COP: Is this the world’s toughest event to organise?

Every year, tens of thousands of people — from world leaders to
activists to celebrities— gather for one of the world’s most
ambitious meetings: the UN’s annual climate summit, COP.


But what does it actually take to make it happen? How do you
feed, transport and house 80,000 people, while trying to keep
global negotiations on track?


The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar
talk to Helen Wright, who helped deliver COP26 in Glasgow and
COP28 in Dubai, to find out what goes on behind the scenes.


From keeping the meeting rooms at exactly 21.5°C to managing
thousands of journalists, politicians and protesters, Helen
shares what it’s really like to build a temporary city devoted to
climate action.


We also hear from Bloomberg’s Akshat Rathi on whether all that
effort actually changes global climate policy — and what’s on the
cards for COP30 to be held in the Brazilian Amazon.


Guests: Helen Wright – Former Head of Delivery, COP26; now Event
Director at Identity Group Akshat Rathi – Senior Climate
Reporter, Bloomberg News, and host of the Zero podcast


Production team: Jordan Dunbar, Nik Sindle, Diane Richardson,
Grace Braddock Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and Ben Andrews Editor:
Simon Watts


Got a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com