Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

This week, hosts Tom Rivett Carnac and Paul Dickenson delve into the rapidly emerging - and faintly surreal - world of solar geoengineering. Politico journalist Karl Mathiesen joins us to unpack his investigation into Stardust, a VC-backed startup claiming it’s ready to spray particles into the stratosphere. Karl explains why this technology is suddenly attracting serious money, why scientists still have major questions about safety and side effects, and how in some places, the global regulatory landscape is almost nonexistent. And from technological disruption to political stability, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, reflects on the leadership we need. She’s unflinchingly honest about why so many politicians still choose “fear and blame” over long-term action, and why climate remains New Zealand’s “nuclear-free moment.” A test of political character as much as policy. Her argument is hopeful: people, she insists, are ahead of their politics. As we march towards the end of 2025, these conversations map the terrain of 2026: technologies racing ahead, governance lagging behind, and a public increasingly hungry for leaders willing to act with integrity. If you want to understand where the climate fight is really heading this episode is essential. Learn more: 📚Read The Strange and Totally Real Plan to Blot Out the Sun and Reverse Global Warming 👂Listen to our episode with Ricken Patel 🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Outrage + Optimism, we’re taking a breath. After two intense weeks of daily updates from COP30 in Belém, we’re returning to weekly programming with something different - a slower, deeper, more reflective conversation that felt too valuable to cut. While in the Blue Zone, we sat down with Kim Stanley Robinson, the acclaimed author of The Ministry for the Future, 2312, The Mars trilogy, and the Science in the Capital series. His writing has been read by negotiators, ministers, campaigners, and many of you. In our conversation, Kim Stanley Robinson reflects on why The Ministry for the Future begins with such a devastating opening chapter, a “punch in the gut” designed to reveal the human limits of adaptation. He introduces the idea of “pre-traumatic syndrome,” the unsettling clarity that comes from imagining a catastrophe before it happens, and how this can motivate us rather than paralyse us. We explore storytelling as a cultural tool for moving from despair to determination, and why each of us needs a a unifying purpose that gives shape to our actions in a chaotic world. At a COP defined by urgency, exhaustion, and flashes of courage, this wide-ranging conversation with Kim Stanley Robinson felt like a necessary exhale, a moment to step back and reflect on why we do this work, and what kind of future we’re choosing to build. We’re airing the conversation almost exactly as it happened. 🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or get in touch with us via this form. Series Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is our final episode of Inside COP. For two weeks we’ve tried to bring you as close as possible to the heart of COP30 - the pace, the pressure, the progress, and the perspectives of those working inside and around the process. The closing plenary on Saturday began amid unexpected tension. Already running a day behind schedule, the Presidency moved to adopt the final text, but proceedings were paused following questions over whether all interventions had been properly registered. What followed were hours of clarification, consultation and procedural back-and-forth, underscoring concerns among many developing countries who had negotiated through the night to secure their priorities. In this episode, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson examine how the final day unfolded, what was agreed, and what it might mean. But this COP was never just about negotiation. Beyond the formal process, we explore what COP30 revealed about wider trends: shifting clean-energy economics, accelerating deployment across regions, and emerging signs of how the decline of fossil fuels is beginning to influence global decision-making. 🎤 What do you want to hear on Outrage + Optimism? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recorded this episode across Friday afternoon and deep into the evening inside the Blue Zone at COP30. At the time of publishing, there is still no final deal. The negotiations are ongoing, positions are shifting, and the outcome remains uncertain. We know that by the time you listen, some of what we heard today may already have changed, but we decided there was value in sharing the day with you. This episode is meant as a time capsule. We wanted to bring you inside the atmosphere of a COP Friday: the outrage, the optimism, the urgency, and the sheer human effort that goes into trying to land a deal. Rather than wait for the dust to settle, we spoke to the people living this moment. City leaders. Climate diplomats. Ministers from the front lines. Seasoned negotiators who’ve been in this process for decades. Activists still fighting for the best possible outcome for the