Behind the Scenes at Kyoto: Drama and diplomacy on the world stage

Outrage + Optimism

Persephonica

Science, Finance, Energy, Policy, Business, Green, Society, Current Affairs, Climate, News, Planet, Society & Culture, Environment, Climatechange, Nature, Parisclimateagreement, Globalwarming

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What did it take to get nearly 200 nations to agree on tackling climate change in 1997? And what have we learned in the decades since?

In this episode, we reflect on the drama, the impact and the legacy of the Kyoto Protocol, and go behind the scenes of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s powerful and acclaimed production of Kyoto, currently playing in London’s West End.

After watching a performance of the play this week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson introduced a live event at The Conduit, bringing together those who were in the room at COP3 in Kyoto with those now shaping the path to COP30 in Belém and beyond.

First, we hear from a panel of seasoned voices from the world of international climate diplomacy, moderated by climate journalist Ed King. Farhana Yamin, longtime negotiator for small island states, speaks of how Kyoto helped amplify the voices of vulnerable nations for the first time. Nick Mabey, co-founder of E3G, reflects on Kyoto’s economic impact, arguing that it sparked a global clean tech revolution by making climate action economically viable. And Richard Kinley, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, offered rare insights into the diplomacy that shaped Kyoto. Together, they paint a vivid picture of Kyoto’s legacy and what it still offers to today’s climate movement.

Later, we hear from the playwrights behind Kyoto, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, about how they turned bureaucratic negotiations into riveting on-stage drama.

So, what’s changed since 1997? Are we in a better place thanks to Kyoto? And is multilateralism still fit for purpose in today’s world?

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Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino Sofos

Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas

This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Guys, sorry, I just see a pop-up that says, your computer will restart in 10 seconds to install updates.
0:05.6	I don't know how to stop that.
0:06.8	Bye.
0:10.0	Hello and welcome to outrage and optimism. I'm Tom Riffickaneck.
0:12.9	I'm Christiana Figueres.
0:14.3	And I'm Paul Dickinson.
0:15.8	In this episode, we'll be reflecting on the events in Kyoto in 1997 when the Kyoto Protocol was adopted against all odds.
0:21.9	And we'll talk about the play that we just went to see. More on that in a minute. Thanks for being here.
0:28.7	Hey friends. So we have a very different and very fun episode for you this week. Thanks for joining us.
0:33.4	And we have seen some of you recently at the Conduit Club. But we will get to that in a minute.
0:37.4	The first thing I wanted to say is that going to see the play was only one of the fun things we did this week.
0:42.7	The other thing is we all went on a beautiful bright blue sky day to Windsor Castle.
0:48.7	We did.
0:49.8	And we spent some time with his Royal Highness Prince William as guests of now recently ennobled Dame Christiana Figuera.
0:58.3	Do you say ennobled when you become a dame or is that just house of Lord?
1:00.5	I have no idea.
1:01.5	It's more of a Paul question.
1:03.0	You're asking a citizen of Costa Rica about British chivalry.
1:08.3	So I think you ought to know.
1:10.0	This particular citizen of Costa Rica, if I'm not mistaken,
1:12.3	has become a Dame commander of the British Empire. And it is unusual, I believe, for people who are not
1:16.9	from this country to receive such an honour. And I mean, the first thing is, is it all right to still
	...

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