The Last Word with Matt Cooper Good Cop Or Bad Cop? Did Cop 30 Achieve Anything For Climate Action
Nov 27, 2025
John Gibbons, a climate scientist and commentator, shares insights on the challenges faced at COP30. He discusses the precarious state of the climate negotiations and how the push to phase out fossil fuels was contested. Notably, commitments on deforestation were notably absent, raising concerns. Gibbons also highlights significant renewable energy advancements in China, contrasting it with setbacks in the U.S. Lastly, he explains the alarming AMOC slowdown and its potential catastrophic effects on Ireland's climate and food security.
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COP Process Is Fragile But Continuing
- The COP process is alive but fragile and barely holding together after severe political headwinds.
- John Gibbons says keeping COP outcomes alive for COP31 counts as progress despite major backsliding.
Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Still Dodged
- COP30 failed to clearly commit to phasing out fossil fuels, repeating previous backtracking.
- Gibbons highlights that three decades in, phasing out carbon remains the central unresolved issue.
Deforestation Ignored At Amazon COP
- COP30 omitted deforestation despite being held in the Amazon region.
- Gibbons notes that forests as carbon sinks were ignored in the final document.