US Absent From Global Climate Conference

Summary

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Podcast Summary

What A Day — US Absent From Global Climate Conference

Host: Jane Coaston (Crooked Media)
Episode Date: November 20, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the landmark 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) held in Belem, Brazil, which notably occurs without any official US government delegation for the first time. Jane Coaston analyzes the implications of America’s absence, examines California Governor Gavin Newsom’s solo participation, and investigates the amplified role of indigenous activists. Coaston also covers recent statements by Elon Musk on AI and work, and delivers a roundup of major US and global political news.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. COP30: A Historic Absence of the United States

• Setting & Symbolism: COP30 is hosted in Belem, deep in the Amazon, to draw attention to the role of tropical forests and to showcase Brazil’s reduced deforestation efforts.
  • Somini Sengupta (03:03): “Brazil chose it because it really wanted to draw attention to tropical forests and the Amazon in particular. It's considered the lungs of the planet... under President Lula, they've been kind of successful in slowing down deforestation.”
• US Government Nonattendance: For the first time, senior US officials skip COP, highlighting the Trump administration’s direction.
  • Jane Coaston (06:28): “In surprise, to probably not very many people, the Trump administration did not send any officials to COP 30 this year.”

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2. Indigenous Leadership and Activism at COP30

• Unprecedented Indigenous Involvement: More indigenous leaders, particularly from South America, are both participating in and protesting outside COP30, demanding land rights and immediate climate action.
  • Somini Sengupta (04:13): “They have really increasingly put that [land rights] at the center of these big international climate negotiations... forests that are actually controlled by indigenous communities, the research shows that they're better protected.”
• Focus on Land Rights: Indigenous activists underline that protection of nature requires respecting their territorial rights.
  • Indigenous Protester, via Democracy Now (02:15): “We are here fighting for our land, for our wildlife, for our birds that are facing extinction. We are here at this COP for results.”

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3. US Leadership: The “California Effect”

• Gavin Newsom as De Facto US Climate Rep: Newsom attends and forges partnerships with nations like Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, positioning California as a stable and proactive US player on climate, in contrast to federal inaction.
  • Gavin Newsom (01:25): “The United States of America is dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not... we are going to assert ourselves.”
  • Somini Sengupta (07:53): “He was there also to make side deals with different states, to share knowledge and to share research, stuff like that... all his events were totally mobbed.”
• China Enters the Vacuum: China’s consistent investment in clean energy technology positions it as the “clean energy superpower,” growing global influence as the US falters.
  • Somini Sengupta (09:00): “While the US is really doubling down on oil and gas, China has spent the last 10 years turning itself into the clean energy superpower in the world.”

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4. Issues and Outcomes Expected from COP30

• Three Major Focal Points:
  1. Financing Adaptation: Securing funds for poorer nations to adapt to climate disruptions.
  2. Roadmap to Phase Out Fossil Fuels: Negotiating controversial commitments to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
  3. Surviving Diplomacy: Reasserting the relevance and mechanics of climate diplomacy in the face of global political turbulence.
  • Somini Sengupta (11:11): “Can they just keep the idea and the mechanics of international climate diplomacy alive in a moment like this? That's really the big test for this COP.”

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5. Extended Headlines & Developments

Elon Musk on AI and “Optional” Work

• At the US-Saudi Investment Forum, Elon Musk predicted AI would make working optional and eventually render money “irrelevant.”
  • Elon Musk (16:01): “My prediction is that work will be optional... at some point currency becomes irrelevant.”
  • Jane Coaston (16:57): “The man who has accumulated more money than anyone in history tells the rest of us, sure, you don’t have this, but don’t worry, it won’t matter soon. But also, I’m keeping all of mine.”
• Counterpoint: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested AI will change—not eliminate—jobs, possibly making life busier.

Trump Administration Foreign and Domestic Policy News

• Ukraine Peace Plan: New US-Russia Ukraine talks would cede key parts of eastern Ukraine to Russia in exchange for security guarantees for Ukraine—a proposal seen as highly controversial and risky.
• CFPB Director Nomination: Trump’s nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to be a placeholder, as the administration continues efforts to dismantle the agency.
• Contempt Proceedings Over Deportations: A federal judge seeks to probe who authorized contested deportations after court intervention.

