Outrage + Optimism

At a COP meant to centre the Amazon, some Indigenous voices have found themselves on the outside.

On Tuesday night, what began as a vibrant street march ended in a dramatic breach of the Blue Zone, as Indigenous protesters passed through the barriers of the official venue. What does this moment tell us about who gets to shape the ‘Amazon COP’? From finance to flotillas, and from protest to participation, this episode traces how Indigenous leadership is being expressed - and tested - in Belém.

Manuella Cantalice, Focal Point for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), shares how Indigenous and local communities are co-designing a global financial mechanism - reflecting the novel ways in which Indigenous leadership is being built into the architecture of climate finance at COP30.

Indigenous communicator Levi Tapuia, who arrived in at the COP after a 31-day flotilla, describes a voyage retracing the routes of colonisation - and contrasts the sense of unity on the river with the divisions he’s witnessed on the ground in Belém.

And Helena Gualinga, Indigenous and climate advocate, reflects on the frustration felt by many participants at COP30, and on the ongoing challenge of turning symbolic inclusion into meaningful influence.

Where are the tensions between visibility and voice, inclusion and influence - and what it will take for Indigenous leadership to shape not just the storytelling of COP30, but its outcomes?

Learn more:

📣 Find out more about the protests at the COP30 venue

🌳 Read all about the Tropical Forest Forever Facility

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or via this form.

Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Planning Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Guest Producer: Juanita Silva

Translations by: Camilo Ramos

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day three of COP30, and there’s one elephant not in the room.

While there are plenty of United States citizens at this COP, for the first time, there are no US delegates. Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith consider this notable absence, and ask: can a country that keeps flipping between progress and denial still claim climate leadership?

In a conversation recorded live in the Blue Zone for America Is All In, Christiana sits down with California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who delivers a fiery defence of his state’s climate leadership and a warning about what’s at stake for democracy itself. But with reports swirling that Donald Trump may soon greenlight new drilling off California’s coast, how does he respond?

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the team untangles the latest intrigue over who will host COP31 - with Australia, Turkey and even Germany now in the mix - and a rather surreal rumour involving Turkey’s First Lady.

And just after the mics were packed away, protests erupted outside and inside the COP30 venue. Christiana shares her reflections on what this moment means for the summit.

Learn more:

📰 Read the latest reports that Trump is planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast

📣 Find out more about the protests at the COP30 venue

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is Brazil trying to achieve with COP30? It's Day Two in Belém and all eyes are on the host nation.

Join Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac as they unpack how the country is shaping the first days of COP30 - and the quiet strategy behind Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago’s leadership.

With the release of the Call of Belém for the Climate, they explore what may be a masterstroke of multilateral diplomacy. And friend of the show Thais Bilenky joins us to break down how the early days of the summit are playing out in Brazilian media and on the streets of Belém.

With the support of the Arapyaú Institute, this episode also turns the spotlight on Brazil’s own climate progress. How is a nation, standing at the bridge between the Global North and the emerging Global Majority, using this moment of global attention to tell a new story: one defined by solutions, not sacrifice? We hear from Renata Piazzon, Director General of Arapyaú, whose mission is to reframe Brazil’s climate story - showing the opportunity that lies in regeneration, restoration, and a thriving social bioeconomy. 

And Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, joins Christiana to share her call for an Ethical Global Stocktake - a reminder that sustainability is not only a way of doing, but a way of being.

Learn more:

🌴 Explore the work of the Arapyaú Institute

⚖️ Read about the Global Ethical Stocktake

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COP30 is here! 

Day one dawns in the Amazon, and all eyes are on the host nation - and on the man tasked with steering the talks.

On the eve of what could be the most consequential COP since Paris, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac sat down with Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s COP30 President, for an inside look at his priorities: the tone he hopes to set and the outcomes he hopes to see for this pivotal summit.

How does he view the difference between negotiation and implementation? How can leaders sustain confidence in progress when some countries aren’t even in the room? And what will it take to restore faith that this process can still deliver?

