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
Is destroying the planet a vote winner?
Long term climate policy has long been at odds with short-term politics. As numerous countries head to the polls this year, we visit Brazil, Australia and the…
- The Climate Question
What can we do to stop rising levels of methane?
Recent research shows that levels of Methane gas in the atmosphere are rising rapidly. It is over 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide…
- The Climate Question
How can oceans help us capture carbon?
The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and can hold more than 150 times the amount of carbon dioxide as air. Around a quarter of CO2 emissions…
- The Climate Question
Why is Asia embracing nuclear power?
China currently has 53 nuclear power plants with plans to scale up significantly in the next decade, while India is planning to build 10 new power plants over…
- The Climate Question
Is the world ready for an electric vehicle revolution?
There are over 10 million electric cars on the road globally after a decade of rapid growth, representing around 1% of the world’s car stock. But there are…
- The Climate Question
Could Chile be a climate leader?
The renowned climate scientist and IPCC author Maisa Rojas has been making headlines after being appointed as Chile’s new Minister for the Environment. She has…
- The Climate Question
What does 'net zero' really mean?
When talking about climate change, the term net zero has become popular with politicians over the last few years. More than 130 countries have now pledged to…
- The Climate Question
How are young people feeling 6 months from COP?
Hundreds of youth activists travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, to have their voices heard. As we approach the halfway point between COP26 and COP27- to be held in…
- The Climate Question
Is space travel a problem for the climate?
As more countries launch more rockets into orbit for commercial and scientific reasons, the space industry is experiencing rapid growth. It’s on the verge of…
- The Climate Question
What does war in Ukraine mean for the climate? Part 2: Energy Security
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, parts of the world are so dependent on Russian gas that they have no option but to continue to buy it. This week’s…
- The Climate Question
What does war in Ukraine mean for the climate? Part 1: Russian gas
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been met with harsh financial sanctions. These have come from North America and Europe. The US and Canada have also banned…
- The Climate Question
Can we rely on insurance to help rebuild after extreme weather?
Scientists say extreme weather is intensifying and becoming more frequent because of climate change and the impacts are causing huge losses. People living in…
- The Climate Question
Can animals evolve to deal with climate change?
As climate change brings rising temperatures, droughts and shifting patterns of rainfall, animals are adapting to keep pace. Bird’s bodies are growing smaller…
- The Climate Question
The 'unequivocal' consequences of climate change
"A brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity” is how a new major climate change report from the UN described the effect of rising emissions. Already 40%…
- The Climate Question
How quickly is battery technology advancing?
The need to be able to store electricity as part of our low carbon future, has increased dramatically as the use of renewable energy has expanded. Both solar…
- The Climate Question
What will happen if the world's glaciers melt?
We hear a lot about how melting glaciers are contributing to sea-level rise but not so much about the impact inland. In places like Tajikistan, glaciers feed…
- The Climate Question
Is our obsession with GDP killing the climate?
For nearly a century, governments around the world have measured the health of their economies by a single metric: GDP, or Gross Domestic Product. It measures…
- The Climate Question
Can we believe companies’ promises on climate?
Ahead of COP 26, a rush of businesses declared their commitment to “net zero” emissions targets. But concerns were raised about how credible these targets…
- The Climate Question
How committed is China to climate change?
At the UN climate summit in Glasgow last year, China and the United States announced they will work together on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Experts say…
- The Climate Question
Are we too reliant on tech that’s not invented yet?
Written into many of the promises made by countries about how they intend to achieve their UN climate pledges to reduce emissions is an assumption that…
- The Climate Question
Can putting a price on nature help us care about it more?
Everyone who steps outside can appreciate the value that the natural world brings to our lives. To some people, the idea of placing a monetary value on trees…
- The Climate Question
Are we putting too much faith into electric vehicles?
Billions of dollars are being invested in electric vehicles in the name of fighting climate change. World leaders are backing them as the green fix for our…
- The Climate Question
Is science fiction holding back climate action?
For centuries, we’ve been reading, watching and listening to science fiction. And all too often, it’s pretty pessimistic about our future, especially when it…
- The Climate Question
Does climate change have an ‘image problem’?
Images are a key part of communicating climate change, and shape how we understand the crisis unfolding around us. But while lots of research has been done…
- The Climate Question
Why do we find it so hard to take action on climate change?
For decades scientists have warned us about the risks of climate change. Yet humans are badly psychologically designed to face up to the challenge of changing…
- The Climate Question
What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?
If there were fewer of us, would the amount of greenhouse gasses we emit reduce? It’s a question that often creeps up in discussions about climate change…
- The Climate Question
Counting the cost of fashion
The journey from catwalk, to wardrobe, to landfill is getting shorter and shorter. Our demands for fast fashion mean around 100 billion garments are produced…
- The Climate Question
What can we learn from the fight to fix the ozone hole?
In 1985 British scientist Jonathan Shanklin and colleagues published a study that shocked the world. The study revealed a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere right…
- The Climate Question
Could giving nature rights help fight climate change?
Around the world a growing number of rivers, mountains, nature reserves, even marshes have all been given legal rights. It’s an idea that’s being tested in…
- The Climate Question
What did we learn at COP26?
