Shows / The Climate Question
The Climate Question
Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.
Episodes
- The Climate Question
How are Afghans fighting climate change?
Climate change has been tightening its grip on the people of Afghanistan, with flood after flood and drought after drought. It’s considered one of the most…
- The Climate Question
The Climate Question meets People Fixing The World
In this special programme, the Climate Question team join forces with our World Service colleagues from People Fixing The World to share some of our favourite…
- The Climate Question
Can Science Fiction help us fight climate change?
The acclaimed US sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson is also a star in the world of climate activism because his work often features climate change - on Earth…
- The Climate Question
What do this year's election results mean for our warming world?
Some of the world's biggest carbon emitters - including the EU, India and Indonesia - have just had elections. Will the results change their climate policies?…
- The Climate Question
Can technology fight flooding in cities?
With more and more people moving to cities, informal settlements are expected to grow. When floods hit these unplanned places, it can be disastrous, as we…
- The Climate Question
What can we do to reduce black carbon?
This little-known pollutant is making us sick and driving the climate crisis. It commonly comes from burning coal, diesel or wood and has a habit of getting…
- The Climate Question
How are athletes adapting to extreme heat?
The Paris Olympics are less than a month away. The last games in Tokyo were one of the hottest on record, with more than a hundred athletes suffering…
- The Climate Question
How do you negotiate a good climate deal?
As a new play depicts the landmark global climate change agreement, the Kyoto protocol, Jordan Dunbar has a front row seat. He heads to the historic English…
- The Climate Question
Why is defending forests so deadly?
Someone dies every other day protecting the environment, according to data gathered by the campaign group, Global Witness. Even higher numbers of people are…
- The Climate Question
Are we spending enough on renewable energy?
There’s been a lot happening in our warming world and so The Climate Question is taking a break from its usual analysis to catch you up with the latest news…
- The Climate Question
Is lab-grown meat better for the planet?
Billions of dollars have been pumped into the promise of a climate-friendly way of producing meat, but is growing a steak in a lab any better for the planet…
- The Climate Question
Your questions answered: Climate change for kids, solar power, music for plants
Graihagh Jackson is joined by her regular panel to answer climate-related questions from listeners. BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt, Prof Tamsin Edwards of…
- The Climate Question
What does China's green tech revolution mean for the world?
China is scouring the globe for the raw materials of the future. How will we be affected? Graihagh Jackson investigates.
- The Climate Question
Can we build better cities for mental health and the climate?
Today, more than half the world’s population live in cities – and as our numbers swell, so will our cities, especially those around the Pacific Rim, where it’s…
- The Climate Question
Can we save money and save the planet?
Experts say we need to be 40 per cent more energy efficient to meet our climate goals. Is that doable? And might it save us money too? It's a solution that's…
- The Climate Question
What is caused (and not caused) by climate change?
In this episode, Graihagh Jackson explores the new field of climate attribution science with leading climatologist Dr Friederike Otto. Dr Otto's team of…
- The Climate Question
Bonus Ep: the climate activists who sued their government (and won)
In this extra episode, Graihagh Jackson hears from our friends on BBC podcast The Global Story about a case that could change the history of climate activism…
- The Climate Question
Can we save the world's coral?
Corals protect humans and sustain 25% of all marine life. But reefs are under threat from climate change, and mass bleaching events mean that some scientists…
- The Climate Question
Can fertilisers go green?
Ammonia has revolutionised the way we produce our food, helping us to grow much, much more... But it’s also helping to grow global greenhouse gas emissions…
- The Climate Question
Why are electric scooters, mopeds and rickshaws booming?
Delhi’s roads are being taken over by electric mopeds, scooters and rickshaws. More than fifty per cent of two- and three-wheelers are already electric, and…
- The Climate Question
How is climate change affecting animal migration?
Every year, the great migration sees hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles, zebras and antelopes migrate from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania to the…
- The Climate Question
How does extreme heat affect pregnant women?
The BBC’s Global Health Correspondent Tulip Mazumdar investigates how extreme heat fuelled by climate change is affecting pregnant women in India. New research…
- The Climate Question
Your questions answered: Reversing climate change, eating avocados, electric vehicles and more
You asked, we answered. This week our expert panel dive into your questions. Can climate change cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? How bad are avocados…
- The Climate Question
What's it like living a "sustainable" life?
As governments and industry find ways of reducing emissions to keep climate change under control, some people are taking responsibility for their own carbon…
- The Climate Question
What's it like being a 'Chief Heat Officer'?
As climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed "Chief Heat Officers" to try to improve their response to record-breaking temperatures…
- The Climate Question
Could solar farms in space power Earth?
It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the idea of assembling giant solar farms in space and then beaming the renewable energy back down to Earth…
- The Climate Question
Do we need a 'Category 6' for hurricanes?
Graihagh chats to the BBC World Service's Global Story podcast about a plan for a super-category for storms. Is climate change making them so powerful that we…
- The Climate Question
Why is nuclear power back in fashion?
At the big COP climate summit last December, more than 20 countries pledged to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050 to help cut carbon emissions. The…
- The Climate Question
Are wetlands our secret weapon for fighting climate change?
The world's wetlands store carbon and can help us tackle some of the impacts of climate change. Are we overlooking their importance? And what can we do to…
- The Climate Question
Why is climate change fuelling tension in the Arctic?
