Outrage + Optimism / Special Series
Inside COP
'Inside COP' is a special edition series of the Outrage and Optimism podcast, in partnership with the COP30 Presidency - bringing you exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to this year's major climate conference.
About this series
We're bringing you exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to COP30 – taking you inside the negotiations and introducing you to the people shaping our future through a special edition series of the Outrage and Optimism podcast.
This isn't your typical conference coverage. This is your direct line to what’s really going on in the rooms where it happens.
What this series is all about:
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Direct from the source: senior COP30 Presidency representatives - including Andre Correa de Lago, Ana Toni and Tùlio Andrade - will share updates on the progress and challenges as we build up towards the summit
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Real coverage: The wins, the setbacks, the drama - as it happens - with leading experts and grassroots voices
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Your voice matters: Tell us what YOU want to see from COP30
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Live from the action: Daily digests from on the ground in Belém, making you a part of the moment, wherever you are.
From September, join us Inside COP for unfiltered access to the people and negotiations that will make or break this decade. Subscribe here.
338: Inside COP: The Final Hours of COP30 - and the road ahead
23 November 2025
In this episode, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson examine how the final day of COP30 unfolded, what was agreed, and what it might mean.
337: Inside COP: Friday Night in Belém - uncertainty in the Blue Zone
22 November 2025
This episode is a time capsule that captures the feeling of a COP Friday: the confusion, the determination, the fear of losing ambition, and the belief, still very much alive, that progress is possible.
335: Inside COP: Fire at COP30 and the work still to be done
21 November 2025
We reflect on yesterday’s fire at COP30 and we also look beyond it to the incredibly important work that still must be done.
336: Inside COP: Friday Morning in Belém - what’s changed and why it matters
21 November 2025
In this emergency episode the team talks through the new COP30 draft text, what changed overnight, and why so many countries are unhappy.
334: Inside COP: Storms in Belém - Lula’s arrival, the carbon tariff debate, and the COP31 decision
20 November 2025
We trace the twists of the Australia-Turkey negotiations for hosting COP31 in real time and dive into one of the summit’s biggest sticking points: CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
333 : Inside COP: China, India… and the Text on the Table
19 November 2025
It’s the middle of week two at COP30, and the negotiations are entering their crunch phase - we ask whether the text on the page can match the momentum gathering pace in the real world.
332: Inside COP: Coal’s out, pressure’s on - a pivotal moment for COP30
18 November 2025
As ministers arrive for what is often the most charged phase of the summit, we break down the current state of play at COP30 - the interventions, the negotiations and the milestones so far.
331: Inside COP: The fight for the Amazon
17 November 2025
In this episode, we’re looking at one of the biggest themes of the COP30 Action Agenda: protecting the Amazon forests: crucial ecosystems, carbon sinks and centres of cultural and biodiversity.
330: Inside COP: Al Gore on Fossil Fuel Lobbying and (In)convenient Truths
15 November 2025
It’s the mid-point of COP30 and in this episode we take stock - and talk to former US Vice President Al Gore about the polarisation of climate politics.
329: Inside COP: The UN’s Top Climate Official on Week One of COP30
14 November 2025
As week one of the negotiations nears its end, we go behind the scenes to speak to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, plus more inside news and views from COP30.
328: Inside COP: Protests at COP30 - and the reality of Indigenous representation
13 November 2025
From finance to flotillas, and from protest to participation, this episode traces how Indigenous leadership is being expressed - and tested - at COP30 in Belém.
327: Inside COP: Is The US Still In? And Gavin Newsom on ‘invasive species’ Trump
12 November 2025
On Day Three of COP30, we consider the notable absence of US delegates, and ask: can a country that keeps flipping between progress and denial still claim climate leadership?
326: Inside COP: Brazil's Climate Leadership - the COP30 host takes centre stage
11 November 2025
Join us for Day Two in Belém as we unpack how Brazil is shaping the first days of COP30.
325 : Inside COP: The COP30 President Speaks, the Summit Begins
10 November 2025
On Day One of COP30 we sit down with Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s COP30 President and ask, can he steer a divided world toward unity?
324: Inside COP: Ed Miliband on Multilateralism, Leadership and the UK’s Climate Dilemma
09 November 2025
We sit down with Ed Miliband for a candid conversation about credible climate leadership, the defence of multilateralism, and why the right is wrong to claim voters don’t care about the climate.
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323: Inside COP: World Leaders Gather in Belém - with Jacinda Ardern and Selwin Hart
08 November 2025
What's it like to be on the inside of a global leaders’ summit at COP30? In this episode we take you into the room where debates are shaped, questions are asked, and agreements are negotiated.
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322: Inside COP: The Power of Cities - from the Local Leaders Forum
07 November 2025
In the first Inside COP episode from Brazil, we go inside the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio de Janeiro - where mayors, governors, and regional leaders are driving climate progress from the ground up.
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320: Inside COP: Looking for a Plan in Finance - the trillion dollar transition
30 October 2025
The trillion-dollar problem: what will it actually take to fix the world’s climate finance system, and make COP30 a turning point from pledges to real investment?
319: Inside COP: Teaming Up for the Planet - The Global Mutirão
23 October 2025
We unpack the Global Mutirão - Brazil’s concept of coming together for the common good - could it really unite citizens, communities and governments behind real climate action across the world?
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318: Inside COP: The New World Order - power, politics and the green pie
16 October 2025
As China rises, the BRICS expand and the United States retreats, the global balance of power is shifting. This week we ask, can climate diplomacy keep up?
317: Inside COP: A New Economy Rising - from promises to progress
09 October 2025
Can COP30 be the moment when implementation promises become reality? This week, we unpack the COP ‘Action Agenda’ - the voluntary climate action driving business, cities, and civil society - and explore how global energy systems and capital flows are already being transformed.
316: Inside COP: How to Build a COP
02 October 2025
With just a few weeks to go until COP30 in Belém, we take listeners inside the high stakes and the complex mechanics of a climate summit: how they’re structured, who’s running the show, and what makes this one different.
315: Inside COP: The countdown to COP30 at New York Climate Week
25 September 2025
Welcome to our new series Inside COP - your complete guide to COP30 in Belém, starting on the ground at New York Climate Week.