US-Saudi Relations

• Trump gives Saudi Arabia F-35s and NATO-like guarantees despite past human rights abuses, underscoring deepening ties.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Governor Gavin Newsom (01:25):
  “The United States of America is dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not. And so we are going to assert ourselves.”

• Indigenous Protester, interpreted (02:15):
  “We are here fighting for our land, for our wildlife, for our birds that are facing extinction. We are here at this COP for results. We ask that Brazilian President Lula come and demarcate the land so that the illegal miners don't enter our land and our river.”

• Somini Sengupta (07:53):
  “He [Newsom] is the stable American partner to the rest of the world, which is, you know, America's not exactly been a stable partner over the last couple of decades.”

• Elon Musk (16:01):
  “My prediction is that work will be optional... at some point currency becomes irrelevant.”

• Jane Coaston (16:57):
  “When did Elon start talking like the guy you most regret speaking to outside a Widespread Panic concert?”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• COP30 Background & Newsom’s Role: 00:02–02:37
• Indigenous Activism at COP30: 02:37–05:50
• Impact of US Government Absence: 06:28–07:44
• China’s Strategic Advantage: 08:39–10:59
• Three Big COP30 Outcomes: 11:11–12:41
• Elon Musk on AI & Work: 16:01–16:57
• Ukraine, CFPB, Saudi Headline Roundup: 16:57–22:00

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Conclusion

This episode of "What a Day" delivers comprehensive context and sharp analysis of US disengagement from international climate leadership at COP30, highlights the strategic moves of both sub-national US actors and China, and presents the urgency voiced by indigenous communities. It rounds out with a wry look at tech and political news, true to the podcast’s promise of substantive, insightful, and relatable commentary.

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Transcript

[Jane Coston]

It's Thursday, November 20th. I'm Jane Coston, and this is what a day. The show that has learned Parmigiano Reggiano. Yes, the cheese has signed with a talent agency. Okay, to be clear, it's the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium that has signed with United Talent Agency to get the cheese placement in movies and television shows. Well, I happen to have a show and I would love to see Parmigiano Reggiano get a prominent place in my lunch. I mean, podcast. On today's show, Elon Musk has some good news for us. AI will make working optional. Wait, maybe that's bad news. And President Donald Trump nominates a new director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Kind of. But let's start with the 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP 30. I know a lot has been going on, especially in Washington, but for the last two weeks, a critically important climate conference has been taking place in Belem, Brazil. For the first time ever, the United States did not send a delegation to the conference, but California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom attended last week, announcing that his state has formed new partnerships with Colombia, Chile, and Brazil to focus on climate change prevention and clean energy. He argued that while the US May be ignoring climate change, California isn't China.

[Gavin Newsom]

They're not interested in this debate. They are flooding the zone and they're going to dominate in the next great global industry. So I'm here as well from an economic prison. The United States of America is dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not. And so we are going to assert ourselves. We're going to lean in and we are going to compete in this space.

[Jane Coston]

Very presidential, one might say. The conference has also seen massive protests from indigenous people who say that they are facing the brunt of climate change and need global leaders to do something about it. People from native tribes across South America, from the Andean mountains to the Amazon rainforest, came to COP30 to demand better. Here is a protester speaking earlier this week, interpreted by Democracy Now.

[Indigenous Protester]

We are here fighting for our land, for our wildlife, for our birds that are facing extinction. We are here at this COP for results. We ask that Brazilian President Lula come and demarcate the land so that the illegal miners don't enter our land and our river.

[Jane Coston]

So for more on COP30, I spoke to Somini Sengupta. She's an international climate reporter for the New York Times who was in Brazil for the start of the conference. Somini, welcome to Water day.

[Somini Sengupta]

Nice to be here.

[Jane Coston]

So the COP30 summit is being held in Belem, Brazil. Why did Brazilian leaders choose this city as the location for the summit?

