How big oil is holding back progress on the Paris Climate Agreement

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Feb 6, 2025

Christiana Figueres reflects on the Paris Climate Agreement's ten-year anniversary and the pushback from the fossil fuel lobby. The hosts discuss the emotional highs of the negotiations and the global commitment to tackle climate change. They explore climate-induced migration, predicting over a billion displaced by 2050. The shift from fossil fuels to renewables faces significant challenges, including the insurance industry's reaction to climate-related disasters. Wealth inequality's impact on climate action also sparks a critical conversation about necessary tax reforms.

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ANECDOTE

Paris Agreement Adoption

Christiana Figueres, Paul Dickinson, and Tom Rivett-Carnac reminisce about the 2015 Paris Agreement adoption.
They recall the emotional atmosphere and the feeling of global unity.

INSIGHT

Paris Agreement Goal

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding agreement adopted in 2015.
Its goal is to limit climate change impacts to a manageable range.

INSIGHT

Decarbonization Basis

The Paris Agreement aims to decarbonize the global economy over decades.
It lays the foundation, with specifics evolving over time.

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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 that marks its ten-year anniversary. With the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, she reveals the relentless pushback from the fossil fuel lobby, and the ever-shifting geopolitical tensions that threaten progress. Will the world stay on course, or are we teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe?

Co-hosts Paul Dickinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac recall the final hours of the deal being adopted, the extraordinary feeling of seeing the world come together in unanimous support of climate action and make their predictions for how the business and political worlds will move forward in a new era of leadership. As Donald Trump kicks off his second term with a raft of immigration policies, the hosts discuss how the number of people set to be displaced due to climate is set to exceed a billion by 2050. Plus, whether 2025 is the year the insurance industry reaches an existential crisis as climate-related weather events, like the LA fires, become uninsurable.

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Or understand more about today's episode:

Read about the state of California’s lawsuit against big oil.
Dive into the 25-page Paris Climate Agreement, or read the preamble for all the crucial context as recommended by Christiana Figueres.

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Producer: Nina Pullman

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas

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