The COP 30 summit and the climate change frontline

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

The 30th COP climate summit is under way in the Brazilian city of Belém. BBC World Service Environment Correspondent Navin Singh Khadka has been covering COP since 2006. He joins us to share his insights on the inner workings of the summit and how it has changed over the years.

In 2023, Algeria experienced devastating wildfires, particularly in the Kabylie region which is home to the Amazigh people. The Algerian government typically broadcasts brief updates in Algerian Arabic, which many people in affected regions do not speak. This lack of linguistic inclusivity means that vital information often fails to reach those who need it most. Khadija Maalej from BBC Media Action explains how a project called WISER has set about improving communications in order to save lives.

For centuries, people fleeing slavery lived in isolation in Jalapão, in the east of Brazil. They survived by raising cattle and used controlled fires to renew the natural pasture for their herds. Then, in 2001, the government banned burning. The ban had the opposite effect to what was desired: Jalapão began to face gigantic wildfires until, in 2014, the state relented and began to encourage controlled burns again. João Fellet of BBC Brasil has travelled to Jalapão, to speak to the Quilombola people, and watch their controlled burns.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas

This is an EcoAudio certified production.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:06.0	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:13.8	You're listening The Fifth Floor.
0:17.6	The Fifth Floor, you know you, listen.
0:20.0	The Fifth Floor, Farnaknak Amidi, Sobeth.
0:26.7	This is the fifth floor at the heart of global storytelling
0:31.2	with BBC journalists from all around the world.
0:35.0	I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.
0:39.5	Thank you. all around the world. I'm your host, Faranak Amidi. The 30th COP Climate Summit, where countries from around the world come together with the aim
0:49.2	of tackling climate change is underway in the Brazilian city of Bellem. And someone who knows all about this conference, what goes on there and how decisions are made,
0:58.7	is my colleague and BBC World Service Environment correspondent, Navin Singh Katka,
1:04.0	and he is here in the studio with me.
1:06.3	Navin, I would like to call you a sort of cop expert.
1:09.8	When was the first one you covered? I don't know if that's a good thing to be called. I think it was in 2006 and then here we are. So how many do you reckon you've covered so far? I've covered every single of them and covered from there. That is yeah i think 15 and i want to get to that
1:28.4	because you cover the cop conferences but you do not necessarily fly there or go there tell me why
1:36.6	if you can do something without traveling why not your carbon footprint is definitely an issue
1:41.7	people ask me what about your own carbon footprint? And, well, at least on
1:47.9	this front, I can defend the kind of issues that I pursue, it doesn't matter if I'm here or there.
1:54.2	Because even there, the key negotiations happen behind the closed doors. And, well, there is a plenary, of course, which is sometimes a high-voltage drama.
2:05.6	You get to see it firsthand, and that is something really, really good.
2:08.9	But most of the, you know, key negotiations happen behind the closed doors.
2:14.0	So, Navin, just give us some details on how COP works up close. How many countries take part
	...

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