[Somini Sengupta]

Good question. A lot of people were wondering that because it's a little bit hard to get to. It's pretty much like in the Amazon rainforest. And Brazil chose it because it really wanted to draw attention to tropical forests and the Amazon in particular. It's considered the lungs of the planet. Super important in, like, absorbing carbon. And under this Brazilian government of President Lula, they've been kind of successful in slowing down deforestation. So, you know, he wanted to show that off, too. I got to say, being a tropical swamp creature myself, I was born in the Bay of Bengal Delta, and it was, like, hot and steamy and funky, and it was great. I loved it.

[Jane Coston]

I also, I love the way in which COP30 really tried to emphasize the role that indigenous leaders play in the fight against climate change. But it was interesting because you had more indigenous leaders taking part in the summit this year, but also a number of protests by indigenous groups with regard to the summit. So what did that look like, and what are some of the main issues that indigenous leaders have been trying to spotlight?

[Somini Sengupta]

Well, indigenous leaders are making the case that you can't talk about nature protection and solving climate change without talking about our rights to maintain our territories and to have control over our territories. So they have really increasingly put that at the center of these big international climate negotiations. This was unusual for the robust, palpable presence of indigenous leaders, many of them from Brazil, because, you know, we were in the Amazon, we were in the territory of indigenous communities, but also from across Latin America. Brazil had made an effort to make sure that many of them had the official accreditation to be in the conference. But, you know, there were also others who were not in the conference and who were protesting outside. One of their main issues was land rights, again, the right to control their territories. Also, because it's a pretty good climate fix and a nature fix. The areas, the forests, that are actually controlled by indigenous communities, the research shows that they're better protected. Biodiversity in those forests are far greater than other forests that they don't control. So there's pretty robust evidence for that, too.

[Jane Coston]

And last weekend, thousands of protesters marched outside of COP 30. What message were they trying to send?

[Somini Sengupta]

As you can imagine, these were climate activists, youth activists, indigenous activists calling for a couple of things. A fast transition from away from fossil fuel burning, which is the driving cause of rising global temperatures. Money to help especially poor countries adapt to all of the climate damages that they're seeing, and also, especially from the indigenous groups, land rights.

[Jane Coston]

Now, in surprise, to probably not very many people, the Trump administration did not send any officials to cop 30 this year. How noticeable was that absence?

[Somini Sengupta]

I mean, yeah, noticeable. It was the first time that senior officials, senior US Officials were not participating in the actual negotiations. Does that matter? Yes, sure. But really, what matters much more to real people around the world is the United States position on climate change. So this administration has called climate science a scam and has most importantly, really doubled down on the production and export of oil and gas. That, of course, has a real impact on emissions, on greenhouse gas emissions. So that's really the most important role that the Trump administration is playing. Not just that it's checked out of the Paris Agreement, that it isn't in these negotiations, but that it is really doubling down on fossil fuels and urging countries around the world to buy more and then to pump more for decades to come.

[Jane Coston]

One person from the US who definitely made the trip was California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. What did we hear from him during his appearances at COP30?

[Somini Sengupta]

He was there to make the case that California is a big economy, which is correct. And that he is the stable American partner to the rest of the world, which is, you know, America's not exactly been a stable partner over the last couple of decades. There's been quite a bit of back and forth. But I have to say, having trailed Gavin Newsom for his entire presence at cop, he was a very popular figure. All his events were totally mobbed. And he was there also to make side deals with different states, to share knowledge and to share research, stuff like that.

[Jane Coston]

I noticed in some of his remarks that basically he said that he was there because while the US Was checked out of this conference and from the fight against climate change, China was very much checked in. How much of an opportunity did that present the US Absence for Chinese officials to make inroads on green technology around the globe?

[Somini Sengupta]

Well, again, like, what really matters is, is not just what China is doing at COP30, but what China is doing in the world, right? So we're like, we're 10 years from this landmark Paris agreement, and in those 10 years, a lot has changed. While the US is really doubling down on oil and gas, China has spent the last 10 years turning itself into the clean energy superpower in the world. It controls the mining rights and the processing of all the minerals that go into the clean energy technologies. It makes more solar panels and wind turbines and batteries than any other country in the world. It makes more electric vehicles than any other country in the world. And it is increasingly investing in setting up factories to make those things in different countries, particularly big emerging economies. So there are Chinese EV factories in Brazil, in Thailand, in Turkey, in Indonesia. There's concern about one country dominating the production of all this, like, new energy kit and caboodle. But it's also making it affordable and accessible for a number of these, like really big emerging economies to kind of leapfrog, not stop burning fossil fuels, but meet their new energy demands increasingly through renewables produced by China. And as you said, Gavin Newsom was there to notice that China is kind of dominating this race. You know, the US right now isn't really even in the race.

