Inside COP: Coal’s Out, Pressure’s On - a pivotal moment for COP30
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast
Persephonica
4.7 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 November 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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 Leo XIV 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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Bum, bum, bum, bum. |
| 0:02.1 | Do you want to do the intro or do you want me to? |
| 0:04.0 | I think we should do one each and let them decide. |
| 0:06.8 | And I think you should go first. |
| 0:12.9 | Hello, everybody, and welcome to Inside Cup from Outrage and Optimism. |
| 0:17.0 | I'm Paul Dickinson. |
| 0:18.2 | And I'm Fiona McGrath. |
| 0:19.6 | Today, the latest from the negotiations, a G20 economy |
| 0:23.4 | sunsets or decides it's going to sunset coal, and we bring you an interview with Brazil's |
| 0:27.8 | Minister for Indigenous People. Thanks for being here. |
| 0:35.0 | Well, Fee, here we are, and boy, day one of week two, how are you feeling? I'm feeling great. |
| 0:41.2 | I mean, we started this morning with a breakfast briefing, and then I know you went into the blue zone. |
| 0:45.4 | There was a torrential rain storm in the rainforest. I find them quite beautiful. And now we are |
| 0:53.1 | recording, and it's the evening on Monday. |
| 0:55.9 | Yeah, I know I've found today to be another kind of fascinating day. |
| 0:59.7 | There is a sort of fire hose of information, and you meet people, and you have sort of incredibly |
| 1:05.1 | interesting meetings. |
| 1:06.5 | And we're going to try and get onto some of the kind of negotiations. |
| 1:11.2 | Simon Steele gave a speech. |
| 1:13.1 | If I try and, if I try and play the semi-expert outsider, Fee, what's going on? |
| 1:21.1 | What did you take from Simon Steele's speech? |
| 1:22.9 | Where are the negotiations? |
... |
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