This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support for the most vulnerable. Yet, Christiana describes the agreement as “paltry at best,” highlighting the yawning chasm between what was agreed upon and what is truly necessary to address the climate crisis. For those advocating for an ambitious, needs-based outcome, this year’s COP was a bruising experience—marked by frustration, hurt, and disappointment. The hosts share their thoughts on the controversies surrounding Azerbaijan's COP presidency and the challenges faced by negotiators committed to transformational change. Finally, the team welcomes a very special guest: superstar producer Clay Carnill. As Clay prepares to leave the show, the hosts reflect on his incredible contributions to Outrage + Optimism—from the early days to now. Known for his humour, joy, unparalleled talent, attention-to-detail, professionalism, musicality and general all-round awesomeness, Clay has been a cornerstone of the podcast’s success. He will be deeply missed by the entire team. We send Clay off with all our love—and best wishes for him (and the Detroit Lions!) on the journey ahead. 🎧 Tune in for reflections, critiques, and heartfelt goodbyes. NOTES AND RESOURCES
I’m glad we got a deal at COP29 - but western nations stood in the way of a much better one by Mukhtar Babayev
December Mailbag Episode We would LOVE to hear your questions for our end of year listener Mailbag episode. Whether it is your questions on our most recent How to Live a Good Life series, questions on the recent COPs or everything and anything in between. Please either: Send us an email: contact@globaloptimism.com with Climate Questions: December Mailbag in the title. Visit our social media pages and drop the question in the comments. Alternatively, if you want the chance for your message to be played on the show, record a message for us here
Listener Survey Help shape the podcast for 2025! If you haven’t yet completed our annual listener survey, we’d be so grateful if you can spare 10 minutes to complete it here. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want more of from Outrage + Optimism. GUEST Clay Carnill Website | Patreon | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email
Learn more about the Paris Agreement.
It’s official, we’re a TED Audio Collective Podcast - Proof! Check out more podcasts from The TED Audio Collective
Please follow us on social media!
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Плейлист
Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast
Are women the key to solving the climate crisis? Why are they - and children - so disproportionately affected by the issue? And how can men step up to support change? To mark International Women’s Day...
Development programmes across the world are still reeling from the swingeing cuts to USAID, whilst other western nations such as the UK and Germany have announced plans to scale back their own aid com...
How does a nation transform its forest coverage from 21% to 60% in half a century? What are the policies that can place nature at the very heart of political thinking? And why does Christiana Figueres...
What is the future of climate action? Having previously interrogated the failures of multilateralism in the years since the Paris Agreement was signed, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul...
Christiana Figueres, the driving force behind the groundbreaking Paris Climate Agreement, reflects on the high-stakes negotiations that reshaped the global fight against climate change in the year tha...
What’s an NDC? What does El Niño tell us about global temperatures this year? And why could a landmark ICJ ruling unlock a wave of climate legal cases? Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac, and Paul...
What will a Trump presidency mean for the climate movement? Hours after Trump takes office for the second time, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson regroup to take stock and shar...
The devastating fires in LA have dominated the headlines in a dramatic start to 2025. Christiana Figueres,Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson discuss their link with climate, as the newly-released Co...
Outrage + Optimism is for anyone who is not ready to give up on making the world a better place. Feeling exhausted at the thought of keeping up with climate news ahead of this pivotal year? Join Chris...
How can you reduce the environmental impact of your cat or dog? What’s the best way to prepare for climate breakdown? And how should you talk to children about climate? Christiana, Paul and Tom wrap...
Ben Rhodes—writer, political commentator, and former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama—joins the host team to dissect the challenges of a Trump 2.0 administration. Rhodes issu...
This week, Christiana, Tom and Paul tackle the latest on the global plastics treaty (known as INC-5), which ended last week without a deal. Why were countries unable to agree a deal despite the huge...
This week, the team dives into the dramatic highs and lows of COP29 in Baku. With negotiations stretching into the final hours, a hard-fought finance deal emerged to bolster climate action and support...
This week, our hosts talk about what’s been happening - and not happening - in Rio and Baku. Christiana clarifies the mandate of COPs and advocates for COP processes and presidencies to be separate f...
Recorded live from COP29 in the UK Pavilion in Baku, Bigger, Better, Bolder: Updating NDCs in Line with 1.5 Degrees captures an energetic dialogue on the crucial role of bold leadership in climate act...
Recorded Live at the UK COP Pavilion and moderated by Tom, ‘From Call to Action: the Bridgetown Initiative and delivering Global Financial System Reform’ is an inspiring conversation between Barbados...
This week, Paul and Tom are joined by Tony Goldner, from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Tony helps make sense of what happened at the recent Biodiversity COP in Colombia and di...
As the news of Donald Trump’s 2024 US election victory makes headlines around the world, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson unpack Trump and Harris’s campaign and discuss the im...
This week, Christiana has a fascinating window into the Biodiversity COP negotiations underway in Colombia. From Cali, she’s joined by Freya Newman and Irene Suarez Perez from the Global Optimism team...
This week, as part of our focus on biodiversity during COP 16, we're excited to share a special crossover episode! In the first part of this exciting episode, join Christiana, Tom, and Ben Goldsmith f...
This week, our hosts dive into The Rio Trio! No, this is not the name of a new cocktail but three COPs (Biodiversity in Colombia, Climate in Azerbaijan and Desertification in Saudi Arabia) which are a...
In the final episode of our How to Live a Good Life series, Tom, Paul and Christiana discuss the personal quandary of whether or not to have children in the midst of what appears to be significant cli...
Newsflash: In this urgent episode recorded on Friday, October 11th, Tom, Paul, and Christiana come together to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The hosts express their f...
SHOW NOTES: In the penultimate episode of our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis, our hosts talk about food and food systems. How can we enjoy meals while eating responsibly? Tom, Pau...
Welcome to the third episode in our How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, where our hosts grapple with some of the fiercest climate conundrums we face. This week, Tom, Paul and Christia...
Is it OK to Fly in a Climate Crisis? In episode 2 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the hosts grapple with one of most divisive issues for those concerned with climate change...
In episode 1 of our How To Live A Good Life in a Climate Crisis series, the Outrage + Optimism hosts introduce you to their new mini series and discuss how they define a good life. For the next few we...
Since Dr Stephan Harding passed away in September 2024, he has been deeply mourned by the climate community, many of whom have been touched and inspired by his life and work. In honour of his extraor...
How to Live a Good Life in a Climate Crisis The Outrage + Optimism team are excited to bring you a series that confronts the big questions we ask ourselves whilst living in a climate crisis. Join host...
In this special weekend edition of the podcast, hosts Tom, Christiana, and Paul catch up with The Rt Hon David Lammy, the UK’s new Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affa...