The Climate Briefing

The crossover between water security and climate change is hugely important especially given that the next two COPs are taking place in Africa and the Middle East, both with a history of being water stressed. What should policymakers and negotiators from these regions working on water security focus on at COP27? What does it mean to achieve water security? What are the main barriers or challenges? How is water security relevant to climate change? Carol Chouchani Cherfane – Director, Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies; Cluster Leader, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Sareen Malik – Executive Secretary of the African Civil Society Network for Water and Sanitation (ANEW) and Vice Chair of the Steering Committee for the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Partnership Chair: Antony Froggatt – Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Environment and Society Programme, Chatham House This podcast was produced in collaboration with the UK Aid-funded Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development (K4D) programme which facilitates the use of evidence and learning in international development policy and programming.

The Climate Briefing podcast returns! The new season kicks off with an episode focusing on the next UN climate change conference (COP27), which takes place 7-18 November 2022 in Egypt. Anna speaks to Tom Evans from E3G about what the conference aims to achieve, what the main challenges are, and what needs to happen in the run-up to the summit to enable a good outcome.

Quamrul Chowdhury has been involved in the climate negotiations for almost three decades. He currently serves as a lead negotiator for the G77 and the least developed countries group, and is a member of Bangladesh's negotiating team. In this bonus episode of the Climate Briefing, Anna speaks to Mr. Chowdhury about the outcome of COP26. Find out more: COP26: What happened, what does this mean, and what happens next? >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/cop26-what-happened-what-does-mean-and-what-happens-next Undercurrents: COP26 analysis, and the politics of language survival >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/undercurrents-cop26-analysis-and-politics-language-survival How to ensure the COP26 forest declaration is a success >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/how-ensure-cop26-forest-declaration-success Credits: Speakers: Quamrul Chowdhury Host: Anna Aberg Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

What was achieved at COP26? And what do different parties make of the outcome? In this episode, Anna speaks to a range of negotiators, advisers and experts about the results of the Glasgow conference. Interviewees include Camilla Born (policy adviser to the COP26 president), Farhana Yamin (deputy-chair of the expert advisory group of the climate vulnerable forum), Jacob Werksman (head of the EU delegation), Isatou Camara (climate finance negotiator for the least developed countries group), and Aglaja Espelage (consultant at Perspectives Climate Group). Find out more: COP26: What happened, what does this mean, and what happens next? >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/cop26-what-happened-what-does-mean-and-what-happens-next Undercurrents: COP26 analysis, and the politics of language survival >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/undercurrents-cop26-analysis-and-politics-language-survival How to ensure the COP26 forest declaration is a success >> https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/11/how-ensure-cop26-forest-declaration-success Credits: Speakers: Camilla Born, Isatou Camara, Aglaja Espelage, Jacob Werksman Farhana Yamin Host: Anna Aberg Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

Due to gender inequalities, women are disproportionately affected by climate change, and Indigenous women and women in the Global South are on the front lines of these impacts. The UNFCCC has increasingly recognised these gender-differentiated impacts and the need to support the leadership of women and girls in addressing them. In this episode, Nina Jeffs (Schwarzman Academy Fellow in the Environment and Society Programme) explores the relationship between gender and climate change. First she speaks with two young climate justice activists - Renata Koch Alvarenga and Zainab Yunusa - to find out more about how climate change is affecting women and girls in Brazil and Nigeria, and how women and girls are leading solutions to these challenges. Then she is joined by Gotelind Alber (Co-founder of Gender CC) to discover how gender-responsive approaches are being embedded within UNFCCC negotiations. Read more: Glasgow Womens Leadership Statement on gender equality and climate change: https://www.gov.scot/publications/glasgow-womens-leadership-statement-gender-equality-climate-change/ Credits: Speakers: Gotelind Alber, Renata Koch Alvarenga, Zainab Yunusa Host: Nina Jeffs Editor: James Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House

COP26 is finally upon us, and The Climate Briefing team are on the ground in Glasgow to bring you all of the latest updates and developments from the summit. In this episode, Ben introduces a round-up of the first week of the negotiations. Antony Froggatt (Deputy Director, Environment & Society Programme at Chatham House) provides an overview of the key agenda items at COP26, including the updated NDCs and progress on adaptation, finance and the Paris Rulebook. Then Nina Jeffs (Academy Fellow, Environment & Society Programme at Chatham House) explains some new developments on the interrelationship between gender and climate action, including the newly announced Glasgow Women's Leadership Statement. These interviews are followed by conversations with two youth activists. Calling from Botswana, Pato Kelesitse (Host of the Sustain 267 podcast) shares her perspective on how to amplify African expertise and priorities within the climate negotations. Finally, UN Youth Delegate for Iceland Finnur Ricart Andrason joins Ben on the fringes of the conference to discuss how far youth voices are being meaningfully engaged with at COP26. Read the Chatham House Expert Comments: COP26: Preliminary progress as world leaders exit Climate finance is the elephant in the room at COP26 Explore Chatham House's activities at COP26: https://chathamhouse.cplus.live/sign-up/chatham-house-climate-risk-and-security-pavilion Credits: Speakers: Finnur Ricart Andrason, Antony Froggatt, Nina Jeffs, Pato Kelesitse Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Sound Services Recorded and produced by Chatham House Please note: this episode was recorded on Friday 5 November.

The crises of climate change and biodiversity destruction are closely linked. In this episode, Anna speaks to Sam Geall (CEO of China Dialogue, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, and Associate Faculty at the University of Sussex) about ongoing efforts within the UN to agree a new international biodiversity framework. The interview also zooms in on China's evolving role in international climate and environmental politics. Kindly note that this interview was recorded on the 26th of October - before China announced its new nationally determined contribution.

A series of recent scientific studies have found that the world is on course for global warming far exceeding the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile across the globe communities are grappling with extreme weather events and natural disasters related to the climate crisis. But beyond the obvious impacts of climate change, a whole host of further risks are emerging, exacerbated by the interconnectedness of the global economy. To find out more about these 'cascading' climate risks, Ben speaks to Professor Tim Benton, Director of the Environment & Society Programme at Chatham House. Read the Chatham House research papers: What near-term climate impacts should worry us most? Climate change risk assessment 2021

September 2021 saw a series of significant diplomatic events which could be key to successful climate negotiations at COP26. Now with mere weeks to go before the main event, attention is increasing on the major actors in Glasgow. To find out the state of play, Anna speaks with Bernice Lee, Hoffmann Distinguished Fellow for Sustainability at Chatham House. Read The World Today article: Ideology: Storms lie ahead in clash of climate champions Credits: Speaker: Bernice Lee Host: Anna Aberg Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced at Chatham House

The G20 - an international gathering of leaders from 19 major states and the European Union - has a significant role to play in coordinating global action on climate change. Accounting for around two-thirds of the world's population and by some estimates 84% of global carbon emissions, agreeing on reforms within this forum could be a game-changer ahead of COP26. In July 2021, G20 ministerial meetings are taking place ahead of the leaders summit in October. To assess the prospects for progress on climate change at the G20, Ben is joined by Luca Bergamaschi, co-founder of ECCO, the Italian climate think tank. Watch the Chatham House event: John Kerry on the urgency of climate action Read the Chatham House briefing: Kick-starting the green recovery Credits: Speaker: Luca Bergamaschi Host: Ben Horton Editor: Jamie Reed Recorded and produced by Chatham House