Inside COP: World Leaders Gather in Belém - with Jacinda Ardern and Selwin Hart
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast
Persephonica
4.7 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 November 2025
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So, guys, do you reckon we need to introduce ourselves every time? |
| 0:02.8 | We're doing these every day, or should we just assume people know who we are? Otherwise, everyone's going to have to listen to us, say our names every day for the next two weeks. Well, what for people who join us? Is there going to be people who start on Thursday? They'll know who we are. No, they won't. Oh, all right. I think Christiana would agree. And then we wouldn't have to do the hello I'm every day for the next two weeks. |
| 0:23.1 | I strangely get this weird like, I think Christiana would agree. And then we wouldn't have to do the hello I'm every day for the next two weeks. |
| 0:23.2 | I strangely get this weird stage fright that I'm going to mispronounce my own name every |
| 0:27.7 | time I do it. |
| 0:28.6 | I'm like, no, you know this, you know this. |
| 0:30.6 | Would you like to practice? |
| 0:32.6 | No. |
| 0:33.6 | No. |
| 0:34.6 | Okay. |
| 0:35.6 | Should we start? |
| 0:36.6 | Hello and welcome to Outrage and Optimism. I'm Tom Riffickarnock. Are you still Tom? I'm still Tom. You're going to hear me say that every day now. I am still Christiana Figuayette. And I'm still Theonimo McGrath. Okay, so we're inside cop at the Belém Climate, and we're going to bring you analysis of what's been happening |
| 0:55.4 | and what it's going to mean for the next two weeks. |
| 1:01.8 | Okay, so we've been at COP for 24 hours now. |
| 1:04.5 | We are in a small room inside... |
| 1:06.9 | No, actually, actually, Tom, let's just get this right. |
| 1:09.8 | The COP has not started. |
| 1:12.0 | It starts on Monday. |
| 1:13.6 | But we have heard this Sony. |
| 1:14.9 | But we're already here in the blue zone. |
| 1:16.7 | No, the blue zone has not been created yet. |
| 1:19.8 | We're at the media center. |
... |
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