It's now "impossible" to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees. Can COP30 achieve anything material at all?

--

Keir Starmer has been in Brazil ahead of COP30 - the world’s largest annual climate meeting - where world leaders were told it’s now “virtually impossible” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. That’s according to the UN’s chief meteorologist.

Brazil wants money to protect the rainforests, but Starmer doesn’t want to give it.

Meanwhile China, India and the US – three of the biggest emitters – can’t be bothered to turn up.

So what, exactly, is the point of these climate talks?

Oli Dugmore meets Rachel Kyte, the UK's climate envoy, and Christiana Figueres, the diplomat who led the Paris Agreement, to ask if there's any hope at all for global climate plans.

--

Hear Christiana Figueres grill Ed Miliband on the Outrage and Optimism podcast: https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/episodes/inside-cop-ed-miliband-on-multilateralism-leadership-and-the-uks-climate-dilemma?hsLang=en

SAVE £££ THIS CHRISTMAS:

⭐️ Gift big ideas, bold politics, and proper journalism from just £2

LISTEN AD-FREE:

📱Download the New Statesman app

MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:

❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday

⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning

✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday

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