In this episode, we are unpacking how effective COP30 really was, did the promises match the expectations and where did world leaders deliver or fall short . COP 30 was held in Belém, the gateway to the Amazon. From extreme heat and climate-driven floods and fires to the political symbolism of choosing the Amazon over Rio, the setting shaped everything.

The expectations were high this year. Brazil promised a ‘forest-first COP,’ with more youth engagement, significant inclusion of indigenous communities and major moves on finance and fossil fuels. Our host Simon Chin Yee, from UCL’s School of Public Policy and one of our guest Elena, Climate Reality Project Central and Eastern Europe, both of whom attended COP30 shares their biggest takeaways from Belem.

Our other guest, Susannah Fisher, is a leading researcher and author whose new book on climate adaptation, Sink or Swim, was published in August (Sink Or Swim - Link to Susannah's latest book). In this episode, she explains why adaptation is a crucial part of the COP agenda and why it can’t be overlooked.

Credits:

Date of episode recording: 28th Nov 2026

Duration: 39:38

Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee
Producer: Adam Batstone

Guests:

Susannah Fisher – Author and Principal Research Fellow at Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction, UCL.
(Sink Or Swim - by Susannah's Fisher)

Elena-Alexandra Miron – Central and Eastern Europe Regional Organiser, Climate Reality Project.

This episode brings you the highlights from a special event from UCL marking 10 years since the Paris Agreement. Hear how it continues to influence policy, markets, and public debate — and what lies ahead as the world confronts climate change in an era of geopolitical turbulence.

Host Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Earth System Science) joins forces with Professor Lisa Vanhala (UCL Political Science) from the live event co‑hosted with the French Embassy in London, UCL’s European Institute, UCL Faculty of Laws and UCL's Grand Challenge for the Climate Crisis.

The event brought together diplomats, policymakers, and academics to reflect on the legacy, challenges, and future of the Paris Agreement and their hopes for COP30 in Brazil.

From the optimism of 2015 to the realities of climate governance in 2025, we bring you highlights and a sense of hope from the panel who explore whether multilateralism can survive political fragmentation, how markets are reshaping the clean energy transition, and how solidarity across nations is so challenging. Essential listening for anyone interested in climate governance, international cooperation, and the future of multilateralism.

Panel chaired by Professor Eloise Scotford (Dean of UCL Faculty of Laws), featuring:

• Dan Bradley (UK Mission to the EU)

• Adam Berman (Energy UK)

• Professor Jean Jouzel (CEA, Academy of Science)

• Dr Pedro Schilling de Carvalho (UCL)

• Professor Lisa Vanhala (UCL)

Date of episode recording: 12th November 2025

Duration: 00:46:52

Language of episode: English
Host: Professor Mark Maslin and Professor Lisa Vanhala

In this episode of Generation One, we’re exploring the importance of start-ups and the role of entrepreneurs in stepping up with ground breaking solutions to solve the climate crisis and what policy makers and organisations like UCL are doing to enable this.

Our hosts Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee are joined by three inspiring guests who share their experiences and insights on how entrepreneurship is driving a greener future, building climate-focused businesses, overcoming start-up challenges, and the crucial role investors and incubators play in scaling climate impact:

Alexandra Ranft, Senior Project Manager from UN Global Compact Network UK. The UN Global Compact’s aim is to mobilise a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want.

William Moore co-founder and CEO of Consus Energy and UCL alum (Geography 2025). Consus Energy was selected to join UCL’s Hatchery incubator programme, which provides co-working space and business support to UCL startups.

Simon Chaudhuri was a Strategic Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration and founded CIV:LAB, a nonprofit developing and funding place-based innovation programs across the US. Simon is also a Founding Fellow at the UCL Centre for Sustainable Business.

Credits:

Date of episode recording: 29th Oct 2025 and 5th of November 2025

Duration: 37:10

Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee

Organisations:

UN Global Compact Network UK, https://www.unglobalcompact.org.uk

Consus Energy https://www.consusenergy.com
UCL Hatchery https://www.ucl.ac.uk/enterprise/students Alongside your studies at UCL, did you know you can access UCL’s specialist free extra-curricular entrepreneurship programme?
CIV:LAB https://civ-lab.org

UCL School of Management https://www.mgmt.ucl.ac.uk/