The Climate Question

Latest Episodes:

Why did Ecuador vote to stop drilling for oil? Oct 28, 2023

Show notes

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 barrels of oil per day. In a recent referendum, held as part of Ecuador’s Presidential elections, people voted to stop drilling for oil – including the newly elected President Daniel Noboa. We visit the town of El Coca – the gateway to the park - where the result thrilled people who are concerned about the climate. But many, especially those whose livelihoods depend on the oil industry, feel the opposite. Presenter Sophie Eastaugh speaks to: Lisette Arevalo, reporter in Ecuador Alejandra Santillana, activist with Yasunidos group in Ecuador who campaigned for the vote Fernando Santos, Ecuador’s Energy & Mining Minister Tessa Khan, climate lawyer and cofounder of the Climate Litigation Network, UK Navraj Singh Ghaleigh, Senior Lecturer in climate law at Edinburgh University, UK

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Presenter: Sophie Eastaugh Producer: Greg Brosnan Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Jacqui Johnson Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: China Collins Sound mix: Tom Brignell

How do our listeners stay positive on climate? Oct 22, 2023

Show notes

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 taking action in everyday ways. Or just knowing that the brightest minds are pushing innovative climate solutions forward every day.

In a wave of negative climate news, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. Climate change is a real threat, and it’s normal to experience worry, but there are reasons to be positive. We hear from a psychologist about how ‘climate anxiety’ is a normal response to the uncertainty around us and from a Libyan climate activist about what motivates her, despite experiencing climate devastation in her own country.

Presenters Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson are joined by;

Susan Clayton, Professor of Psychology at The College of Wooster, USA. Nissa Bek ,climate activist and the founder of Project Mulan, Libya

With thanks to listeners: Ben, Tim, Sarah, Brian, Michael, Tony, Sean and Solomon

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Presenters: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar Producer: Osman Iqbal Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

Bill Gates: How I stay positive on climate change Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

Bill Gates, the tech billionaire turned philanthropist, has been combating poverty, disease, and inequity around the world for decades. However, in recent years he has shifted focus and resources towards the climate crisis.

Gates believes fighting climate change and fighting poverty are two sides of the same coin. Food, health and economic crises will last longer and become more severe as climate threats escalate; disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable communities.

Surprisingly, Gates remains optimistic and believes the power of human ingenuity will win out with a technology-driven approach in both mitigation and adaptation.

Graihagh Jackson sits down with Mr Gates to talk about his positive outlook and the billions he’s investing in tackling climate change.

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Presenter: Graihagh Jackson Producer: Osman Iqbal Series producer: Alex Lewis and Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound engineers: James Beard and Graham Puddifoot

How can we fight drought in the Horn of Africa? Oct 08, 2023

Show notes

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 new research has found that it was 100 times more likely to have happened because of climate change.

Presenter Sophie Eastaugh hears about a climate adaptation strategy pioneered by the Maasai people. Food insecurity, conflict and perishing livestock are just a few elements of an ever-worsening crisis, with proactive planning difficult for governments with limited resources and other immediate problems. So what can be done to fight the worst effects of the ongoing crisis?

Sophie is joined by: Lanoi Meitiekene, a leader in the Maasai community Joyce Kimutai, Principal Meteorologist at Kenya Meteorological Department Yared Abera Deme, Research Analyst with the International Climate Action team, WRI Africa, Ethiopia.

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Presenter: Sophie Eastaugh Producers: Osman Iqbal and Cesar Vargas Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

Are disabled people forgotten in climate disaster plans? Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

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 than those who are not disabled. Emma Tracey, from the BBC’s Access All podcast, investigates for The Climate Question, meeting disabled people who have dealt with extreme weather events first hand. As well as those who are researching and enforcing change, even in the places you’d least expect it Emma is joined by:

Sébastien Jodoin, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law of McGill University, Canada Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, an Indigenous and disabled climate justice advocate, New Zealand Gaele Sobott, writer, living in Sydney, Australia Kemi Yemi-Ese, visual artist from Austin Texas, US Setareki Macanawai CEO, Pacific Disability Forum based in Fiji Presenter: Emma Tracey, BBC Access All Producers: Octavia Woodward and Jordan Dunbar Series Producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill, Jacqui Johnson

Can tourism ever be good for the climate? Sep 24, 2023

Show notes

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 generate $103 billion annually by 2027. But how well do its green claims actually stack up when it comes to the climate?

Presenter Qasa Alom visits the birthplace of Sea Turtle conservation, goes on patrol with a ranger protecting the forest from loggers and miners, and spots luxury tourist developments in the terrain of the puma.

How big is tourism’s climate impact, and can this ever be mitigated by its benefits?

