282: How big oil is holding back progress on the Paris Climate Agreement

About this episode

Christiana Figueres, the driving force behind the groundbreaking Paris Climate Agreement, reflects on the high-stakes negotiations that reshaped the global fight against climate change in the year that marks its ten-year anniversary. With the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, she reveals the relentless pushback from the fossil fuel lobby, and the ever-shifting geopolitical tensions that threaten progress. Will the world stay on course, or are we teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe?

Co-hosts Paul Dickinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac recall the final hours of the deal being adopted, the extraordinary feeling of seeing the world come together in unanimous support of climate action and make their predictions for how the business and political worlds will move forward in a new era of leadership. As Donald Trump kicks off his second term with a raft of immigration policies, the hosts discuss how the number of people set to be displaced due to climate is set to exceed a billion by 2050. Plus, whether 2025 is the year the insurance industry reaches an existential crisis as climate-related weather events, like the LA fires, become uninsurable. 

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References: 

Read about the state of California’s lawsuit against big oil.

Dive into the 25-page Paris Climate Agreement, or read the preamble for all the crucial context as recommended by Christiana Figueres. 

Want to share your views on how the Paris Climate Agreement changed the course of history? Send us a voice note!

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Producer: Nina Pullman

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas 

This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.