Global temperatures have already increased by around 1.3C above pre-industrial levels, but this warming is not spread evenly across the planet. The Arctic…
- The Climate Question
Is climate change on the ballot paper in 2024?
2024 will see billions of voters head to the polls in a record-breaking year for elections. It follows 2023 – another record-breaking year for the climate…
- The Climate Question
Your questions answered: The impact of war; "green" rooftops; carbon cost of pets
You asked, we answered. In this episode, a panel of experts dive into your questions. How does war impact climate change? What are the carbon footprints of…
- The Climate Question
Tidal power: What’s holding it back?
Lake Sihwa in South Korea is home to the world’s largest operating tidal power station, using the tides to generate enough power for a city of half a million…
- The Climate Question
Will 'sustainable' fuels transform air travel?
The future of flying might depend on used cooking oil, plants and green electricity. Sustainable aviation fuels, known as SAF, are made from less…
- The Climate Question
Who's doing best on fighting climate change?
Emma Tracey starts 2024 by hearing from Kenya and Costa Rica, two of the countries ranked highest in the fightback against climate change. She talks to…
- The Climate Question
Can climate change ever be funny?
Budding comedian (and Climate Question presenter) Jordan Dunbar sets out to discover if humour can help us understand - and cope with - global warming. Jordan…
- The Climate Question
Climate review of the year
2023 was the hottest year on record. How did the planet cope? And what has the world actually done to tackle climate change? The BBC’s Graihagh Jackson is…
- The Climate Question
Was this year's climate summit a game-changer?
The deal at this year's COP conference in Dubai is being hailed as "historic" because it's the first time nearly 200 countries have all acknowledged the role…
- The Climate Question
The 100 Women climate debate
As part of the BBC's 100 Women season, Mercy Juma in Nairobi talks to three leading activists from Africa. What are the particular effects of Climate Change on…
- The Climate Question
Should the UAE host a big climate summit?
As the world’s attention turns to this year’s COP summit in the UAE, questions remain about the host country and conference president. It’s not the first time…
- The Climate Question
Your Climate Questions Answered
Graihagh Jackson and BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt team up with the BBC's Global News Podcast to answer listeners' questions. They cover everything from…
- The Climate Question
What is COP?
It's the world's biggest - and most controversial - climate conference. But how does it actually work? And does it make a difference? Jordan Dunbar…
- The Climate Question
Why is 1.5 degrees important?
In his latest Climate Change 101, Jordan Dunbar finds out why 1.5C is the world's target for limiting global warming. Why 1.5 degrees? And what happens if we…
- The Climate Question
What has COP achieved?
Nearly three decades since the United Nations climate talks began, we take a look at what it has achieved when it comes to tackling climate change. We also…
- The Climate Question
Why are climate scientists receiving abuse?
As the world faces up to the increasingly apparent effects of climate change, access to accurate information that helps us to understand what’s going on, why…
- The Climate Question
Why does it matter that Greenland is melting?
Greenland is an island covered in a sheet of ice that is over 3km thick in places, containing 7.4 metres of average global sea level rise. Due to climate…
- The Climate Question
Why did Ecuador vote to stop drilling for oil?
The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador forms part of the Amazon rainforest and is one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. It also produces 60,000…
- The Climate Question
How do our listeners stay positive on climate?
This week we hear from listeners about the ways they cope and how they remain positive on climate change. From being involved in a like-minded community, to…
- The Climate Question
Bill Gates: How I stay positive on climate change
Bill Gates, the tech billionaire turned philanthropist, has been combating poverty, disease, and inequity around the world for decades. However, in recent…
- The Climate Question
How can we fight drought in the Horn of Africa?
This week we speak to people in the greater Horn of Africa, experiencing the worst drought in 40 years. It's left 23 million people at risk of starvation and…
- The Climate Question
Are disabled people forgotten in climate disaster plans?
About 16 percent of the world’s population is thought to be disabled, but they are still 2 to 4 times more likely to be injured or killed in a natural disaster…
- The Climate Question
Can tourism ever be good for the climate?
This week, we’re off to Costa Rica, an eco-tourism hotspot in collaboration with BBC’s The Travel Show. Eco-tourism is big business - it’s forecasted to…
- The Climate Question
What should I eat to help fight Climate Change?
The Climate Question receives lots of emails from listeners asking about the impact that the food and drink we consume on a daily basis has on the environment…
- The Climate Question
Meet the Climate Quitters: Part Two
In this, the second episode in our spin-off series on Climate Quitters, we invite trailblazers from three different continents to reveal the ups and down…
- The Climate Question
Going carbon neutral: Lessons from Denmark
Bornholm – a Danish island in the Baltic Sea – is trying to go carbon neutral by 2025. It is a lofty ambition that would put the island decades ahead of most…
- The Climate Question
Can live music go green?
The live music industry is booming. With global growth in concerts and festivals, more and more of us are enjoying our favourite bands and artists live. The…
- The Climate Question
Can small islands live with climate change?
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been raising awareness of the impact that climate change is having on small island nations like hers, from the…
- The Climate Question
What is Climate Change?
Jordan Dunbar introduces The Climate Question's guide to the Climate Change basics - with the help of some friends of the show.
- The Climate Question
Prof Jim Skea: living in an era of 'global boiling'
July 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest month ever on Earth. A combination of heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere, unseasonable warmth in parts of…
- The Climate Question
Meet the Climate Quitters: Part One
Have you thought about quitting your job because of climate change? Research shows more and more people are worried about their career’s impact on the planet…