The science is unsparing: the 1.5°C limit is no longer a distant prospect but a fast-approaching threshold. Meanwhile, the geopolitical framework on which multilateral cooperation depends is under strain. Against this backdrop, Ambassador Corrêa do Lago faces an unenviable task: to steer a divided world toward unity, and to turn ambition into action on the banks of the Amazon. Can he do it?

Learn more:

Listen to our episode, Inside COP: How to Build a COP

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe or on our socials where you can also see more behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why hasn’t the UK contributed to Brazil's flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility it helped design? With COP30 about to open in Belém, the UK’s absence from this major forest finance deal is raising eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Prince William, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband have been in Brazil this week, demonstrating the country’s continued commitment to the COP process.

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac sit down with Ed Miliband for a wide-ranging and 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.

Recorded just after the Leaders’ Summit, 36 hours before COP30 begins, this episode dives into the apparent contradictions in the UK’s actions this week, and asks: how can climate ambition survive amidst political polarisation and harsh economic realities?

Learn more:

💡 Read about the Tropical Forests Forever Facility

⚡See the latest from the UK’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As COP30 opens in Belém, world leaders have gathered for the first major moment of this Amazon-based summit in the shadow of growing doubts about global cooperation. With some major countries absent and others already signalling caution, the urgency of credible action is louder than ever.

Brazil has launched it’s flagship Tropical Forests Forever Facility to fund the protection of the world’s tropical forests. But with some major donors holding back, including the UK, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith discuss who’s really stepping up to deliver - and who isn't.

Jacinda Ardern, former New Zealand Prime Minister, joins Christiana and Tom to share what it’s like to be on the inside of a leaders’ summit and asks: if this is to be an implementation COP, the question needs to be, “of what?”

And we are also joined by Selwin Hart, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Climate, for a wide-ranging conversation on shifting geopolitics and diplomatic tactics, and how the ‘The siloed Ministry of Environment’ is a thing of the past.

As we move toward the start of the crucial COP30 talks, this episode brings you into the room where debates are shaped, questions are asked, and agreements are negotiated. 

Learn more:

📖 Read more about the Belem Leaders Summit

💡 Learn about the Tropical Forests Forever Facility

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the national plans and global headlines, a quieter revolution is already underway. Almost 100 major cities - representing 23% of the world’s economy - are proving what local leadership can do. From clean-air targets and green-job creation to citizen-led adaptation, these C40 cities are already showing that climate action works for the planet and for their people.

In this episode, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith take us inside the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio de Janeiro - where mayors, governors, and regional leaders are driving climate progress from the ground up.

As part of this, they spend time at the C40 World Mayors Summit, where Tom speaks with Mark Watts, C40 Cities Executive Director C40 Cities, about how mayors are turning ambition into action. And in a timely conversation, Mayor Keith Wilson of Portland shares how his city is cutting emissions and investing in resilience as federal support stalls.

Finally, we hear from a panel hosted by Christiana Figueres with Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, youth climate advocate Juliette Oluoch and COP30 Special Envoy for Bioeconomy Marcelo Behar.

As the world prepares to meet in Belém, these cities, citizens, and local leaders are demonstrating that climate action doesn’t wait for permission - it starts where people live. 

Learn more:

📰 Read what was on the agenda and what happened at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum

🌆 Explore the people and places behind C40 Cities

🤝 Find out more about the CHAMP initiative (the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships)

🌍 Check out the official COP30 website

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. 

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a year when climate news can feel relentlessly bleak, the Earthshot Prize offers something vital - proof of progress. And in this year’s fifteen finalists, that proof is taking many forms, across many corners of the globe.

This week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Fiona McRaith bring us behind the scenes of the Earthshot Prize. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro as the world’s attention turned to the 2025 ceremony.

As Chair of the Earthshot Prize, Christiana reflects on Prince William’s vision to turn his platform into a catalyst for global good, and how the Prize has evolved into one of the most visible platforms for environmental innovation. Tom and Christiana sit down with Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, who shares how the idea first took shape during a trip to Africa and what it means to inject “a big dent of optimism” into the climate story. Christiana also speaks with Nonette Royo of the Tenure Facility - one of this year’s finalists - about empowering Indigenous communities to protect forests and secure land rights.

