The Climate Question

BBC World Service

Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.

  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    Climate change and plastic - what's the connection?

    Plastics are everywhere – for good reason – they're cheap, abundant and can go into a myriad of different products from food packaging to vital medical equipment. But plastic waste has a devastating effect on the environment and the manufacturing process is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The world is trying to agree on a treaty to reduce plastics pollution but a recent meeting in South Korea ended in failure. Graihagh Jackson talks to experts on the past and future of plastics, and she hears a report from Malaysia, where plastic waste dumps can be up to 15 metres high.

    Got a climate question you’d like answered? Email: [email protected] or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721

    Presenter: Graihagh Jackson Reporter in Malaysia: Leana Hosea Guests: Susan Frankel, author of "Plastic: A Toxic Love Story", and Dr Cressida Bowyer, Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability at the University of Portsmouth. Producer: Octavia Woodward Production Support: Ellie House Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound Mix: Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    16 December 2024, 10:05 am
  • 26 minutes 29 seconds
    What do melting glaciers mean for the Himalayas?

    Climate change is melting thousands of glaciers in the Himalayas and having a devastating impact on the people who live there. The BBC's Caroline Davies has just been to the Pakistani side of the world's highest mountain range: she tells Graihagh Jackson how villagers are coping, and how they are determined to stay put despite the risks of floods and the disruption to their traditional way of life.

    You can watch Caroline's reporting from Pakistan here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00246nx/from-above-melting-glaciers

    Got a climate question you’d like answered? Email: [email protected] or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721

    Presenter: Graihagh Jackson Reporter in Pakistan: Caroline Davies Producers in Pakistan: Fakhir Munir, Usman Zahid, Kamil Dayan Khan Producers in London: Ellie House and Osman Iqbal Sound Mix: Rod Farquhar and Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    9 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 23 minutes 49 seconds
    Was the COP climate summit a success?

    For two weeks, nearly 200 countries have been in Azerbaijan trying to come to an agreement on climate change and how to finance the transition to clean and green economies in developing nations. At COP 29, there were walk-outs, there was drama, and then there was a deal - of sorts. Graihagh Jackson is joined by an all-star panel to re-cap what happened and ask what all of this means for our planet.

    Guests: Justin Rowlatt, BBC Climate Editor Adil Najam, Professor of International Relations and Environment at the Pardee School and President of WWF David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at the University of California, San Diego Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the UN Convention on Wetlands

    Got a climate question you’d like answered? Email: [email protected] or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721

    Presenters: Graihagh Jackson with Jordan Dunbar Producer: Octavia Woodward Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Editor: Simon Watts Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Giles Aspen

    25 November 2024, 7:58 am
  • 12 minutes 17 seconds
    How does climate change affect me?

    In his latest climate change 101, Jordan Dunbar looks at how climate change affects our everyday lives. He discusses the impact on our weather with BBC forecaster Louise Lear; while BBC Africa business journalist Clare Muthinji looks at what a warmer world means for the economy - from prices at the supermarket to where we go on holiday!

    Got a climate question you’d like answered? Email: [email protected] or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721

    Presenter and Producer: Jordan Dunbar Researchers: Octavia Woodward, Osman Iqbal and Tsogzolmaa Shofyor Sound Design: Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    22 November 2024, 5:52 pm
  • 22 minutes 58 seconds
    What do developing nations want from the big climate summit?

    When Cyclone Freddy swept through Malawi, it left 100s of thousands of people destitute. Now, survivors are among the first in the world to receive a new kind of climate compensation to relocate and rebuild their lives. This "loss and damage" funding is one of the key issues at the COP meeting in Baku. This year, the focus of the global climate summit is the help which more developed nations should give to countries in the Global South.

    Graihagh Jackson hears directly from Malawians who've received international climate aid, in their case from Scotland. And she asks Scottish First Minister, John Swinney: Is the money enough?

    Got a climate question you’d like answered? Email: [email protected] or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721 Presenter: Graihagh Jackson BBC Africa Reporter in Malawi: Ashley Lime Producers: Octavia Woodward and Anne Okumu Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    18 November 2024, 7:00 am
  • 12 minutes 57 seconds
    What progress have we made on fighting climate change?

    In his latest climate change 101, Jordan Dunbar looks at the world's success stories. These include the rise of renewable energy, greener urban planning and deep - if insufficient - cuts in carbon emissions. His guest is Dr Caterina Brandmayr, Director of Policy and Translation, Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London.

