Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: Renewable energy now world's biggest power source
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delivers the day’s most pressing international stories with the hallmark depth and analysis of the BBC World Service. Its main focus is the historic milestone of renewable energy—particularly solar and wind—surpassing coal as the world's largest electricity source. Other segments include an update on Israel-Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Nobel Prize winners in medicine, wildlife extinction and food shortages in North Korea, conservation efforts for endangered insects, major shifts in US media, and Instagram's 15th anniversary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Renewable Energy Overtakes Coal as World's Biggest Power Source

[01:49 – 05:31]

• Milestone Achieved:
  For the first time, solar and wind power overtook coal in global electricity generation during the first half of 2025, according to the Ember think tank.

• Regional Trends:

  • China is the undisputed leader, having installed more solar and wind capacity than the rest of the world combined and even reducing fossil fuel dependence by 2%.
  • India saw renewables meeting its rising electricity demand.
  • Conversely, developed nations like the United States and European Union had electricity demand outpacing their renewables' growth, leading to increased coal and gas usage.

• Expert Commentary:
  Adair Turner, head of the Energy Transition Commission, stresses the dramatic cost reductions in solar PV and batteries:

  "The cost of solar photovoltaic modules per watt of power produced over the last 50 years...has come down 99.9%. The cost is one thousandth of what it was in 1975. And when you get a cost reduction like that, you get a revolution."
  — Adair Turner [04:53]

  He highlights the democratization of solar—balcony and rooftop panels, "agri PV" in India—and predicts that solar paired with batteries is set to replace fossil fuels even faster than most current forecasts suggest.

2. Israel-Gaza Conflict: Two Years After Hamas Attack

[05:31 – 14:24]

• Anniversary Reflections:
  On the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel (which led to the war in Gaza), commemorations were held amid continued devastation and grief on both sides.

• Personal Accounts:
  From Kibbutz Biri, Israel, Yulan Nell describes a community still mourning:

  "You live in two different universes. One is the battle of bringing everybody home and finishing the war. The other is your own personal battle...to wake up every morning to understand that you need to go on. And it's not simple at all."
  — Miri Gadmasika, Kibbutz Biri resident [07:06]

  In Gaza, families endure displacement and famine.

  "Every Gazan has lost loved ones."
  — Yulan Nell [08:15]

• Diplomatic Developments:
  Talks in Egypt on a ceasefire and hostage release under a US-brokered 20-point plan led by President Trump reportedly ended in a 'positive atmosphere.'
  Dr. Bishara Baba, intermediary in negotiations, explains the key challenges:

  "They [Hamas] don't trust the Israelis, and they shouldn't. But...they feel that the United States now has taken a firm position...brokering the agreement."
  — Dr. Bishara Baba [10:54]

  Disagreements persist over Hamas' disarmament and future role in Gaza:

  "Hamas has already agreed...to relinquish all their powers inside the Gaza Strip...but...will insist on having [personal weapons] because they're fearful of Israeli assassination attempts."
  — Dr. Bishara Baba [12:11]

3. Nobel Prize in Medicine: Immune System Regulation

[14:24 – 18:05]

• Breakthrough Discovery:
  Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi recognized for discovering "regulatory T cells," key in preventing the immune system from attacking the body itself.

• Significance:

  "It's wonderful that the prize has been given for this exciting research...I'm very confident it will [impact medical practice] in the future."
  — Professor Daniel Davies, Imperial College London [15:02]

  "...They discovered something called a regulatory T cell...able to spot when the immune system is going to start attacking the body and just disarm those specific immune cells. And that's why they've won the prize."
  — James Gallagher, BBC Health Correspondent [16:18]

• Implications:

  • Autoimmune diseases (diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Cancer treatments (potentially suppressing regulatory T cells to unleash the immune system on tumors)
  • Organ transplant acceptance

4. North Korea: Food Shortages and Wildlife Extinction

[18:56 – 21:51]

• New Findings:
  Due to chronic food shortages, North Koreans are hunting wild animals—including endangered ones—towards extinction.

• Study Details:

  • Conducted by conservationists from the UK and Norway using defectors’ interviews
  • Almost every mammal species larger than a hedgehog is hunted for food or trade, including Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, bears, and the long-tailed goral.

