The Climate Question
by BBC World Service
Latest episode
Why does climate change hit women harder?
Why does climate change hit women harder?
About this podcast
Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 322 episodes
- Why does climate change hit women harder? · 23 minOur changing climate affects all genders - with extreme weather events, heat, drought and flooding putting pressure on the lives and wellbeing of entire communities. Yet the…
- AMOC: How the changing Atlantic could reshape our world · 24 minThe system of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC plays a crucial role in the global climate, helping to keep Europe relatively mild…
- How could climate change affect my health? · 26 minClimate change is having major health impacts around the world, which are only expected to increase as our planet gets warmer. These impacts range from heat stroke to the spread…
- Mining: Can we learn lessons from the past? · 30 minLithium and copper are at the heart of the green energy transition, but what's the environmental cost of extraction? From the lithium mines of Salar de Atacama in Chile to the…
- Are we ready for a super El Niño? · 23 minWhen a powerful El Niño strikes, it can devastate harvests, flood communities and kill thousands of people. Scientists have been warning for months that this one could become the…
- The battery revolution · 26 minFrom Mongolia to Texas, record numbers of lithium-ion batteries are being added to the world's electricity grids - helping to provide more reliable power and speeding up the…
- Climate overshoot: The world beyond 1.5°C · 29 minThe United Nations says the world will pass its most important climate target within a few years. So can we bring the planet's temperature back down quickly? Or will the damage…
- The solar power boom in Pakistan and the Philippines · 23 minThe Philippines and Pakistan are now the world's top solar panel importers. We find out why, and what other countries can learn from the boom! Cheap solar panels, mainly imported…
- Can China build its way out of climate change? · 28 minHuge construction projects are transforming China - think enormous dams, giant solar power farms and a vast high-speed rail network. Will Beijing's "engineering mindset" help it…
- How will melting glaciers change Nepal? · 26 minAs shown by the recent flash floods, Nepali mountain communities are on the front line of climate change. Can they adapt? Host Jordan Dunbar talks to two Sherpas who have become…
- Can we cope with droughts? · 26 minEurope is reeling from a record-breaking drought which has closed nuclear power stations, stopped river traffic and sent food prices soaring. And there may now be more intense…
- How do we save Africa's forests? · 23 minAfrican forests are vital for food and economic development, as well as for supporting millions of species of animals and plants. We find out how to protect them better with one…
- Is air conditioning the answer to extreme heat? · 26 minExperts say we may now need to spend more on cooling our homes than heating them because of climate change. In fact, the International Energy Agency thinks the equivalent of 10…
- Is this a new era of wildfires? · 23 minHuge wildfires have been sweeping across Southern Europe and North America. Is climate change increasing the risk? And what can we do? Weather experts say the world is starting…
- How is climate change affecting motherhood? · 26 minGraihagh Jackson talks to mothers from India, Kenya and the UK about how climate change is affecting women's decisions about whether to have children and how to raise them. Her…
- Do climate protests ever work? · 26 minClimate activists have blocked highways, scaled oil rigs and even thrown soup at master artworks. But have protests ever made a difference? The modern green movement started in…
- Could climate change fuel an epidemic? · 26 minScientists are warning that climate change and deforestation increase the risk of outbreaks of deadly diseases. How big is the danger? And what action can we take? Dr Neil Vora…
- Can science fiction help us fight climate change? · 26 minThe 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 and beyond. Robinson…
- How to build a climate friendly city · 26 minMore than seven billion of us are expected to be living in urban areas by 2050. So what are the world’s great cities doing about climate change? Humans are now city creatures –…
- "Super" El Niños and climate change · 23 minScientists say the El Niño weather pattern has started and this one is potentially so strong that it could have devastating effects in many parts of the world. So how does El…
- Is climate change ruining our sleep? · 25 minParts of India have been facing extreme heat - with temperatures soaring past 46 degrees Celsius. But a less familiar story unfolds after dark. When temperatures stay high after…
- How will climate change affect insects? · 24 minInsects play a crucial role in food production and the spread of disease, as well as being keystone species in many ecosystems. What does a warmer world mean for them? Climate…
- Can the World Cup cope with extreme heat? · 27 minScorching temperatures are expected at this year’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. How will players and fans cope? And how will it affect the action on the pitch?…
- Can we save the world's coral? · 26 minCorals 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 estimate they could…
- Should we mine the deep ocean? · 23 minIn the global race for critical minerals - could the seabed provide solutions? Or should we leave these metal-rich environments undisturbed? Governments and mining companies…
