Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
This month, the world gathered in the Amazonian city of Belém for COP30, the UN’s annual climate summit. It was the first time in 30 years that the United States was absent from the talks. Todd Stern, former US Special Envoy for Climate Change under President Obama, spoke to the Lowy Institute’s Ryan Neelam on the ground in Belém about the impact of the US withdrawal from talks, the big issues at COP30, and the challenges and benefits of addressing climate change through multilateral frameworks.
Thumbnail image: “Belém Climate Summit - Photograph of the Heads of Delegation of the Climate Summit.” by UNclimatechange, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
This month, the world gathered in the Amazonian city of Belém for COP30, the UN’s annual climate summit. It was the first time in 30 years that the United States was absent from the talks. Todd Stern, former US Special Envoy for Climate Change under President Obama, spoke to the Lowy Institute’s Ryan Neelam on the ground in Belém about the impact of the US withdrawal from talks, the big issues at COP30, and the challenges and benefits of addressing climate change through multilateral frameworks.
Thumbnail image: “Belém Climate Summit - Photograph of the Heads of Delegation of the Climate Summit.” by UNclimatechange, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
