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 Parkinson | Conservationist and COP30 Youth Ambassador, Cayman Islands
• Tiffany Van Ravenswaay | Climate Change Advisor for AOSIS
• Sivendra Michael | Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Fiji
• Carola Klöck | Associate Professor at Sciences-Po, Paris
• George Carter | Senior Fellow and Deputy Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University, and RESI Co-Director

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• RESI at COP30 | https://odi.org/en/events/watch-live-from-cop30-the-world-film-premiere-of-climate-blueprint-barbados
• RESI briefing paper: Keeping the International Court of Justice advisory opinion alive at COP30 and beyond.
• UN Climate Change | Simon Steill's closing speech at COP30
• The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Letter to the COP30 Presidency | https://www.aosis.org/aosis-letter-to-cop30-presidency/
• AOSIS NDC Report | Ahead of COP30, New NDC Synthesis Report Reveals Dangerous Delay on Global Climate Action
• SDG News | Live at COP30: Fiji’s Chief Negotiator Sivendra Michael Warns Fossil Fuel Language Has Fallen Out of the MutiRão Text

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