- The electric car boom in South East Asia · 26 minElectric vehicle sales are soaring in Thailand and Vietnam. What’s behind the boom? And will it help the climate? Thais and Vietnamese are switching to electric cars in huge…
- Q+A: The carbon footprint of your tech and AI · 26 minWhat’s the carbon footprint of streaming your favourite shows or doing an AI search? How vulnerable are river estuaries to climate change? Plus, are you a climate optimist or…
- Is this climate change or just crazy weather? · 26 minIt’s one of the most commonly debated questions in the climate world: Is this weather we’re experiencing natural, or is it linked to man-made climate change? In this episode of…
- Chernobyl at 40: Is nuclear power back in fashion? · 28 minIn 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear accident devastated the Soviet Union and shocked the world. But, 40 years on, are we now seeing a nuclear renaissance? And what does that mean for…
- Can technology help us fight flooding in cities? · 26 minWith 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 often don’t know much…
- Earthquakes and climate change · 26 minEarthquakes are caused by a sudden release of stress along faults in the earth's crust, not by climate change, but some new studies suggest that melting glaciers and permafrost…
- Why are some cities banning fossil fuel ads? · 23 minHow much does advertising influence what we buy and how we think? A growing number of cities are restricting adverts for fossil fuel products, from flights and petrol cars to gas…
- What's it like being a chief heat officer? · 26 minAs climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed so-called Chief Heat Officers to try to improve their response to record-breaking temperatures. In 2024…
- Can better buses fix city pollution? · 26 minTransport is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in cities around the world it is also one of the biggest daily frustrations. Congestion…
- Q&A: Beavers, solar panels in the Sahara and nuclear waste · 26 minThe Climate Question panel answer your queries. Do beavers protect the planet? Should we put solar panels in deserts? And why does the world need to upgrade its electricity…
- What's the climate cost of war? · 24 minWar leaves a visible trail of destruction: lives and families devastated, homes and communities reduced to rubble. But there is also a climate cost of armed conflict, and it’s an…
- Is cutting methane the quick way to cool the planet? · 25 minMethane is much more powerful than carbon dioxide and emissions are still rising. So what can we do to tackle the human-made sources of this greenhouse gas? And could this buy us…
- China's green energy revolution · 26 minChina is installing solar panels and wind turbines so fast that its greenhouse gases emissions may now have peaked. If this trend is confirmed, it would be a major milestone in…
- What can we do to reduce black carbon? · 23 minFirst broadcast in 2024. Graihagh Jackson finds out about the little know pollutant making us sick and driving the climate crisis. It commonly comes from burning coal, diesel or…
- Can winter sports survive a warming world? · 24 minWinter sport depends on one thing that is becoming less reliable each year: snow. As temperatures rise, glaciers are retreating, seasons are shifting, and lower-elevation resorts…
- What is climate anxiety and how can you cope with it? · 23 minFear, anxiety, sadness, anger, dread and powerlessness are some of the many emotions associated with what’s called climate anxiety. A global survey of 10,000 young people aged…
- How hot could the planet get? · 26 minWe know the planet is getting hotter because of human-induced climate change. But just how hot could it get? In this show, Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar chat to Nasa…
- Could ancient rice seeds help fight climate change? · 23 minHow farmers and scientists in eastern India are using ancient rice seeds to fight the growing impact of flooding, soil salinity and drought. The BBC’s William Kremer tells…
- Are SUVs becoming a climate problem? · 26 minAcross the world, cars are getting taller, wider and heavier. Sports Utility Vehicles, or SUVs, now dominate global car sales, and the trend has continued into the electric age…
- Are there any quick fixes to the climate crisis? · 26 minPeople often ask whether there are any quick fixes to the climate crisis — easy wins that could cut emissions without waiting decades. This week, The Climate Question does…
- What can whales tell us about climate change? · 26 minWhales are among the largest animals to have ever lived – and scientists are discovering they also play a big role in the climate system. From the food they eat to where their…
- Q&A: The jobs of the future, nitrous oxide, ice cores · 28 minWe answer YOUR climate questions – on everything from “green” careers to ice cores to the world’s electricity challenge! In this edition of The Climate Question, Host Graihagh…
- What made the floods in South East Asia so deadly? · 23 minStorms, cyclones and flooding in South East Asia have killed close to 2000 people, devastating communities across Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Scientists warn…
- What does the ocean do for us and the planet? · 26 minWhat do you think of when you think about our oceans? Maybe you see a picture of our planet with a big patch of blue? Maybe you think about storms or dramatic ocean voyages?…
- Who wins in the electric vehicles transition? · 26 minAcross the world vehicle manufacturers are racing to make zero emission cars in the move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles. It’s a huge market which could reach 9 trillion…
