David G. Victor

[On climate risks in rural areas] They are more exposed. That's because more of their work is at risk. Rural areas tend to have more outdoor activities as part of the economic base, activities like farming, cutting trees and so on.

[On Chinese policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions] It’s not so much that they are concerned about global climate change, although that may be coming. It’s more because they are concerned about building local industries, and especially about cleaning up the air locally and regionally.

[On making progress on climate change] We’re in a stage where no one really knows what to do. And it’s easier to try out things in small groups and figure out what works. The problem is that the climate scientists say we don’t have time for all this slow, cautious experimentation anymore, because the train is speeding. That’s the nature of the problem. It’s the result of having spent a long time talking about the climate problem in formats that really didn’t make progress.

[On recent research in climate science] Global warming is accelerating. [These] three trends [falling air pollution enabling more of the sun’s warmth to reach the Earth’s surface,aerosol pollutants reflecting sunlight, and a long-term natural climate cycle in the Pacific entering a warm phase] will combine over the next 20 years to make climate change faster and more furious than anticipated.