This Climate Emergency Forum episode features an in-depth conversation with Sir David King, one of the world’s most influential climate scientists and diplomats, recorded during COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Herb Simmens, Dr. Peter Carter, and Paul Beckwith explore Sir David’s “four Rs” framework—Reduce emissions, Remove greenhouse gases, Repair the climate, and build Resilience—and why he now believes we have moved beyond the point where emissions cuts alone can secure a safe future. From accelerating polar ice loss to growing extremes in heat and weather, he explains the scale of the crisis and the urgent need for both rapid decarbonization and targeted climate repair.
This video was recorded on November 12th, 2025, and published on December 7th, 2025, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.
Drawing on decades as the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser, founder of the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge (CCRC), and chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG), Sir David offers rare behind‑the‑scenes insight into global climate negotiations. He recounts working with Tony Blair on bilateral diplomacy leading up to the Paris Agreement, the outsized influence of the fossil fuel lobby at COPs, and the complex political realities in countries such as India, South Africa, China, and Australia. The discussion sheds light on why progress has been so slow, even as market forces now make renewables cheaper than fossil fuels in much of the world.
The video also traces Sir David’s personal journey—from his upbringing in apartheid South Africa and early work with Nelson Mandela, to his role in using science to tackle crises from foot‑and‑mouth disease to global heating. He reflects on feeling that “we’ve lost track” since the optimism of the mid‑2000s, yet highlights emerging reasons for hope: exponential growth in clean energy, new climate‑repair research, and the potential for cities, countries, and civil society to act faster than formal UN processes. Watch, share, and join the conversation as we continue our “Giants of Climate Change” series with one of its most compelling voices.
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Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University
Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader
Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.
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