War on the world – Are conflicts leading us to climate oblivion?

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As conflicts and tariff wars disrupt the global order, is political division preventing urgent action to protect the planet?A decade ago world leaders gathered at COP 21 in Paris to discuss the climate crisis - 194 countries signing a breakthrough agreement to limit global warming. By this year, as COP 30 meets in Brazil, the 1.5 degree target on global warming has been breached. Joining Gavin Esler to discuss the future for climate action and whether countries can find consensus to meet the biggest challenges of our time, is Nick Mabey, founding director and CEO of independent climate change think tank E3G - and also the founder of London Climate Action Week. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There’s a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Where do you find a clear signal in a world of static?
0:03.2	In a time of rapid change cut through the noise.
0:06.2	The Economist goes beyond the headlines to decode the forces shaping today and defining tomorrow.
0:12.7	Get the full story.
0:14.1	It's more than news.
0:15.4	It's a trusted global perspective.
0:17.7	The Economist know which way is up.
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0:52.7	A decade ago in Paris, the world appeared to be on course for a climate change breakthrough.
0:55.0	At the international meeting of COP21,
1:01.8	there was at last an agreement to limit global warming to just 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. A total of 194 countries signed up to the Paris Agreement and events celebrated by
1:08.5	environmental activists around the globe.
1:15.4	By 2024, the 1.5 degree target was breached.
1:20.0	The optimism of a decade ago melted, along with parts of some of our glaciers.
1:28.0	This year, 45,000 politicians, diplomats, climate activists and others gathered in the Brazilian city of Bém, for COP 30 amid scepticism and even gloom about whether the whole COP process has become a waste of time.
1:35.8	More fossil fuels are being burned now than ever before, and there is, to put it politely,
1:40.6	a lack of enthusiasm in Washington and foot-dragging from oil producers and others.
1:45.7	All that raises an obvious question. Do big power political rivalries mean the worldwide battle
1:51.7	on climate change is becoming a lost cause? Is it really impossible for competing powers to
1:57.5	unite to stop irreversible damage that will impact all of us.
2:02.6	I'm Gavin Esler, cop process is at a dead end or can be revived,
2:32.1	I'm joined by Nick Mabey, the founding director and CEO of third
	...

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