The Climate Question

Latest Episodes:

What does climate change mean for Egypt? Nov 20, 2022

Show notes

The world has been in Egypt for COP27, the UN’s big climate talks. It’s a country that’s already feeling the acute effects of climate change – temperatures have risen by two degrees since last century, damaging farming and driving up food prices.

Tensions are rising, but many are concerned that restrictions on the right to protest and freedom of expression mean that climate change is not getting the attention it deserves and preventing Egypt from adapting.

The Climate Question hears how global warming is affecting Egypt – and whether the government is listening.

Presenters Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell are joined by:

Amr Magdi, Senior Researcher, Middle East & North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch BBC Arabic’s Sally Nabil Glada Lahn, Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House think tank The Climate Question’s Jordan Dunbar at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producers: Lily Freeston and Sophie Eastaugh Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Production Coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton Smith Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

COP27: Are countries keeping to their climate pledges? Nov 13, 2022

Show notes

Last year at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, countries made big promises to tackle climate change – by curbing their greenhouse gas emissions and reducing deforestation. But as this year’s COP27 continues in Egypt, we ask whether countries are keeping to their word.

Presenters Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson are joined by a host of guests at COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh: The Climate Question’s Jordan Dunbar; Esme Stallard, BBC Climate and Science journalist; Joe Curtin, managing director, power and climate at the Rockefeller Foundation; Carlos Nobre, Earth System scientist from National Academy of Sciences, Brazil; Suranjali Tandon, assistant professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi; Dr Frances Colon, former American science diplomat; Jennifer Morgan, German climate envoy; Belinda Margono, Directorate General of Forestry Planning, Indonesian government.

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Producers: Sophie Eastaugh and Georgia Coan

What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis? Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

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. Studies show that the global population will decline eventually and populations in many rich nations are already declining. However, 11,000 scientists signed a paper warning of “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless society transforms, including the reversal of population growth. But an analysis by the United Nations found that affluence has a greater impact on the climate than population. When we talk about overpopulation, what are we really saying and where does the conversation go from here?

This episode was first broadcast on 13th December 2021.

Presenters Neal Razzell and Kate Lamble are joined by: Nyovani Madise, head of the Malawi office of the African Institute for Development Policy. Anu Ramaswami, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton. Arvind Ravikumar, professor in energy transition and climate policy at the University of Texas.

Producer: Darin Graham Reporter: Rajesh Joshi Series producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Production coordinator: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill

How green is green finance? Oct 30, 2022

Show notes

We’ve been told that big finance is crucial to the transition to net zero, and billions of dollars are invested in so-called sustainable finance every year. But the BBC’s Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, have been looking into a new green finance product and found that not all is quite as it seems.

Their investigation has found an example of sustainable finance backed by the multi-national bank HSBC being used to help extract a vast new reserve of fossil fuels in Brazil. And it's not the only one. Some question how this can happen, while others defend it. Presenters Justin Rowlatt and Graihagh Jackson are joined by: Tariq Fancy, former Global Chief Investment officer for Sustainable Investing at BlackRock Caroline Harrison, Head of Market Intelligence Research at Climate Bonds Initiative Ulf Erlandsson, Chief Executive at the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute Julia Carneiro, journalist based in Brazil Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producers: Sophie Eastaugh and Miho Tanaka Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editors: Bridget Harney and Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross

What should Africa do with its fossil fuel reserves? Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

Africa accounts for around 10 per cent of the world's known fossil-fuel reserves. But plans to build an oil pipeline through East Africa to transport hundreds of thousands of barrels a day have been condemned by the European Union.

The pipeline, which runs from the source in Uganda to the Tanzanian coast, will generate billions of dollars a year. But critics say it will release tens of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In this programme we hear from the people involved in the fight over the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, and find out if they think it will go ahead.

Presenters Dickens Olewe and Graihagh Jackson are joined by

Faten Aggad, Senior Advisor on Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics at the African Climate Foundation

Tony Tiyou, Founder and CEO of Renewables in Africa

Brian, climate campaigner

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Reporter: Aboubakar Famau, BBC Swahili Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Producer: Lily Freeston Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Clare Fordham Production Coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross, Siobhan Reed Sound Engineer: Tom Brignall

Are prizes the best solution for climate change? Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

We know many of the obstacles in the way of a creating a cleaner planet - making cement green, decarbonising electricity or creating affordable clean transport. But how do we get the experts the funding they need to bring these solutions to the world?