planet. Their perspectives were captured as they were living this day, not in hindsight. This episode captures the feeling of a COP Friday: the confusion, the determination, the fear of losing ambition, and the belief, still alive in many corners, that progress is possible if countries choose it. With thanks to those who spoke with us: ⁠Eric Garcetti, former US Ambassador to India and former mayor of LA Mark Watts, CEO of C40 ⁠Matt Webb, Associate Director for Global Clean Power Diplomacy, E3G Gustavo Pinheiro, Senior Associate, E3G ⁠Irene Velez Torres, Colombian Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development and head of the Colombian delegation ⁠Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Ghanian Negotiator and incoming head of Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) Giovanni Maurice Pradipta, Foundation for Sustainability 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Produced and edited by: Caitlin Hanrahan and Ben Weaver-Hincks Additional editing by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Friday morning in Belém and COP30 is moving fast. After yesterday’s fire and the overnight closure of the venue, the Brazilian Presidency worked through the night and released a new draft text early this morning. It has immediately triggered significant pushback. In this emergency episode the team talks through what changed overnight, and why so many countries are unhappy. Christiana Figueres highlights how the new text removes the roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels and for halting deforestation, and why that has triggered such a strong response. The mood on the ground has shifted. Delegates are back after the disruption yesterday, rested just enough to be energised, and preparing to make their views known in plenary. The Presidency now has to listen, absorb, and decide how far it can move. This is our Friday morning take on a rapidly changing situation, the snapshot before whatever comes next. Follow us on social media across the day for real time updates from Belém. Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Learn more: 📣 Read the latest draft of the Political Package 🧩 Use this helpful cheatsheet on how to read a COP text 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today was not meant to be this episode. At around 2pm local time, a fire broke out near the country pavilions, triggering the full evacuation of the Blue Zone. As COP30 entered its final stretch, we’d planned to bring you an update on the negotiations, and to share some of the many extraordinary stories of progress and perseverance that surface here every single day. As of Thursday evening, the fire has been contained, and we understand there were no serious injuries. But there is shock, and there will be aftershocks, for those who were inside the venue. And there is now a heavy burden on the Presidency and the teams working behind the scenes to stabilise and steer the summit through the hours ahead. For many, today has been a humbling reminder of how quickly the unexpected can unfold. But despite a difficult day, negotiations continue. And yet, despite an already difficult day, and despite the exhaustion of negotiators who have now been here for weeks, the work continues. In this episode, we reflect on what unfolded inside the venue. But we also look beyond it to the incredibly important work that still must be done at COP30, and to what we are collectively called upon to deliver. This episode includes eyewitness testimonies from Beatriz Beccari Barreto (CDR30 Pavilion), and members of our team Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re approaching crunch time in Belém, and a long-running COP30 saga may finally have found its landing spot. After days of rumour, diplomacy and thunderous rainforest downpours, the question of who will host COP31 looks close to being resolved - and it all plays out over the course of our day’s recording. Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith trace the twists of the Australia-Turkey negotiations in real time, with insight from former UN diplomat Dean Bialek. Plus, we hear from political journalist Thais Bilenky on the domestic pressures shaping Lula’s approach, as the Brazilian president personally steps in to break the deadlock. Across the day, the team also dives into one of the summit’s biggest sticking points: CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. In a wide-ranging conversation, the EU’s Teresa Ribera lays out why Brussels sees CBAM as essential for true decarbonisation - but why it’s sparking concern among countries who fear they’ll be penalised while still industrialising. Then it’s over to the Action Agenda, with Dan Ioschpe and Jennie Dodson giving a ground-level view of how coalitions, companies and cities are reshaping the COP’s centre of gravity - from regenerative landscapes in Brazil to global momentum across grids, food systems and industry. Finally, as we’re packing up the mics, news of COP31 appears to land. What does this unusual arrangement mean? What happens to the long-promised Pacific Island leadership? And what will it take for next year’s COP to deliver on the ambition so many hoped this decision would unlock? Learn more: 📣 Read the latest reports about the COP31 host and Presidency ⚙️ Dive into the nuts and bolts of the EU’s CBAM 🧩 Explore the 6 pillars and 30 objectives of the COP30 Action Agenda 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the middle of week two at COP30, and the negotiations are entering their crunch phase. A draft cover text has finally landed, ministers are on the ground, and the presidency is pushing hard to close before Lula heads to the G20 in Johannesburg. Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith look at the issues still holding up progress - from finance and adaptation to trade, the global stocktake, and the long-running debate over fossil fuel language. Plus, Germany’s former climate envoy Jennifer Morgan joins the show with a clear-eyed read of where things stand, what’s moving, what isn’t, and how the presidency is trying to break the deadlock. But beyond the blue zone drama, real shifts are already reshaping the global transition. And nowhere is this more obvious (and more significant) than in the world’s two most populous countries: On China, Professor Wang Yi , senior adviser to the Chinese government on climate change, outlines how rising energy demand is increasingly being met by renewables and new energy sources, why emissions may already have plateaued, and how the world’s largest solar exporter thinks about “steering” the clean economy without dramatic rhetoric. And on India, Dr Arunabha Ghosh describes a “pentathlon” transition, sets out India’s avoided coal build-out, and explains why diversified supply chains will determine whether global deployment accelerates or stalls. Whatever happens in Belém this week, the direction of travel from China, India and other rising economies will be impossible to ignore. But can the text on the page match the momentum gathering pace in the real world? Learn more: 🔍 Read the COP30 Draft Cover Text 📖 Learn more about India's Local Grids to Global Power report, announced by Dr Arunabha Ghosh 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s getting hot in the COP. Executive Secretary Simon Stiell turned up the pressure in Belém on Monday, sharpening his message as ministers arrived for what is often the most charged phase of the summit. He called for no more tactical delays, and no more dancing around the hardest issues. And Pope Francis weighed in with an appeal to moral responsibility and global solidarity. Fiona McRaith and Paul Dickenson break down what these dual interventions signal for the state of play at COP30, as key sticking points emerge for negotiators. And: a major milestone in the global energy transition. South Korea has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance and committed to phasing out coal by 2040. Paul speaks with Joojin Kim of Solutions for Our Climate to unpack what pushed a G20 economy to move and why Korean industry now sees clean power as its competitive future. Finally, Christiana sits down with Minister Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister for Indigenous Peoples, for a powerful conversation about Indigenous diplomacy, forest protection, and why this COP marks a historic shift in global recognition of Indigenous leadership. Learn more: ⛏ Mine more information about the Powering Past Coal Alliance 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As ministers arrive in Belém for the crucial second week of COP30, forests move from the backdrop of the summit to the main stage. Protests began at dawn on Friday and have continued through the weekend - among them, several activists carried a giant Brazilian flag, emblazoned with the words “Amazȏnia Protegida” (“Protected Amazon”). From the streets outside to the plenary halls in the Blue Zone, trees, land and Indigenous stewardship are shaping this summit’s conversation. In this episode, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith dig into this moment of forest urgency and turn their attention to one of the biggest themes of the COP30 Action Agenda: protecting these crucial ecosystems, carbon sinks and centres of cultural and biodiversity. Paul speaks with some of those behind the Race to Belém initiative - a real-world case study in how one Brazilian state, Tocantins, is rewriting the rules of forest protection. We hear Christiana Figueres speak to Mindahi Bastida about what genuine stewardship means and why so many Indigenous communities are the best equipped to care for their native lands. And Fiona reports to us from a project in the Amazon rainforest itself, where she met local producers building a sustainable bio-economy from the forest’s living wealth. The Brazilians have brought the world to the Amazon and put forests at the heart of this COP. What will be the legacy of COP30 for the forests of Brazil and beyond, that so desperately need protecting? Learn more: 🌴 Read about the Tropical Forests Forever Facility 📊 Explore the Forest Declaration Assessment and its 2025 report 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the mid-point of COP30 and all four of our hosts have gathered in Belém to take stock. In the Blue Zone, the mood is its usual blend of high-stakes and