Threshold Conversations | Climate Negotiations with Lina Yassin

About this episode

Lina Yassin discusses her experiences at COP30 and the implications of the U.S. withdrawal from the UNFCCC.

Thirty-four years ago, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established the annual “conferences of the parties,” known as COPs, where almost every nation on earth comes together to negotiate a solution to climate change. But this past November, for the first time ever, the United States did not send a delegation to COP, and this month, the Trump Administration announced its intention to withdraw from the UNFCCC entirely. Lina Yassin has been to nine COPs, including the most recent, COP30, in Brazil. Originally from Sudan, Lina provides support for some of the world's poorest and most climate-vulnerable nations at these negotiations. She joins Amy to talk about what happened at this year’s conference, and why, despite the U.S. withdrawal, she believes it’s essential to keep this multilateral process alive. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by donating today . To stay connected, sign up for our newsletter . Credits: Threshold Conversations is produced by Sam Moore. Our music is by Todd Sickafoose. Amy Martin is our host and executive producer. Resources and Links: Lina’s work at the…

People in this episode

Host: Amy Martin

Guest: Lina Yassin

Topics covered

• climate change
• international negotiations
• COP conferences
• environmental policy
• climate diplomacy

Keywords

• climate negotiations
• COP30
• UNFCCC
• climate-vulnerable nations
• multilateral process

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, International Institute for Environment and Development

Places: Sudan, Brazil

More episodes of Threshold

• The Corridor | 2 | Sugar Is Made With Blood · June 9, 2026 · 40 min
• The Corridor | 1 | River Road · June 2, 2026 · 36 min
• The Corridor | Preview · May 26, 2026 · 4 min
• Threshold Conversations | Water and War with Kaveh Madani · May 19, 2026 · 23 min
• Threshold Conversations | Coyotes in the City with Christopher Schell · April 21, 2026 · 22 min
• Threshold Conversations | Walking Like a Curlew with Matthew Trevelyan · March 17, 2026 · 17 min