• State Involvement:
  North Korea isn’t signed up to international conservation treaties, and research suggests some state-sanctioned hunting and black market trade, including exports to China.

  "While economic conditions there have improved since the economy crashed in the 90s, there is no evidence that the black-market trade in wildlife is slowing down."
  — Stephanie Prentice, BBC Reporter [20:46]

• Bright Spot:
  The DMZ remains a haven for wildlife.

5. Conservation Innovation: Freezing Butterfly Eggs

[21:51 – 24:31]

• Project Focus:
  UK scientists are trialing cryopreservation (freezing) of endangered butterfly eggs, specifically the British swallowtail, to build a 'biobank' as a safeguard against extinction.

• Broader Potential:

  "I think it will be possible to bring back insects from the brink of extinction...the cryopreservation approach...could potentially mean that we could store a viable population frozen for many years."
  — Dr. Alvin Helden, Anglia Ruskin University [23:57]

6. US Media Shifts: Bari Weiss at CBS News

[24:31 – 28:36]

• Leadership Change:
  Bari Weiss, controversial journalist and founder of The Free Press, appointed as CBS News editor-in-chief after CBS’s merger with Skydance and new leadership under David Ellison.

• Motivations and Reactions:

  • The move is seen as part of an effort for CBS to appeal more to conservative viewers and align with the Trump administration, especially after legal disputes over coverage and the need for governmental merger approval.

  "There's been a lot of upheaval...this move to hire Bari Weiss and to buy her publication was widely seen as part of that push...to appeal more to the right and to be in the good graces of the Trump administration."
  — Will Oremus, Washington Post [26:02]

  • Both Ellison and Weiss emphasize a commitment to journalistic impartiality.

7. Instagram at 15: From Filters to Global Media Giant

[28:36 – 30:52]

• User Growth and Features:
  Instagram’s user base has reached 3 billion, making it the third most-used social app. Its evolution includes popular features like Stories and Reels.

• Cultural Influence:

  • India is the platform's largest market.
  • The most-liked photo remains Messi holding the World Cup trophy (74 million likes), beating out the erstwhile champion: a picture of an egg.

• Brand Strength:

  "What Instagram's strength has always been is their ability to evolve, and they're also really quick and reactive."
  — Megan Peterson, Talent Agency Manager [29:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Quote | Speaker | |---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | 04:53 | "The cost of solar photovoltaic modules...has come down 99.9%. The cost is one thousandth of what it was in 1975." | Adair Turner (Energy Transition Com.)| | 07:06 | "You live in two different universes...it's not simple at all...kids are like old kids, they are not the same now." | Miri Gadmasika (Kibbutz Biri) | | 10:54 | "They don't trust the Israelis, and they shouldn't...they feel the United States now has taken a firm position..." | Dr. Bishara Baba | | 12:11 | "No one else can enforce that agreement...Hamas...will insist on having [personal weapons]...fearful of assassination." | Dr. Bishara Baba | | 16:18 | "They discovered...regulatory T cell...able to spot when the immune system is...attacking the body and just disarm..." | James Gallagher | | 23:57 | "It will be possible to bring back insects from the brink...cryopreservation...could store a viable population frozen..."| Dr. Alvin Helden | | 26:02 | "This move to hire Bari Weiss...was widely seen as part of that push...to appeal more to the right..." | Will Oremus (Washington Post) | | 29:32 | "Instagram's strength has always been their ability to evolve, and they're also really quick and reactive." | Megan Peterson (Talent Manager) |

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Renewable energy milestone: 01:49 – 05:31
• Israel-Gaza war anniversary, negotiations: 05:31 – 14:24
• Nobel Prize breakthrough in immunology: 14:24 – 18:05
• North Korea wildlife extinction crisis: 18:56 – 21:51
• Conservation: Cryopreserving butterfly eggs: 21:51 – 24:31
• CBS News leadership, media trends: 24:31 – 28:36
• Instagram’s 15-year legacy: 28:36 – 30:52

Conclusion

This densely packed episode combines urgent climate news with coverage of ongoing conflicts, scientific breakthroughs, ecological challenges, political shifts in media, and the evolution of technology and culture—all told through the BBC’s balanced, global lens.