surreal. The Presidency is calling its consultations a “collective therapy session,” China would prefer “massage and yoga,” and delegates are deep in the weeds of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. To sift the signal from the noise, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith take on the questions listeners keep asking. Why are there so many fossil fuel lobbyists here? Do recent host country venue choices undermine the process? And does the Amazon road story point to a deeper hypocrisy? The team dig into the numbers, assumptions and stories shaping public distrust and legitimate concern. Then: what connects the Protestant Reformation, Agora of Athens and the No Kings Movement? Yes, it’s Vice President Al Gore. In an expansive discussion that charts where we are now and how we got here, the former VP offers a wide angle diagnosis of the forces that have polarised climate politics in his own country - from decades of fossil-fuel-funded disinformation to the shockwave of Citizens United - and explains why linking climate to public health, backed by real-time emissions data, could transform global accountability. Learn more: 🛰️ Explore the Climate TRACE tool, and track emissions worldwide 📰 Read reports mentioned in this episode about the presence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP30 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christiana Figueres takes us behind the scenes at the UNFCCC offices to speak to the man who now holds her old job as Executive Secretary. As week one of the negotiations nears its end, Simon Stiell explains the quiet but crucial difference between the COP Presidency, which sets the political direction, and the Secretariat, which guards the Paris process and connects it to the real economy. He also speaks candidly about Hurricane Beryl’s destruction in Carriacou, and how that experience turns what can look like abstract words and commas in negotiation texts into a daily, personal drive for urgency. Inside the media centre in Belém, the story of COP30 is being shaped in real time. Tom stumbles on Ed King, author of the Climate Diplomacy Brief, to talk protests, leaky ceilings, fire ants - and who is sidling up to whom in the negotiation chamber. At the core of the talks, three fault lines keep coming up: finance, fossil fuels and forests. Countries are edging towards stronger language on fossil fuels and implementation, but current national plans still only point to a 12 percent emissions cut by 2035, when science demands more than 50 percent. That gap is especially sharp for vulnerable countries already in heavy debt and struggling to even get full teams to Belém, fuelling talk of “roadmaps” to connect today’s constrained politics with tomorrow’s science-based destination and send credible signals that the transition is still on. Alongside the negotiations, the action agenda continues at pace. As Christiana tracks down Alan Dangour from the Wellcome Trust, who shares news of a new coalition of 35 philanthropic funders and a $300 million commitment at the intersection of climate and health. Learn more: 📖 Read the Climate Diplomacy Brief 📚 Learn more about Climate Adaptation Plan for Health 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Guest Producer: Juanita Silva Edited by: Miles Martignoni Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a COP meant to centre the Amazon, some Indigenous voices have found themselves on the outside. On Tuesday night, what began as a vibrant street march ended in a dramatic breach of the Blue Zone, as Indigenous protesters passed through the barriers of the official venue. What does this moment tell us about who gets to shape the ‘Amazon COP’? From finance to flotillas, and from protest to participation, this episode traces how Indigenous leadership is being expressed - and tested - in Belém. Manuella Cantalice, Focal Point for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), shares how Indigenous and local communities are co-designing a global financial mechanism - reflecting the novel ways in which Indigenous leadership is being built into the architecture of climate finance at COP30. Indigenous communicator Levi Tapuia, who arrived in at the COP after a 31-day flotilla, describes a voyage retracing the routes of colonisation - and contrasts the sense of unity on the river with the divisions he’s witnessed on the ground in Belém. And Helena Gualinga, Indigenous and climate advocate, reflects on the frustration felt by many participants at COP30, and on the ongoing challenge of turning symbolic inclusion into meaningful influence. Where are the tensions between visibility and voice, inclusion and influence - and what it will take for Indigenous leadership to shape not just the storytelling of COP30, but its outcomes? Learn more: 📣 Find out more about the protests at the COP30 venue 🌳 Read all about the Tropical Forest Forever Facility 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Translations by: Camilo Ramos and Juanita Silva Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day three of COP30, and there’s one elephant not in the room. While there are plenty of United States citizens at this COP, for the first time, there are no US delegates. Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith consider this notable absence, and ask: can a country that keeps flipping between progress and denial still claim climate leadership? In a conversation recorded live in the Blue Zone for America Is All In, Christiana sits down with California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who delivers a fiery defence of his state’s climate leadership and a warning about what’s at stake for democracy itself. But with reports swirling that Donald Trump may soon greenlight new drilling off California’s coast, how does he respond? Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the team untangles the latest intrigue over who will host COP31 - with Australia, Turkey and even Germany now in the mix - and a rather surreal rumour involving Turkey’s First Lady. And just after the mics were packed away, protests erupted outside and inside the COP30 venue. Christiana shares her reflections on what this moment means for the summit. Learn more: 📰 Read the latest reports that Trump is planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast 📣 Find out more about the protests at the COP30 venue 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is Brazil trying to achieve with COP30? It's Day Two in Belém and all eyes are on the host nation. Join Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac as they unpack how the country is shaping the first days of COP30 - and the quiet strategy behind Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago’s leadership. With the release of the Call of Belém for the Climate, they explore what may be a masterstroke of multilateral diplomacy. And friend of the show Thais Bilenky joins us to break down how the early days of the summit are playing out in Brazilian media and on the streets of Belém. With the support of the Arapyaú Institute, this episode also turns the spotlight on Brazil’s own climate progress. How is a nation, standing at the bridge between the Global North and the emerging Global Majority, using this moment of global attention to tell a new story: one defined by solutions, not sacrifice? We hear from Renata Piazzon, Director General of Arapyaú, whose mission is to reframe Brazil’s climate story - showing the opportunity that lies in regeneration, restoration, and a thriving social bioeconomy. And Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, joins Christiana to share her call for an Ethical Global Stocktake - a reminder that sustainability is not only a way of doing, but a way of being. Learn more: 🌴 Explore the work of the Arapyaú Institute ⚖️ Read about the Global Ethical Stocktake 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COP30 is here! Day one dawns in the Amazon, and all eyes are on the host nation - and on the man tasked with steering the talks. On the eve of what could be the most consequential COP since Paris, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac sat down with Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s COP30 President, for an inside look at his priorities: the tone he hopes to set and the outcomes he hopes to see for this pivotal summit. How does he view the difference between negotiation and implementation? How can leaders sustain confidence in progress when some countries aren’t even in the room? And what will it take to restore faith that this process can still deliver? The science is unsparing: the 1.5°C limit is no longer a distant prospect but a fast-approaching threshold. Meanwhile, the geopolitical framework on which multilateral cooperation depends is under strain. Against this backdrop, Ambassador Corrêa do Lago faces an unenviable task: to steer a divided world toward unity, and to turn ambition into action on the banks of the Amazon. Can he do it? Learn more: Listen to our episode, Inside COP: How to Build a COP 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why hasn’t the UK contributed to Brazil's flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility it helped design? With COP30 about to open in Belém, the UK’s absence from this major forest finance deal is raising eyebrows. Meanwhile, Prince William, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband have been in Brazil this week, demonstrating the country’s continued commitment to the COP process. Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac sit down with Ed Miliband for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about credible climate leadership, the defence of multilateralism, and why the right is wrong to claim voters don’t care about the climate. Recorded just after the Leaders’ Summit, 36 hours before COP30 begins, this episode dives into the apparent contradictions in the UK’s actions this week, and asks: how can climate ambition survive amidst political polarisation and harsh economic realities? Learn more: 💡 Read about the Tropical Forests Forever Facility ⚡See the latest from the UK’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As COP30 opens in Belém, world leaders have gathered for the first major moment of this Amazon-based summit in the shadow of growing doubts about global cooperation. With