States

Nathan Hultman is the Founder and Director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland and Professor in the School of Public Policy. Hultman’s work focuses on developing, setting, and achieving ambitious national climate goals, including nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. He was recently Distinguished Senior Advisor for Climate Ambition in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State and previously served for two years in the Obama White House including for the Paris climate negotiations. He has participated in 20 COPs over nearly 30 years, starting with COP3 Kyoto.

He holds a B.A. in Physics from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in Energy & Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.