Ten years ago, on 12 December, 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement was concluded at COP21. IDDRI and RFI present a series of documentary podcasts on the progress and outlook, on a global scale, of the fight against climate change.
In eight episodes, key players—politicians, economists, activists, and experts—provide informed and critical perspectives on the changes observed in daily life, economic sectors, consumption patterns, politics, and greenhouse gas emissions.
This series, coproduced by IDDRI and RFI, is a must-listen to learn, understand, and grasp both the progress made and the climate emergency that still lies ahead, and to discover the innovative ideas championed by next decade’s key players.
A documentary podcast series by Sophie Larmoyer
Brigitte Béjean, editorial director
David Roe from RFI coordinated the English version
Listen to the episodes in English on RFI's website
French episodes:
Liste des épisodes
Episode One: behind the scenes of a historic agreement
This eight-part podcast series examines the Paris Agreement ten years on, featuring global climate leaders discussing progress, challenges and the dramatic power shift towards emerging economies. It explores how multilateral cooperation has evolved despite geopolitical fractures, from industrial transformation and innovative financing to changing climate leadership rules.This episode examines the discussions and politics leading to the agreement's signing. The series draws on 28 interviews with climate experts conducted worldwide.The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Episode Two: the decarbonisation quest
Ten years after Paris, this eight-part series brings together leading voices on climate action to assess what's been achieved and what's gone wrong. Through conversations with experts from across the globe, it charts how international cooperation has adapted amid rising geopolitical tensions, tracks the evolution of climate finance and policy, and examines the shifting balance of influence as developing nations claim greater authority.This episode focuses on worldwide efforts to reduce carbon emissions and evaluates their outcomes.The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Episode Three: energy, the key to success
This eight-part podcast series examining the Paris Agreement ten years on, featuring global climate leaders discussing progress, challenges, and the dramatic shift in power towards emerging economies. The series explores how multilateral cooperation has evolved despite geopolitical fractures, from industrial transformation and innovative financing to the changing rules of climate leadership. This episode looks at need for energy and how its production is aggravating the climate crisis. The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Episode Four: climate crises - the urgency to adapt
This eight-part podcast series examining the Paris Agreement ten years on, featuring global climate leaders discussing progress, challenges, and the dramatic shift in power towards emerging economies. The series explores how multilateral cooperation has evolved despite geopolitical fractures, from industrial transformation and innovative financing to the changing rules of climate leadership. This episode looks at the challenges in adapting to climate change.The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Episode Five: How to face climate challenges in a fragmented world?
This eight-part podcast series examining the Paris Agreement ten years on, featuring global climate leaders discussing progress, challenges, and the dramatic shift in power towards emerging economies. The series explores how multilateral cooperation has evolved despite geopolitical fractures, from industrial transformation and innovative financing to the changing rules of climate leadership. This episode examines how the optimistic "Spirit of Paris" from the 2015 COP21 climate summit has dissipated amid years of geopolitical disruption and global instability. The podcast is based on 28 interviews carried out globally by journalist Sophie Larmoyer on behalf of IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Finances, le cœur du sujet
L’Afrique abrite 60 % des meilleures ressources solaires au monde, mais elle n’a comptabilisé que 2 % des investissements mondiaux dans les énergies propres au cours de l’année écoulée. Ce simple constat illustre le défi du financement de la transition énergétique, de l’atténuation des gaz à effet de serre et de l’adaptation. Les flux financiers sont insuffisants et souvent mal orientés. Comment mieux prendre en compte les besoins qui émanent des pays en développement? Comment réformer la Banque mondiale et le FMI dans la bonne direction ? De nouveaux acteurs de la finance émergent, se libérant de la tutelle des anciennes puissances. Et dans le contexte d’une forte pression sur les finances publiques partout dans le monde, le débat sur la création de nouvelles taxes - sur le carbone, l’avion, le carburant des navires - mûrit et prend de l’ampleur.
La société civile, moteur du changement ?
La dimension sociale de la transition, que la France a découvert avec la crise des gilets jaunes, est devenue, partout dans le monde, la clé de l’acceptation des bouleversements que nous devons enclencher ou accélérer pour le climat. Les 90.000 employés du secteur du charbon en Afrique du Sud ne peuvent pas rester au bord de la route : la transition juste est le maître mot des négociations climatiques. Avec une société civile toujours penchée sur l’épaule des dirigeants, même si la génération Greta marque le pas. Les peuples autochtones, maintenant, se font entendre. Enjeux croisés du climat avec le développement, la démocratie, la lutte contre la désinformation : non, décidément, le backlash environnemental n’est pas une prophétie auto-réalisatrice.
Après la COP 30, comment continuer à coopérer ?
Parmi les 28 interlocuteurs du monde entier qui se sont exprimés au fil des épisodes de ce podcast, aucun n’a l’intention de baisser les bras, quelle que soit la lourdeur du contexte des deux ou trois dernières années. Dans cet ultime épisode, ils ouvrent des perspectives pour la prochaine décennie. Où seront les nouvelles alliances ? Que peut faire le Brésil, qui accueille la prochaine COP, et qui est moteur au sein du groupe des BRICS ? Que va devenir le commerce mondial ? Aurons-nous encore des règles en commun ? Le mot de la fin sera à une jeune activiste tchadienne : « pensez-vous que nous avons le privilège de perdre espoir ? »
