It’s late into week two of negotiations at COP29, and delegates still appear far from consensus. But plans are already underway for COP30. Next year’s climate conference is set to take place in Belem, Brazil, a gateway to the Amazon rainforest. André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil’s Secretary for Climate, Energy and the Environment tells Akshat Rathi that although holding a global summit in Belem poses logistical challenges, the symbolism of the location holds “fantastic political power.”

Explore further:

• Past episode about Azerbaijan’s challenges with hosting COP29 in Baku
• Past episode with Brazil's chief climate negotiator, Liliam Chagas, about the viability of a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty
• Past episode with ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, about his decision to attend COP29

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. to Simone Iglesias, Siobhan Wagner, Ethan Steinberg, Blake Maples, and Jessica Bank. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

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At COP29 in Baku, Akshat Rathi is joined on stage at Bloomberg Green’s live event by Ali Zaidi, President Biden’s National Climate Advisor. Zaidi argues that it would be “economic malpractice” for the Trump administration to abandon the energy transition. Plus, veteran climate diplomat Jonathan Pershing explains why he believes global competition will result in an “acceleration of action” on green policy.

Explore further:

• Past episode with Ali Zaidi on the momentum generated by passing the IRA
• Past episode with California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna on what Trump’s election means for US climate policy
• Past episode with COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev on what would make this conference a success

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Jen Dlouhy, Sharon Chen, Siobhan Wagner, Ethan Steinberg, Blake Maples, and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

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Climate leaders from around the world have convened in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN’s biggest annual climate conference, COP29. And this year, it’s all about money.

Member nations are negotiating over how much responsibility rich countries have to finance the energy transitions of smaller economies. But larger global tensions loom over the proceedings — including the reelection of Donald Trump.

In this episode of the Big Take, Bloomberg’s senior climate reporter and host of Zero Akshat Rathi calls in from COP29 to update host Sarah Holder on the unfolding negotiations and how America’s new president-elect changes the conversation.

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Reporter Akshat Rathi sits down with ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, who made his second-ever appearance at the United Nations climate conference. Woods made the case for why incoming US president Donald Trump shouldn’t exit the Paris Agreement, and should uphold the country’s monumental climate legislation passed under the Biden administration. It’s quite the tone shift for a company that has a well-documented history of sowing doubt about the dangers of global warming. Listen now, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube to get new episodes of Zero every Thursday.

Explore further:

• Past episode about what’s at stake at COP29 in the aftermath of President Trump’s election
• Past episode about the infamous fossil fuel lobbyist Don Pearlman and his role in the COP process
• Past episode with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on why its green goals are good for business

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks to Kevin Crowley, Jen Dlouhy, Siobhan Wagner, Aaron Rutkoff, Jessica Beck and Ethan Steinberg. Thanks also to the Atlantic Council, the International Chamber of Commerce and Uve Sabirowsky. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

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Zero is in Baku, Azerbaijan, where delegates and heads of state from around the world have gathered for COP29. Can a petrostate make a summit on decarbonization a success? And how much will the election of President Trump damage the US’s credibility on climate– and set negotiations back? Akshat Rathi tells producer Mythili Rao what’s in store in the two weeks ahead, and COP29 President Mukhtar Babyaev explains how Azerbaijan is trying to make the summit a success, despite concerns that NGOs and protesters will have limited access to the proceedings. Plus, Columbia University’s Jason Bordoff explains how the US’s role in climate diplomacy is about to change.

Explore further:

• Past episode with Avinash Persaud about the big fights about finance expected at this COP
• Past episode about a play dramatizing COP3, the 1997 Kyoto summit
• Past episode about the achievements of COP28 in Dubai

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Siobhan Wagner, Blake Maples, and Ethan Steinberg. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

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Donald Trump’s re-election as the US president drastically changes the climate and energy equation—in the US and around the world. This week, Akshat Rathi speaks with California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna about what Americans can do to sustain action on climate and clean energy. He also talks to Columbia University’s Jason Bordoff about how much Trump could boost fossil fuels.

Explore further:

• Past episode about President Trump’s climate plans
• Past episode about the fights over money brewing at COP29
• Past episode with Colombia’s environment minister Susana Muhamad about fossil fuel nonproliferation

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks to Siobhan Wagner, Monique Mulima, Ethan Steinberg, Mohsis Andam and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

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Be in the know this election with Bloomberg Podcasts. Follow Bloomberg News Now for up-to-the minute election results, all night long. And go deeper with The Big Take podcast, featuring in-depth global analysis of the US election every day this week.

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In fractured times, what does it take to reach agreement? That’s the question writers Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson set out to explore in a play about the drama of climate negotiations. Kyoto, which ran at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer, tells the story of the 1997 Kyoto Summit as seen through the eyes of Don Pearlman, a notorious fossil fuel lobbyist and chain-smoking lawyer dubbed “the high priest of the Carbon Club” by der Speigel. Actor Stephen Kunken, who plays Pearlman, tells Akshat Rathi why he was drawn to the character, and what Kyoto can teach us about how agreement is achieved. This episode first ran in July 2024.

Explore further:

• Past episode with Al Gore about breaking the petrostates stranglehold on climate progress
• Past episode about climate change storytelling with Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Ministry for the Future
• Past episode with Extrapolations writer and executive producer Dorothy Fortenberry about the growing demand for climate stories

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Kira Bindrim, Alicia Clanton, Anna Mazarakis, and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.