How can climate diplomacy keep pace with a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, geopolitical tensions, and the urgent need for implementation?

In this episode of the Oxford Policy Pod, host Begim Zhanuzakova speaks with Joanna MacGregor, Chief of Strategy and UN Affairs at UN Climate Change (UNFCCC). With a career spanning governments, international organisations, and global climate negotiations, including the UK's COP26 negotiation strategy and advising the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Joanna offers a unique perspective on the future of international climate governance.
Together, they explore the outcomes of the Bonn Climate Conference, expectations for COP31, and why climate diplomacy is entering what Joanna describes as an "era of implementation". They discuss the growing role of coalitions in driving climate action, the impact of geopolitical instability on global cooperation, the importance of trust in climate finance, and lessons from small island developing states.
The conversation also looks ahead to one of the defining challenges for international institutions: how artificial intelligence could reshape climate governance and what role the UNFCCC should play in ensuring that AI strengthens, global climate action.