[Jane Coston]

So I saw that there are some agreements or concepts of agreements happening with regard to climate. Are you expecting to see any specific goals or commitments announced by the end of COP30, the deal?

[Somini Sengupta]

Now, there are probably like three big issues right now. One is our country's gonna emerge from this COP with some sort of deal on how to raise more money for developing nations, particularly for adaptation. Because no matter how quickly you bring down emissions, we're still living on a fundamentally different planet. And so cities need to adapt to sea level rise, to more intense storms, communities need to adapt to rising heat. So there's a lot of money that's needed for climate adaptation. And all eyes are on these negotiations. Is there going to be a way to come up with that money? Two, is there going to be some sort of a plan, a roadmap as they call it, to phase out fossil fuels? Very controversial, as you can imagine. But that's one of the things that they're kind of working on. And so let's see by the end of the week if they can come up with that. And I think three, the kind of big picture here is can they just keep the idea and the mechanics of international climate diplomacy alive in a moment like this? That's really the big test for this cop.

[Jane Coston]

So, meanie, thank you so much for joining me.

[Somini Sengupta]

Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.

[Jane Coston]

That was my conversation with Somini Sengupta, an international climate reporter for the New York Times. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by aura frames. An aura frame can help you keep your holiday memories alive Every day of the year. I love sharing photos of my holidays with my friends and family and an Aura frame makes that easier than ever. Every Aura frame is a chance to share joy. Just download the Aura app and connect to Wi Fi to enjoy unlimited photos. You can preload photos before it ships and keep adding from anywhere anytime. Share photos and videos effortlessly even from your phone and every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag, making it the perfect gift for basically everyone on your list. You can't wrap togetherness, but you can frame it for a limited time. Visit auraframes.com and get $45 off or as best selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code Ward at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code WAD this exclusive black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so order now before it ends up support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and Conditions Apply My uncontrollable movements.

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[Somini Sengupta]

Com in Grezza.

[Lacey Mosley]

What'S poppin listeners? I'm Lacey Moseley, host of the podcast Scam Goddess. The show that's an ode to fraud and all those who practice it. Each week I talk with very special guests about the scammiest scammers of all time. Wanna know about the fake errors? We got em. What about a career con man? We've got them too. Guys that will wine and dine you and then steal all your coins. Oh you know they are represented because representation matters. I'm joined by guests like Nicole Byer, Ira Madison iii, Conan o' Brien and more join the congregation and listen to Scam Goddess. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jane Coston]

Here'S what else we're following today.

[Lacey Mosley]

Head of Lines.

[Elon Musk]

Say, like in the long term, where will things end up? Long term? I don't know what long term is. Maybe it's 10, 20 years, something like that. For me, that's long term. My prediction is that work will be optional.

[Jane Coston]

Optional?

[Elon Musk]

Optional, sure.

[Jane Coston]

Speaking at the US Saudi Investment Forum, where nothing shady ever happens, on Wednesday, Elon Musk made the bold and very normal prediction that one glorious day, like in 10 years, work may be optional. The former chainsaw wielding leader of Doge and current Tesla CEO foresees a future where AI and robots do everything and humans work for fun. Fun in the same way. According to Elon, people grow vegetables or play sports, two things Elon has neither picked nor was ever picked for. Musk also added that as automation takes over, it could affect the concept of money itself.

[Elon Musk]

But I think at some point currency becomes irrelevant.