    Presenter and Producer: Jordan Dunbar Researchers: Octavia Woodward and Tsogzolmaa Shofyor Sound Design: Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    15 November 2024, 10:09 am
  • 50 minutes 57 seconds
    The Climate Question x Global News Podcast: Listeners Questions Special

    In a special programme, The Climate Question join forces with The Global News Podcast to tackle listeners' climate questions from around the world. How does war impact climate change? How can we protect small island nations? And what practical actions can we all take as individuals? Plus, what to look out for at COP 29, The UN's annual Climate Change conference, set to open in Azerbaijan. The Climate Question’s Graihagh Jackson, BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, and Global News Podcast host Nick Miles, provide the answers to a whole range of fascinating questions.

    Producers: Anna Murphy and Osman Iqbal Sound Engineers: James Piper and Tom Brignell Editors: Karen Martin and Simon Watts

    Tell us what you think of the show or send us your own climate question. Email: [email protected] or Whatsapp: +44 8000 321 721

    11 November 2024, 7:00 am
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    Trump wins: What does it mean for the climate?

    How will the US election result alter climate policy at home and abroad? Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar hear from BBC Environment Correspondent Matt McGrath, US Environment Correspondent Carl Nasman and Zerin Osho, Director of the India Programme at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development in Washington DC.

    Producers: Octavia Woodward and Jordan Dunbar Sound Mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Simon Watts

    Tell us what you think of the show or send us your own climate question. Email: [email protected] or Whatsapp: +44 8000 321 721

    9 November 2024, 5:10 pm
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    How is climate misinformation evolving?

    Climate science and reporting are vital to understanding how our climate is changing and what we can do about it. But false information about climate change spread online is causing big problems. It’s no longer just about saying that climate change isn't happening; it’s increasingly about spreading uncertainty about its causes, its speed and the solutions. That’s making climate misinformation and disinformation harder to spot - and more divisive.

    Host Jordan Dunbar is joined by Jacqui Wakefield, global disinformation reporter with the BBC World Service and guests Marco Silva, climate disinformation journalist at BBC Verify and Prof Michael E Mann, climatologist and director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania.

    Researcher: Tsogzolmaa Shofyor Producer: Osman Iqbal Editor: Simon Watts

    Tell us what you think of the show or send us your own climate question. Email: [email protected] or Whatsapp: +44 8000 321 721

    4 November 2024, 9:29 am
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    Should we put a price on nature?

    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 and mangrove forests is wrong because nature and its gifts are priceless. But others say the love of nature has not stopped it from being polluted or destroyed.

    The natural world plays a major role in capturing the carbon from our atmosphere. A marketplace now exists where countries and big businesses can pay others to protect their forests, swamps and bogs in return for offsetting their emissions. But several of these schemes have faced scandal and corruption. Could the world’s largest biodiversity conference in Colombia, COP16, help put a stop to that?

    Presenters Kate Lamble and Jordan Dunbar are joined by Kevin Conrad, founder, Coalition for Rainforests; Tina Stege, climate envoy, Marshall Islands; Pavan Sukhdev, chief executive officer, GIST

    Tell us what you think of the show or send us your own climate question. Email: [email protected] or Whatsapp: +44 8000 321 721

    Producers: Darin Graham and Graihagh Jackson Researcher: Natasha Fernandez Reporter: Gloria Bivigou Series producers: Alex Lewis and Simon Watts Sound engineers: Graham Puddifoot and Tom Brignell

    28 October 2024, 9:31 am
  • 26 minutes 28 seconds
    Your questions answered: The value of trees, "black" oxygen, AI's carbon footprint

    Climate Question listeners take over the programme again with their head-scratchers. Graihagh Jackson and her panel: Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor, Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast and Caroline Steel, presenter of BBC Crowdscience, ponder the impact of deforestation and marvel at the beauty of sequoia trees, which can live for more than 1000 years.

    There are also questions on the carbon cost of generative AI, the discovery of "black" oxygen in our oceans and deep-sea mining.

    Plus, which animal has the biggest carbon footprint?

    If you've got a query, email us at [email protected] or leave a Whatsapp message on +44 8000 321 721

    Producer: Osman Iqbal Sound mix: Gareth Jones and Tom Brignell Editor: Simon Watts

    21 October 2024, 7:57 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2024. All rights reserved.