Drama and decisions: was COP30 a win for Small Islands?

About this episode

The episode discusses the outcomes of COP30 and their implications for small island nations in the context of climate change negotiations.

From momentum against fossil fuels to fires breaking out on site, COP30 was anything but routine. Held just outside Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and framed as the ‘COP of implementation’, the talks delivered a mix of drama, hard-won progress, and unfinished business. But where did small islands feature in the final decisions, and will those outcomes lead to real change? In this episode, Matt and Emily are joined by COP30 attendees—including AOSIS’ Climate Change Advisor and Fiji’s Chief Negotiator—to take listeners inside the negotiating rooms. They unpack the pressures of COP’s relentless schedule, reflect on small island wins and sticking points, and explore why keeping COP climate negotiations on the global agenda is key for small islands’ survival. As attention turns to COP31, the conversation looks ahead to how small islands can build alliances and sharpen their strategy in the race to keep global temperatures under 1.5 degrees. Episode features: Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield Simon Stiell | Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Soleil…

People in this episode

Hosts: Emily Wilkinson, Matthew Bishop

Guests: Simon Stiell, Soleil Parkinson, Tiffany Van Ravenswaay, Sivendra Michael, Carola Klöck

Topics covered

• climate change
• COP negotiations
• small island nations
• fossil fuels
• global temperatures
• environmental policy

Keywords

• COP30
• small islands
• climate negotiations
• fossil fuels
• global warming
• environmental impact
• climate policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AOSIS

Places: Fiji, Brazil

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