Next month’s US presidential election will not just settle a slew of major domestic issues for at least four years, it will also have a profound impact on key international ones, perhaps the biggest being the future of global climate action.

Wednesday’s eagerly anticipated US vice presidential debate proved a high-spirited affair at an extraordinary moment in the campaign. It may not shake up the race decisively, but it did highlight the huge role that Mike Pence or Kamala Harris will play in the next administration.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet for the first presidential debate on Tuesday with not just themselves but “Brand America” itself on the ballot. 

The environment will be center stage at this week’s virtual UN meetings of world leaders, but it is clear that global processes to put the world on a more sustainable path need a serious injection of political urgency.