some major countries absent and others already signalling caution, the urgency of credible action is louder than ever. Brazil has launched it’s flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility to fund the protection of the world’s tropical forests. But with some major donors holding back, including the UK, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith discuss who’s really stepping up to deliver - and who isn't. Jacinda Ardern, former New Zealand Prime Minister, joins Christiana and Tom to share what it’s like to be on the inside of a leaders’ summit and asks: if this is to be an implementation COP, the question needs to be, “of what?” And we are also joined by Selwin Hart, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Climate, for a wide-ranging conversation on shifting geopolitics and diplomatic tactics, and how the ‘The siloed Ministry of Environment’ is a thing of the past. As we move toward the start of the crucial COP30 talks, this episode brings you into the room where debates are shaped, questions are asked, and agreements are negotiated. Learn more: 📖 Read more about the Belem Leaders Summit 💡 Learn about the Tropical Forests Forever Facility 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the national plans and global headlines, a quieter revolution is already underway. Almost 100 major cities - representing 23% of the world’s economy - are proving what local leadership can do. From clean-air targets and green-job creation to citizen-led adaptation, these C40 cities are already showing that climate action works for the planet and for their people. In this episode, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith take us inside the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio de Janeiro - where mayors, governors, and regional leaders are driving climate progress from the ground up. As part of this, they spend time at the C40 World Mayors Summit, where Tom speaks with Mark Watts, C40 Cities Executive Director C40 Cities, about how mayors are turning ambition into action. And in a timely conversation, Mayor Keith Wilson of Portland shares how his city is cutting emissions and investing in resilience as federal support stalls. Finally, we hear from a panel hosted by Christiana Figueres with Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, youth climate advocate Juliette Oluoch and COP30 Special Envoy for Bioeconomy Marcelo Behar. As the world prepares to meet in Belém, these cities, citizens, and local leaders are demonstrating that climate action doesn’t wait for permission - it starts where people live. Learn more: 📰 Read what was on the agenda and what happened at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum 🌆 Explore the people and places behind C40 Cities 🤝 Find out more about the CHAMP initiative (the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships) 🌍 Check out the official COP30 website 🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism. This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a year when climate news can feel relentlessly bleak, the Earthshot Prize offers something vital - proof of progress. And in this year’s fifteen finalists, that proof is taking many forms, across many corners of the globe. This week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith bring us behind the scenes of the Earthshot Prize. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro as the world’s attention turned to the 2025 ceremony. As Chair of the Earthshot Prize, Christiana reflects on Prince William’s vision to turn his platform into a catalyst for global good, and how the Prize has evolved into one of the most visible platforms for environmental innovation. Tom and Christiana sit down with Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, who shares how the idea first took shape during a trip to Africa and what it means to inject “a big dent of optimism” into the climate story. Christiana also speaks with Nonette Royo of the Tenure Facility - one of this year’s finalists - about empowering Indigenous communities to protect forests and secure land rights. Later, Fiona takes us inside the Earthshot hub in Rio to speak with more of this year’s finalists. Omoyemi Akerele of Lagos Fashion Week, Runa Khan of Friendship in Bangladesh, and Fred Holt of Key Quarter Tower in Sydney share what this recognition means for their work and the change they hope to spark in their fields. From floating hospitals to circular fashion, from forest protection to upcycled skyscrapers, hear the extraordinary creativity driving climate action around the world - and the energy building as the Earthshot movement looks toward its next chapter. Learn more: ⚡Explore all this year’s Earthshot Prize finalists and winners 📜 Read Christiana in the Economist on the innovation driving climate action 🌍Join the global citizens demanding faster action on climate change 🌊 Listen to our episode Hope for the High Seas on the "blue marble"! 🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or get in touch with us via this form. Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Edited by: Miles Martignoni Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.