Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast

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-Ca...

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 B...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 su...

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.

Christia...

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 majo...

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 u...

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 ...

It’s the trillion-dollar problem: funds are on the table - but the money isn’t always flowing to where it’s needed most. As Hurricane Melissa batters the Caribbean, it leaves behind a stark reminder of what’s at stake when finance fails to reach the most climate-vulnerable places.

This week on Inside COP, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith unpack what it will take to fix the world’s climate ...

Nearly 9 out of 10 people worldwide want their governments to do more on climate. So why does it feel like progress is so slow? And what happens when countries start bending the rules?

This week on Inside COP, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith react to the shock postponement of the IMO’s net-zero shipping deal, derailed by US pressure. What does this setback reveal about power, diplomacy, a...

The global balance of power is shifting. Can climate diplomacy keep up?

As China rises, the BRICS expand and the United States retreats, new power blocks formed by competition and conflict will take centre stage in the negotiations in Belem.  

In this week’s Inside COP, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith ask: what will it take for COP30 to foster genuine cooperation in a changin...

Will COP30 be the COP of ‘implementation’? And what would that actually mean? 

Beyond the famous negotiating halls, climate action is already happening. Businesses, investors and cities are driving real change, and the new green economy is rising in tandem with diplomacy.

So can Belém mark the moment when implementation promises turn into reality?  

This week, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith explore the COP...

Following the sad news this week of Jane Goodall’s passing, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac remember her extraordinary work, personality and humility. They are joined by Mary Lewis, Vice President of the Jane Goodall Institute and Jane’s long-time friend, who shares her memories of her remarkable colleague and her reflections on the incredible legacy she leaves behind. Plus, we share an interview from one of our very earl...

How do you build a COP? With just a few weeks to go until COP30 in Belém, we take listeners inside the high stakes and the complex mechanics of a climate summit: how they’re structured, who’s running the show, and what makes this one different.

Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith unpack how high-level climate conferences actually work, and explore the people and processes shaping this first A...

How does COP deliver a pathway to dealing with the worsening climate crisis? That’s the big question as attention across the world turns to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, later this year.

Inside COP is your complete guide, unpacking the challenges, conversations and actions shaping the global response to climate change in 2025. 

Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson and new co-host Fiona McRaith take you on the...

This week on Outrage + Optimism, we join the Be Hope global podcast takeover - a collaboration of shows amplifying courage and possibility in facing the greatest challenges of our time.

Alongside Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul Dickinson, guest co-host Sophia Li helps us explore how states, cities, and communities in the US are holding the line on climate when federal leadership fails.

What does it take to ta...

From stalled UN plastics treaty talks, to the hottest summer on record across much of the northern hemisphere - it’s been a bleak few weeks for climate news. So this week, against a backdrop of worsening headlines, we ask: are there still reasons to be optimistic? And what will it take to turn urgency into real change?

Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson are joined by Ani Dasgupta, President & CEO of th...