Chatham House

Forests play a critical role in the fight against climate change. With COP30 taking place in the Amazon, addressing deforestation is likely to be a topic of high priority at the meeting. But what can actually be achieved? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Mauricio Voivodic, Executive Director of WWF-Brazil, and Edward Davey, Head of the UK Office of the World Resources Institute. In their introduction to the episode, Anna and Bhargabi speak about key developments at the opening of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and New York Climate Week.  

The United Nations is a guardian of international law, its leader assured member states this week. But President Trump questioned the point of the UN. Marc Weller and Christopher Phillips join Bronwen Maddox to assess challenges to the global order in a world of strongmen and multipolarity.

President Donald Trump brought AI and tech CEOs on his second state visit for a deal pledging £31 billion in investment for the UK. 

Olivia O’Sullivan and Laurel Rapp join host Bronwen Maddox to discuss the politics and dealmaking behind the pageantry, on Chatham House’s weekly international affairs podcast.

Trump 2.0 poses a huge challenge for the renewable energy industry in the US. Not only has the administration rescinded environmental incentives and regulations with bearing on future projects, it has also in various ways delayed and/or obstructed offshore wind projects already under construction (like the Empire Wind and the Revolution Wind projects). What does all of this mean for the renewable energy industry in the US? What does it mean for US competitiveness and the global energy transition?   To find out, Bhargabi speaks to , CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, a member-based organisation that represents over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in over 80 countries.

Are we moving into a post-American world and if so will China try to lead and set the rules for it?

In the face of American withdrawal, China senses an opportunity to shape a new world order. This week on Independent Thinking, Samir Puri and James Kynge join Bronwen Maddox to discuss the changing nature of the international order.

In this third instalment of the Future of Climate Diplomacy mini-series, Climate Briefing hosts Anna and Bhargabi explore what lessons that can be drawn from the history of the climate negotiations and how this can inform the future of climate diplomacy. To do this, they are joined by long-time COP researcher Dr Joanna Depledge (Research Fellow at the Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance and at Centre for Science and Policy, both at the University of Cambridge).

This week’s Climate Briefing also includes a chat with Dr Patrick Schröder (Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House’s Environment and Society Centre), who explains why the negotiations on a global plastics treaty are important and why the recent round of talks, once again, ended with no deal.

On the 23rd of July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the obligations of states in respect to climate change. The Advisory Opinion makes clear that states have far-reaching obligations under international law to prevent harm to the climate system and that breaching such obligations could result in having to make reparations, among other things.   So, what impact might the ICJ’s ruling have on international climate diplomacy and action, including climate-related litigation? To find out, Anna and Bhargabi speak to Dr , who is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Law at the University of Amsterdam and who lead the legal team of Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group throughout the ICJ proceedings, and Dr , who is the Director of Global Climate Change Litigation at the Sabin Centre at Columbia University.   To learn more about the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion, read and/or listen to with Ralph Regenvanu, who at the time of the interview served as Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Management.

Côte d'Ivoire is widely regarded as a regional powerhouse amid increased political instability and fragmentation in West Africa. However, the country has also been marked by violent conflicts and repeated bouts of political crisis in recent history. With the October 2025 elections fast approaching, Côte d'Ivoire faces another decisive moment – President Alassane Ouattara has confirmed that he will seek a fourth term, while a slew of prominent opposition figures including former president, Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam, Charles Blé Goudé, and Guillaume Soro, have been barred from challenging the incumbent at the polls.

In this episode, the leader of Côte d'Ivoire’s main opposition party, Parti Démocratique de la Côte d'Ivoire — Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, Tidjane Thiam discusses his political aspirations, the hurdles faced in the lead-up to the upcoming elections and the state of Ivorian democracy moving forward.

Ahead of the landmark COP30 in Belem, Brazil, this November, calls for reform of the UNFCCC and COPs are growing, as are concerns that the only formal global forum for climate negotiation and cooperation is under threat. In a series of conversations, Anna, Ruth and Bhargabi interview thought leaders in the climate world about what the future of climate diplomacy should look like. The second guest in this mini-series is Kaveh Guilanpour, Vice President for International Strategies at C2ES, former lead of the UK’s UNFCCC negotiations, co-lead negotiator for the EU, co-lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, and head of secretariat for the High Ambition Coalition, and senior advisor to the UNDG’s Climate Action Team.

How much of Donald Trump’s sanctions strategy is substance — and how much is performance? In this episode of Independent Thinking, Chatham House experts unpack whether sanctions work. And at Trump’s shifting use of sanctions, tariffs and personal power plays in global economic policy. With Dr Christopher Sabatini, Timothy Ash, and Christopher Vandome from Chatham House. Read our latest reports: Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Executive producer - . Produced by Jonathan Coates and Warren Nettleford. 'Independent Thinking' is an production for Chatham House. 🎧  🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.