Guests: Ralf Buckley, Director of the International Centre for Ecotourism Research, and Research Director of the Climate Response Program at Griffith University, Australia. Stefan Gossling, Professor at the Linnaeus University School of Business and Economics and Lund University's Department of Service Management

If you have a question about climate change that you’d like us to answer, or a comment – please email them to theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Presenter: Qasa Alom Producers: Sophie Eastaugh for The Climate Question and Jamie Hamilton for The Travel Show Researcher: Octavia Woodward Series Producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill, Jacqui Johnson

What should I eat to help fight Climate Change? Sep 17, 2023

Show notes

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 and climate: which foods are most associated with greenhouse gas emissions? Which fruits and vegetables are the most sustainable choices at the supermarket? How would a tax on carbon-intensive imported produce, like beef, work?

In this programme, a panel of experts answer your questions to help you see past the product packaging, wherever you are in the world.

Presenter Graihagh Jackson is joined by:

Dan Saladino, food journalist, author and presenter;

Franziska Funke, Associate Doctoral Researcher in environmental economics at the Technical University of Berlin;

Dr Ximena Schmidt, sustainability expert at Brunel University, London;

If you have a question about climate change that you’d like us to answer, or a comment – please email them to theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producer: Ben Cooper Researcher: Octavia Woodward Series Producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell Production Coordinators: Debbie Richford, Sophie Hill and Sabine Schereck

Meet the Climate Quitters: Part Two Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

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, highs and lows of their new lives in climate conscious careers.

In Mumbai, Namita Dandekar swapped a role marketing stock for one of India's largest - and wealthiest - conglomerates for a front-line position with The RainTree Foundation, an organisation that works with rural communities to introduce climate friendly practices into their everyday lives and livelihoods.

In Vihiga County in Kenya, Kevin Makova traded in his job as a schoolteacher to create sustainable employment opportunities for members of the community keen to work in climate and conservation focused jobs.

And in Berkeley, California, Eugene Kirpichov said goodbye to a lucrative post developing AI systems for Google to build a new, global workforce that he hopes will be capable of solving the climate crisis conundrum.

But is the grass always greener - and cleaner - for climate quitters? What are the realities of life on the other side of that leap? And does putting the planet first come at a personal cost?

In this globe-spanning episode, your host, Paul Connolly, probes all three guests for their views and experiences so far - and we go a step further to bring you on-the-ground, in-person reports from the projects based in both India and Kenya.

Presenter: Paul Connolly Series Producers: Simon Watts and Alex Lewis Editor: China Collins Sound engineers: James Beard and Tom Brignell Production co-ordinator: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill

Going carbon neutral: Lessons from Denmark Sep 03, 2023

Show notes

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 countries. This dream has been 15 years in the making; a crash in fish stocks meant Bornholmers had to reinvent themselves and they chose to become ‘the bright green island’. Since then, they have been making biogas from pig manure, building wind turbine after wind turbine, and now they are piloting new ways of storing this renewable energy, including in a battery made of salt.

The island is not just trying to rid itself of fossil fuels – it is also aiming to go zero waste by 2032. Graihagh Jackson teams up with CrowdScience presenter Caroline Steel to explore Bornholm’s double quest to go green.The changes have not just been at top-level – the island’s businesses and 40,000 residents have been encouraged to reduce their climate impact too. Graihagh visits a brewery whose production has gone carbon neutral by capturing CO2 to create the bubbles in its beers, and meets a chef whose Michelin-star restaurant uses locally-sourced food.

And over on CrowdScience, Caroline tackles Bornholm’s zero waste ambition, visiting a project turning used nappies into compost and a glassblower making tableware out of wasted insulin vials. See link below.

Will Bornholm make its bold goals, and what lessons can be learned for elsewhere?

Presenters: Graihagh Jackson and Caroline Steel Producer: Sophie Eastaugh Production co-ordinators: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill Series Producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound engineer: Tom Brignell

Can live music go green? Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

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 music industry now relies on touring for money – encouraging more and more bands to travel and fans to see them. This is causing emissions to soar just like the private jets. So what can be done? Jordan Dunbar discovers the problem isn’t coming from who you might think and that this could be a climate opportunity rather than a problem.

Guests: Ben Pol, Afrobeats star Prof Carly McLachlan, Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, University of Manchester Jordi Herreruela, Director of the Cruilla Barcelona Festival Luke Howells, Head of Sustainability for Coldplay and Glastonbury Festival Henry Stuart, Co-Founder and CEO of Visualise

Producers: Osman Iqbal and Ben Cooper Reporter in Barcelona: Esperanza Escribano Researchers: Octavia Woodward and Isobel Gough Series producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound engineers: Tom Brignell Production coordinators: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill

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