The lights have come on in Glasgow, the bar is closed and it's time to head home. Now the 26th Conference of Parties is over we ask what's really been decided…
- The Climate Question
How’s it going at COP26?
Climate negotiators from all over the world are gathered in Glasgow for the global summit to discuss how we can curb the worst effects of global warming. The…
- The Climate Question
What do young activists want from COP?
This week will bring around 25,000 world leaders, business people, policy shapers and campaigners together in Glasgow for COP26, a global climate summit that’s…
- The Climate Question
What will it take for countries to keep their climate promises?
World leaders are gathering in Glasgow for a global climate summit to agree on how to further limit the threat of global warming. Experts say the conference…
- The Climate Question
Putin and the planet
Russia is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. Any talk of changing that needs to focus on President Vladimir Putin. Under his leadership…
- The Climate Question
Why can't we stop gas flaring?
There are thought to be over 10,000 gas flares around the world that contribute to global warming by emitting tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane. Flared gas…
- The Climate Question
What made us doubt climate change?
Recent research has shown that oil companies knew about the threat of climate change decades ago. Yet over forty years, it has been revealed that they…
- The Climate Question
What homes to build in a climate-changed world?
Heatwaves and floods are becoming more frequent around the world. But are the homes being built today taking that into account? The Climate Question considers…
- The Climate Question
What role has the media played in the climate crisis?
For decades, around the world, climate change coverage has been thin. Guests discuss why the media in petrol states, in particular, have struggled to tell that…
- The Climate Question
When will countries stop exploring for oil?
If we are to ensure that there’s no more than a 1.5 degrees centigrade increase in global warming, the International Energy Agency recently stated that oil…
- The Climate Question
Should rich countries help pay for climate change impacts in poorer ones?
As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, the developing world says urgent action is needed to avert catastrophe. Some in the developing…
- The Climate Question
Can we be ‘nudged’ to act on climate change?
Another chance to listen to an episode that asks whether we can change our ways. Drastic change is needed to limit the increase in global temperature caused by…
- The Climate Question
“Code red for humanity”
A diplomatic deadline looms as new science urges faster action. Can nations respond? So far, the answer has been ‘no.’ Three decades of international talks to…
- The Climate Question
Is green hydrogen the fuel of the future?
Hydrogen gas has long been recognised as a potentially valuable tool for tackling climate change. The most abundant element in the universe, it is also a…
- The Climate Question
What do we tell the kids?
Climate change is going to shape young people’s lives, and yet many students feel their schools are not equipping them with the knowledge and skills to face…
- The Climate Question
Can shipping fix its climate problem?
It's estimated that 9 out of 10 items sold in our shops are shipped halfway around the world on ships. The resulting emissions amount to around 3% of the…
- The Climate Question
The North American heatwave
The heatwave that hit parts of the west coast of North America shattered records by several degrees. It affected parts of the United States and Canada that…
- The Climate Question
Will football tackle the climate crisis?
You don’t often hear climate change and football mentioned in the same sentence, but rising temperatures are set to disrupt every area of our lives, the…
- The Climate Question
Could climate change cause more water conflicts?
Freshwater sources around the world are becoming more irregular, and disputes between countries are common, with fears that access to water could eventually…
- The Climate Question
Why is Australia so slow to act on climate change?
Australia is one of the world's biggest per-capita greenhouse gas emitters, and a Climate Question listener wants to know why the world isn't demanding her…
- The Climate Question
Why are we failing to protect the Amazon rainforest?
The Brazilian legislature is currently considering a bill that would legalise the private occupation of some public land in the Amazon region - a move that…
- The Climate Question
Carbon capture and storage
It’s likely that there will be no successful green transition without an element of carbon capture, storage and re-use. The oil industry has been burying CO2…
- The Climate Question
What will it take for cities to go carbon neutral?
Cities emit around three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations, and over half of the world’s population now live in…
- The Climate Question
Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?
Scientists agree that cutting carbon emissions as soon as possible is key to tackling global warming. But as emissions continue to rise, some are now calling…
- The Climate Question
Is bottom trawling for fish bad for the climate?
More than two thirds of our planet is covered by the oceans, but there’s still much to be uncovered about the role that these watery worlds play in climate…
- The Climate Question
Is South Korea a climate villain?
South Korea’s economic development has been the envy of many nations: from war, famine and poverty to one of the richest countries on Earth, all within just a…
- The Climate Question
Can indigenous knowledge help us fight climate change?
Indigenous people represent only about six percent of the world’s population, but they inhabit around a quarter of the world’s land surface. And they share…
- The Climate Question
Why can't we crack our food waste problem?
From fruit rotting in fields, to retailers turning down funny shaped vegetables, and consumers scraping leftovers into the bin, food waste is everywhere. It’s…
- The Climate Question
Is carbon the new calorie?
More companies are rolling out carbon dioxide emission labels on products to help us make greener choices. Unilever, the global consumer goods giant, recently…
- The Climate Question
What does the world want from the US?
President Biden has invited the world’s major polluters to a summit on Earth Day (April 22nd). It may be the biggest climate summit ever organised by an…
- The Climate Question
Is it time to ditch the plough?
Cities, money, roads, beef burgers and telephones, in fact pretty much all of human civilisation as we know it, would probably not exist were it not for one…