Nature Nate is back for his take on COP30 in Belém, Brazil!. COP30 (November 10-21, 2025) has just wrapped up. Nate shares thoughts on COP30, with a recap on his attending Climate Week NYC 2025.

The geopolitical context of COP30 was front and center. The billion-dollar shortfall in the UN budget and the near-empty Loss and Damages Fund presented a major challenge.

The U.S. had pulled out of COP, but it’s not all bad news. Instead of participating on a federal level, 24 individual states representing 54% of the nation’s GDP have remained committed. This year, China has stepped forward with the largest delegation. It’s driving the EV revolution and creating financial realities that have led to the lowest-ever prices for wind, solar, and batteries.

There’s still a lot of work ahead. While the world currently possesses all the necessary tools and technologies to stop climate change at an effective price point (heat pumps, EVs, cheap renewables, energy storage), new challenges are arising. A major new complication is the drastically growing energy use of AI. This pressure is complicating carbon targets, with companies like Microsoft potentially missing net-zero goals, and is incentivizing the prolonged use of gas and coal plants to meet the new compute demand.

Plus, cool stories from Climate Week NYC, including Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, and an Australian mining company committed to "real zero" (and no carbon offsets).

(The episode was recorded on November 20, when countries still yet to reach a consensus on mapping out the “roadmap” to phase out fossil fuel.)

This is Waste Not Why Not, a climate podcast from Ghost Island Media. It's hosted by Nature N8 (Nate Maynard), a sustainability consultant working on energy, ocean, and waste.

Support us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/wastenotwhynot
Follow us on Twitter @wastenotpod

EPISODE CREDIT

Nate Maynard (@N8May), Host
Emily Y. Wu (@emilyywu), Producer
Wayne Tsai, Audio Editing
Zack Chiang, Production Assistant
Show logo by Southwicks Graphics
Theme tune by Dac Chang

A Ghost Island Media production (@ghostislandme)

Nature Nate is back for his take on COP30 in Bel&eacute;m, Brazil!. <a href="https://cop30.br/en">COP30</a> (November 10-21, 2025) has just wrapped up. Nate shares thoughts&nbsp;on COP30, with a recap on his attending Climate Week NYC 2025.
The geopolitical context of COP30 was front and center. The billion-dollar shortfall in the UN budget and the near-empty Loss and Damages Fund presented a major challenge.
The U.S. had pulled out of COP, but it&rsquo;s not all bad news. Instead of participating on a federal level, 24 individual states representing 54% of the nation&rsquo;s GDP have remained committed. This year, China has stepped forward with the largest delegation. It&rsquo;s driving the EV revolution and creating financial realities that have led to the lowest-ever prices for wind, solar, and batteries.
There&rsquo;s still a lot of work ahead. While the world currently possesses all the necessary tools and technologies to stop climate change at an effective price point (heat pumps, EVs, cheap renewables, energy storage), new challenges are arising. A major new complication is the drastically growing energy use of AI. This pressure is complicating carbon targets, with companies like Microsoft potentially missing net-zero goals, and is incentivizing the prolonged use of gas and coal plants to meet the new compute demand.
Plus, cool stories from Climate Week NYC, including Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, and an Australian mining company committed to "real zero" (and no carbon offsets).
(The episode was recorded on November 20, when countries still yet to reach a consensus on mapping out the &ldquo;roadmap&rdquo; to phase out fossil fuel.)
This is Waste Not Why Not, a climate podcast from Ghost Island Media. It's hosted by Nature N8 (Nate Maynard), a sustainability consultant working on energy, ocean, and waste.
Support us on Patreon: <a href="http://patreon.com/wastenotwhynot">http://patreon.com/wastenotwhynot </a>Follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/wastenotpod">@wastenotpod</a>
EPISODE CREDIT
Nate Maynard (<a href="https://twitter.com/N8MAY">@N8May</a>), Host Emily Y. Wu (<a href="https://twitter.com/emilyywu">@emilyywu</a>), Producer Wayne Tsai, Audio Editing Zack Chiang, Production Assistant Show logo by Southwicks Graphics Theme tune by Dac Chang
A Ghost Island Media production (<a href="https://twitter.com/ghostislandme">@ghostislandme</a>)

Waste Not Why Not (WNWN) is a podcast on climate and sustainability from Ghost Island Media in Taiwan. Debuted on Earth Day in 2019, it's hosted by Nature N8 (Nate Maynard), a sustainability consultant working on energy, ocean and waste. Media partner at AAAS Annual Meetings in 2020 and 2021. Recognized as a Circular Economy Solution by SITRA Fund in Finland, 2020. New season begins May 3, 2022.

鬼島之音旗下的英文節目，由環境研究員及顧問 Nate Maynard （自然8）主持，探討世界環境永續發展的重要議題，每集聊一個重要的概念、或是跟專家訪談、有時也會去田野採訪。2020及2021美國科學促進會(AAAS)年會媒體夥伴、受芬蘭創新基金會肯定為2020世界循環經濟解決方案。新一季於將於五月三日開播。

Waste Not Why Not (WNWN) is a podcast on climate and sustainability from Ghost Island Media in Taiwan. Debuted on Earth Day in 2019, it's hosted by Nature N8 (Nate Maynard), a sustainability consultant working on energy, ocean and waste. Media partner at AAAS Annual Meetings in 2020 and 2021. Recognized as a Circular Economy Solution by SITRA Fund in Finland, 2020. New season begins May 3, 2022. 鬼島之音旗下的英文節目，由環境研究員及顧問 Nate Maynard （自然8）主持，探討世界環境永續發展的重要議題，每集聊一個重要的概念、或是跟專家訪談、有時也會去田野採訪。2020及2021美國科學促進會(AAAS)年會媒體夥伴、受芬蘭創新基金會肯定為2020世界循環經濟解決方案。新一季於將於五月三日開播。

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