What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations?

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

COP 30 delegates from around the globe are about to depart the Amazon city of Belem in Brazil. But not before some very important documents are drawn up. Camilla Born, former advisor to Cop 26 president Alok Sharma speaks to Tom Whipple about the scientific significance of the language negotiators choose to use.

And it’s the eve of The Ashes. As England Men’s Cricket Team line up against their Australian counterparts in Perth, cricket fans on both sides will be hoping for sporting records to fall. But is breaking those records getting increasingly less likely? And can some maths explain all? Tom asks Kit Yates, author and Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath.

Plus science broadcaster Caroline Steel is in the studio to discuss this week’s brand new scientific discoveries.

If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University to take the quiz.

Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Jonathan Blackwell, Ella Hubber, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield and Clare Salisbury Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:07.0	Hello, I'm Emma Barnett. For most of my career, I've been on live radio, and I love it.
0:13.3	But I've always wondered, what if we'd had more time? How much deeper does the story go?
0:19.2	I remember having this very sharp thought that what you do right now, this is it.
0:24.3	This defines your life.
0:26.0	I'm ready to talk and ready to listen.
0:28.4	I'm insulted by how little the medical community is ever bothered with this.
0:33.9	Ready to talk with me, Emma Barnard, is my new podcast.
0:37.0	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:39.1	Hello, welcome to BBC Inside Science from the BBC World Service with me, Tom Whipple.
0:45.5	This week, as negotiators in Brazil wrangle the last bits of their agreement, what actually
0:50.8	happens at the climate summit? Anyone in Central Asia right now can probably tell you how extreme climate change feels, as our global science analyst, Roland P's, will be bringing us the latest on the mechanisms behind Iran's current record-breaking drought. But how do we know when a new record in climate, water shortages, even sport is expected to break.
1:12.7	Now, in a day or maybe two days or possibly on past form three days,
1:19.7	exhausted and sleep-deprived negotiators from 200-ish countries will produce and agree on a
1:27.2	document in the Brazilian jungle, and it will say
1:30.7	something. Another climate conference, the 30th, will come to an end. As we approach the final
1:38.1	stretch, what are the negotiators actually doing? We speak to COP veteran Camilla Bourne, former
1:43.4	advisor to COP 26, President
1:45.2	Alok Sharma. But first, BBC climate and science correspondent, Georgina Rannard, is there in the
1:52.4	jungle. Hi, Georgina. How are you? Hi, Tom. I'm okay. How's it going? Is it hectic?
1:58.3	Yeah, it is quite chaotic. I mean, these things always are.
2:01.9	Well, we can hear the birds in the background, which gives us some nice atmosphere, and you've
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