"A Very, Very Big Deal." Countries Take On Fossil Fuels
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What event does the episode focus on regarding climate change?
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Hey, Shore Wavers. Emily Kwong here with Julia Simon from NPR's Climate Desk. Hey, Julia. Hey, Emily. It's so good to be here. I'm so excited to talk to you because you just got back from COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, at the edge of the Amazon rainforest. How was it?
Well, I would say eventful is a good word to describe it. The conference took place in these big plastic tents. And the day before the conference was supposed to end, I was on the phone with my editor in the U.S., Sadie Babbitts. And then people started running through the tent saying, there's a fire. Okay, there's really a fire. Jesus effing Christ, Sadie. Oh, no. I know. I got to move on. Sadie's telling me to get out of here. The Brazilians are being set and they speak my language. Well, what happened? It seems to have been an electrical issue. Something caught fire. There was a huge blaze enveloping part of the tent. At least a dozen people were treated for smoke inhalation. Tens of thousands of us were evacuated.
But when I ran out of the tent, the first thing I did was find this guy named Andres Gomez.
What happened during the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil?
Because Emily, today's podcast, it's not about the fire. It's about what was supposed to happen just 15 minutes after the fire broke out. Andres is from Colombia, and he was working with the Colombian government and a group of about 20 other countries to make this big announcement. Something that climate experts say promised to be one of the most important things to come out of this conference. Yikes. So you guys are trying to reschedule, I'm guessing?
Who knows? We need everything to calm down and condemn the Colombian government.
Oh, man. Today on the show, what almost didn't happen at the climate conference in Brazil.
A fire upends a major announcement about tackling the biggest driver of global warming, fossil fuels.
came to Berlin with a clear goal. Keep the 1.5 limit, within reach, of course, and align with science. This is a powerful word, science. We need to trust science.
Will this announcement happen? Will it not happen? Stay with us.
I'm going to stress eat chocolate. Anyone want to do that?
That would be a lovely idea. Thank you. You're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.
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Okay, Julia, so before we talk about whether this announcement happens or not, what was on the table at this year's UN Climate Conference called COP30?
Well, quick refresher course, about 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions heating our planet, Emily, they... from burning fossil fuels. Facts.
Burning coal, oil, and natural gas is the single biggest driver of global warming. Exactly.
And for the past 30 years, countries have been coming to these UN climate conferences to discuss how to tackle global warming. But many countries say these conferences, they're called COPs, do not have nearly enough emphasis on the need to transition away from fossil fuels. Again, which is the main driver of climate change. I spoke to Juan Carlos Monterey, he's special representative for climate change of Panama, about this topic.
Every time that we come to this COP, we try to re-debate science. We try to avoid talking about fossil fuels. It's really, really stupid. It's like trying to deal with a patient that has COVID, but not treating the patient for COVID.
Yeah, Emily, it took 28 years for the COP agreement to even mention transitioning away from fossil fuels.
I imagine that's really frustrating for so many countries who come to this conference.
What frustrations do countries express about fossil fuel discussions?
I would say some of the countries I spoke to would say frustrating is an understatement.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What event does the episode focus on regarding climate change?
0:00–1:28
2
What happened during the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil?
1:28–4:23
3
What frustrations do countries express about fossil fuel discussions?
4:23–5:58
4
What is the significance of the proposed roadmap away from fossil fuels?
5:58–8:09
5
Who are the key players advocating for change in fossil fuel policies?
8:09–12:37
6
What is the Santa Marta Conference and its goals?
12:37–14:50
7
How does the Santa Marta Conference aim to differ from COP meetings?
14:50–14:55
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Short Wave
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