[Jane Coston]

Work is optional. Money is irrelevant. When did Elon start talking like the guy you most regret speaking to outside a Widespread Panic concert? But seriously, the man who has accumulated more money than anyone in history tells the rest of us, sure, you don't have this, but don't worry, it won't matter soon. But also, I'm keeping all of mine. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, sitting next to Musk, took a more grounded view, saying AI will change jobs, not erase them, and might even make people busier, not freer. So future A Elantopia or future B Still Monday, but worse. For the love of God, please, please let there be a future C. The Trump administration has been engaged in talks in conjunction with Russia to develop a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to reporting from Axios. The new framework would, unsurprisingly, give Russia portions of eastern Ukraine not currently under its control. In exchange, Ukraine would get security guarantees from the United States against future incursions by Russia. What could possibly go wrong? Trump's 28 point proposal will give Russia full control of Luhansk and Donetsk, AKA the hotly contested Donbas region, even though Ukraine still holds a significant percentage of that territory, according to the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War. Though under the new plan, the Donbas would fall under Russian control, which is exactly what Russia has been angling for. But the region would become a demilitarized zone, meaning Russia would be barred from stationing troops there, as famously, Russia always listens to treaties. A Ukrainian official also confirmed to Axios that the framework would limit the scope of the size of Ukraine's army and long range weapon capabilities in exchange for US Security guarantees. Though beyond the promise to defend against future Russian aggression, it's unclear what the US Security guarantees would mean. Again, what could possibly go wrong? A federal judge said Wednesday he intends to restart criminal contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials to find out who allowed those deportation flights to take off for El Salvador in March, even after the planes were ordered to turn around. Of course, this is none other than U.S. district Judge James Boasberg. You know, the poor judge who oversaw one of the most contentious events of Trump's second term to date. Trump's use of wartime powers to deport 137 Venezuelan men to a notorious and human rights unfriendly prison in El Salvador. Trump accused the men of being members of Trent Aragua, a claim many of them contested. Boseberg discovered the accused men were on flights, were already underway and immediately ordered the government to stop them, finding the Trump administration had likely violated due process for the passengers. Boseberg said during a hearing on the lawsuit, quote, I certainly intend to find out what happened that day. He now plans to take testimony from former Department of Justice lawyer Erez Reuveni. Rouvaney was fired in April and is now accusing his superiors of ignoring court orders. And from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign, who told Boasberg he knew nothing about the flights even as they were taking off. Trump has named his pick for the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Stuart Levenbach, and he works at the Office of Management and Budget. But don't be fooled. Levenbach is probably just a placeholder, according to an administration official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. His nomination is not even meant to go through to confirmation. Why? Because, as we discussed last week, Trump's lackeys are working to shut down the cfpb, and OMB Director Russell Svote, who has also been serving as the acting director of the cfpb, is charging full steam ahead to fulfill that mission. So far, he's stopped most of the bureau's work and moved to fire around 90% of staff. Thus, Trump nominated Levenbach but used a convenient for Donald legal maneuver so that Vogt can stay in the position. Apparently under the Vacancies Act, Vogt's time as acting CFPB director is limited, but now that Trump has nominated someone to that position, the countdown has been paused until the Senate approves or denies Levinbach as director. How convenient. And that's the news. Before we go, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, AKA mbs, just wrapped a US visit and the handout was insane. Trump rewarded Saudi Arabia with F35 fighter jets and gave the country a NATO like security guarantee, a serious upgrade for their military relationship. All of this comes after US Intelligence concluded that MBS approved the operation that killed Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This week on Pod Save the World, Tommy and Ben break down what Saudi money is buying and how these deals shape American foreign policy. Tune in to this episode on the Pod Save the World YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, say what's up to a comment, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how NASA released photos of an interstellar comet on Wednesday, just the third confirmed object to visit our solar system from another galaxy like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston and like so many good things, the comet will make a brief appearance 167 million miles away from Earth and then head out to interstellar space forever. I hope it remembers the text occasionally. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Emily Foer and Chris Allport. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Kaitlin Plummer, Tyler Hill and Ethan Uberman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrienne Hill. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

[Lacey Mosley]

What's poppin listeners? I'm Lacey Mosley, host of the podcast Scam Goddess, the show that's an ode to fraud and all those who practice. Each week I talk with very special guests about the scammiest scammers of all time. Wanna know about the fake eras? We got em. What about a career con man? We've got them too. Guys that will wine and dine you and then steal all your coins. Oh, you know they are represented because representation matters. I'm joined by guests like Nicole Byer, Ira Madison iii, Conan o', Brien and more. Join the congregation and listen to Scam Goddess. Wherever you get your podcasts did you.

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