Episode 57: What happened at the climate negotiations in Bonn?
The 2025 edition of the June climate meetings in Bonn (formally ‘the sixty-second sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of the UNFCCC’, or ‘SB62’) took place 16 to 26 June. These meetings, which take place every year, constitute the only formal space for negotiations ahead of the COP, and are therefore very important. In this episode of the Climate Briefing, Anna and Ruth speak to Alden Meyer (Senior Associate at E3G) and Catherine Abreu (Director of the International Climate Politics Hub) about what the main outcomes of the conference were, what the key sticking points were, and what it all means for COP30.
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Episode 56: Using the law to advance (or deter?) climate action
Climate litigation is both a strategic tool for climate action and an increasingly common part of the litigation landscape. Recent legal rulings have huge potential implications for the accountability and financial liability of big emitters, including both corporations and national governments. Anna and Ruth talk to Joana Setzer, climate litigation and global environmental governance expert at London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute. Joana explains the growth in climate litigation, describes landmark cases and tells us what we might expect from climate litigation in the future.
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Episode 55: Saving the ocean
From plastic pollution to overfishing and climate change: the ocean is facing many severe threats. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 is focused on conserving and sustainably using the ocean and its resources. But what progress has been made in implementing this goal? Ahead of the 3rd UN Ocean Conference, Anna speaks to Ambassador Peter Thomson (the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean) about the state of the ocean, progress made in implementing SDG14, key next steps, and the potential of the UN conference to accelerate action.
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Episode 54: The Future of Climate Diplomacy 1: Simon Sharpe
Donald Trump’s return to the White House poses serious challenges to climate change action and governance, but even before his second term began not nearly enough was being done to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. In a series of conversations, Anna and Ruth interview thought leaders in the climate world about what the future of climate diplomacy should look like. Their first guest in this new mini-series is Simon Sharpe (Managing Director of S-Curve Economics and author of ‘Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics and Diplomacy of Climate Change’, with a previous career working on climate change issues within the UK Government).
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Episode 53: How to transform food systems
Food systems contribute to around a third of global emissions and have a substantial impact on a range of other areas too, including biodiversity and human health. Transforming food systems is critical for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. But how should this be done in practice? To find out, Anna and Ruth speak to Emma Williams (Head of the Secretariat of the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, ACF) and Richard King (Senior Research Fellow in the Environment and Society Centre of Chatham House). To learn more about food systems transformation and related areas, please see the following Chatham House outputs: The research paper ‘Aligning food systems with climate and biodiversity targets’, available here. The report ‘The emerging global crisis of land use’, available here.
Climate change and geopolitics meet in The Climate Briefing, assembling experts, scientists and leaders to tackle some of the thorniest challenges in sustainability.
Hosts Ruth Townend and Anna Åberg bring brilliant guests and big questions to Chatham House from around the world.
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