Later, Fiona takes us inside the Earthshot hub in Rio to speak with more of this year’s finalists. Omoyemi Akerele of Lagos Fashion Week, Runa Khan of Friendship in Bangladesh, and Fred Holt of Key Quarter Tower in Sydney share what this recognition means for their work and the change they hope to spark in their fields.

From floating hospitals to circular fashion, from forest protection to upcycled skyscrapers, hear the extraordinary creativity driving climate action around the world - and the energy building as the Earthshot movement looks toward its next chapter.

Learn more:

⚡Explore all this year’s Earthshot Prize finalists and winners

📜 Read Christiana in the Economist on the innovation driving climate action  

🌍Join the global citizens demanding faster action on climate change

🌊 Listen to our episode Hope for the High Seas on the "blue marble"!

🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

Or get in touch with us via this form. 

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Edited by: Miles Martignoni

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the trillion-dollar problem: funds are on the table - but the money isn’t always flowing to where it’s needed most. As Hurricane Melissa batters the Caribbean, it leaves behind a stark reminder of what’s at stake when finance fails to reach the most climate-vulnerable places.

This week on Inside COP, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith unpack what it will take to fix the world’s climate finance system, and make COP30 a turning point from pledges to real investment.

The team are joined by guest host Sue Reid, Climate Finance Advisor at Global Optimism, to demystify the landscape of public and private finance and explain how smarter systems - not just bigger sums - can unlock climate action at scale. And Avinash Persaud of the Inter-American Development Bank, outlines the major finance innovations to watch in Belém, from debt-swap facilities to the ReInvest+ initiative.

Plus, the team considers the latest NDC synthesis report, which highlights the gap between where we are and where we need to be. But do these nationally determined contributions reflect the real-world momentum already underway - or just mirror the politics of the moment?

Learn more:

🌎 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

💰 Read about the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap to $1.3 Trillion

🌳 Discover the Tropical Forests Forever Facility

📈 Explore the latest NDC Synthesis Report

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. 

Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Audio Editor: Ned Carter Miles

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly 9 out of 10 people worldwide want their governments to do more on climate. So why does it feel like progress is so slow? And what happens when countries start bending the rules?

This week on Inside COP, Tom Rivett-Carnac, Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith react to the shock postponement of the IMO’s net-zero shipping deal, derailed by US pressure. What does this setback reveal about power, diplomacy, and the fragile state of cooperation.

Meanwhile, the COP Presidency is turning a national idea into a global invitation: the Mutirão - a uniquely Brazilian, Indigenous-rooted concept of coming together to get things done for the common good.

Christiana and Paul speak with André Guimarães, the COP Special Envoy for Civil Society, who unpacks the deeper meaning of the Global Mutirão and how it could unite citizens, communities and governments behind climate action that feels both personal and collective. And to bring that spirit alive, Laura Moraes of Earth FC joins to share how the world’s most-loved sport is joining Team Earth - using football’s passion and global reach to rally millions around climate action.

From grief to agency, from stadiums to summits, from Outrage to Optimism, this episode asks: what does it take to feel part of something bigger? And how can each of us play our part in the world’s greatest team effort yet?

Learn more:

🌎 Check out the official COP30 website for background and announcements

🤝 Learn how COP30 is defining “Global Mutirão”

⚽ Get onside and learn more about Earth FC

🚢 Find out how the US torpedoed the IMO’s shipping emissions levy

📋 Read about the Global Goal on Adaptation on the UN Climate Change site

🎤 What do you want to hear on Inside COP? Ask us on SpeakPipe

Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:

Instagram @outrageoptimism

LinkedIn @outrageoptimism

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to hear more of in Inside COP? Get in touch with us. Get in touch with us via this form. 

Lead Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Audio Editor: Ned Carter Miles

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

With thanks to Groundswell and Global Optimism.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.