Many people see innovation prizes as the answer - from Prince William’s ‘Earthshot’ to Elon Musk’s ‘X-Prize’ there are hundreds of millions of dollars up for grabs. Is this the best way to find solutions to the climate crisis? Who really wins from these prizes, companies or the climate?

Joining presenters Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson are –

Marcius Extavour, Chief Scientist and Vice President for Energy and Climate at the XPrize foundation

Robert Burrell, Professor of Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law

Zorina Khan, Professor of Economics at Bowdoin College and Author of Inventing Ideas

Vidyut Mohan, Co-Founder of Takachar

Plus an interview with Hannah Ritchie from Our World In Data, on plans put forward by the New Zealand Government to tax cow burps.

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producer: Jo Casserly Reporter: Partha Prasad Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Jordan Dunbar Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross

Can climate protests make a difference? Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

From being glued to diggers to bunking off school, what happens when the public takes climate action into their own hands? Mass protests and demonstrations can be an effective way to gain media attention but do they lead to lasting change?

Kate Lamble and Neal Razzell are joined by: Disha Ravi, climate activist, India Dan Hooper, (Swampy), climate activist, UK Mel, member of Scientist Rebellion, Mexico Dana R. Fisher, Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, USA Ruud Wouters, researcher Media, Movements & Politics, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Team: Reporter: Imran Qureshi, India Producer: Lizzy McNeill Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross, Siobhan Reed Sound engineer: Tom Brignell

What can we do with nuclear waste? Oct 02, 2022

Show notes

The race to reduce emissions has more and more nations reaching for the nuclear option. Nuclear power plants are being built around the world, generating carbon-free electricity day and night, windy or calm. But they also generate radioactive waste, some of which can remain deadly for thousands of years. Thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste currently sit in “temporary” sites, some decades old. This has been fuel to critics who have described nuclear power as a scourge for future generations. No country yet has a permanent solution to the problem.

Now, almost 70 years after the first nuclear plant, Finland is set to change that. Engineers have been creating a giant cavern they say will become the world’s first permanent nuclear waste disposal site. Can it silence the critics or are we just passing on the problem to future generations?

Presenters Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell spoke to: Professor Michael Bluck, director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College, London. Dr Leslie Dewan Nuclear Engineer, CEO and co-founder of Radiant Nano Nuclear Security Company. Shaun Burnie Nuclear specialist with Greenpeace East Asia

Reporter: Ilpo Salonen, Finland Producer: Lizzy McNeill, Jordan Dunbar Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross, Siobhan Reed Sound engineer: Tom Brignall

How much can flooding in Pakistan be blamed on climate change? Sep 25, 2022

Show notes

Floods in Pakistan have destroyed or damaged millions of homes, schools and businesses. So far nearly 1500 people have died and 33 million have been affected. With Pakistan contributing less than 1% to global CO2 emissions, a keen sense of injustice is felt in the country, and demands for international support have been made. The Pakistan government has called it a “climate catastrophe” and according to the World Weather Attribution group, it is likely climate change led to intense rainfall. But critics blame mismanagement and say Pakistan should have been more prepared for the inevitable. In this programme, we tell the story of the collapse of one building to see how much of the crisis can be blamed on climate change. Guests: Saher Baloch, Correspondent at BBC World’s Urdu service Zarmat Shinwari, owner of New Honeymoon Hotel Humayun Shinwari, owner of New Honeymoon Hotel Sayed Nabi, manager of New Honeymoon Hotel

Email us: the climatequestion@bbc.com Presenter: Neal Razzell Co-presenter: Saher Baloch Producer: Lily Freeston Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Production Coordinator: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

Can animals evolve to deal with climate change? Sep 18, 2022

Show notes

As climate change brings rising temperatures and shifting patterns of rainfall, animals are adapting to keep pace. Bird’s bodies are growing smaller, their wingspan longer, lizards are growing larger thumb pads to help them grip more tightly in hurricane strength winds, beak size is changing.

We visit the Galapagos, where evolution was first discovered by Charles Darwin, to investigate the many ways the behaviour and physiology of animals are changing to survive the impact of climate change. But can they do it quickly enough?

First broadcast – 14 March 2022

Presenters Jordan Dunbar and Kate Lamble are joined by: Kiyoko Gotanda, Assistant Professor at Brock University Ramiro Tomala, Expedition leader, Metropolitan Touring in the Galapagos Thor Hanson, conservationist and author of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid Anne Charmantier, Director of Research at Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Montpellier

With thanks to research carried out by Colin Donihue of Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.

Producer: Dearbhail Starr Reporter: Mark Stratton Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Nicola Addyman Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

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