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First 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 wood and has a habit of getting stuck in people’s lungs as well as causing glaciers to melt.

In Nepal, home to some of the world’s most beautiful glaciers, we meet journalist Tulsi Rauniyar, who tells us all about the impact black carbon is having on women and children. She meets Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, a glacier expert who maps the ice losses in the Himalayas.

Zerin Osho from the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development helps us understand why black carbon is so important - but often forgotten - in the fight against climate change, and how we can change that.

NOTE: The figure given in this programme for the exact amount of global warming linked to black carbon is incorrect. The correct figure will be included in this programme description once re-checked.

Got a question you’d like answered? Email: TheClimateQuestion@BBC.com

Presenter: Graihagh Jackson Producer: Ben Cooper Researcher: Octavia Woodward Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Editor: Simon Watts Sound Designer: Tom Brignell

PHOTO CREDIT: SAIF DAHLAH/AFP via Getty Images

What can we do to reduce black carbon?