WHAT ABOUT COP30? What happened and what’s next?

About this episode

James and Daisy reflect on the outcomes of COP30 and discuss future plans for COP31.

The COP – or ‘Conference of the Parties’ – is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In November 2025, COP30 took place in Belém, Brazil – the thirtieth of these annual meetings and a milestone marking ten years since the Paris Agreement. As with many COPs, reactions to the final outcomes were mixed. In this episode, James and Daisy reflect on COP30 and look ahead to what comes next. What were the most significant outcomes? What is the plan for COP31? How might the COP process itself be reformed? SOME RECOMMENDATIONS: Mutirão Decision – The central outcome text from COP30. “Mutirão,” a term from the Tupi-Guarani language meaning “collective efforts,” was adopted by the COP30 Presidency as the guiding theme to inspire global climate action. Inside COP – A special edition of the Outrage + Optimism podcast, created in partnership with the COP30 Presidency, offering exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from the negotiations. OTHER ADVOCATES AND RESOURCES: Carbon Brief (2025) – A clear summary of COP30 outcomes, including the agreement to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and the establishment of a just transition…

People in this episode

Hosts: James Cameron, Daisy Nicholls

Topics covered

• climate change
• COP30
• global agreements
• environmental policy
• future of COP
• climate action

Keywords

• COP30
• climate action
• Paris Agreement
• Mutirão Decision
• adaptation finance
• fossil fuels
• NDCs
• climate negotiations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Carbon Brief, NDC Tracker, WRI

Books & works: Mutirão Decision, Inside COP

Places: Belém, Brazil

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