Podcast
The Climate Question
Hosted by BBC World Service · EN
Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.
35episodes
Episodes
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Are SUVs becoming a climate problem?
Jan 1100:26:28Tap to summarizeAcross 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 with many new EVs larger than ever.In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar examines why bigger cars have become so popular with drivers and so profitable for manufacturers. From comfort and safety to status and aspiration, SUVs are reshaping roads across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.Size matters. Heavier vehicles use more energy, require bigger batteries, and create challenges for cities, from congestion and parking to road damage and safety. Jordan speaks to Theo Leggett, the BBC’s International Business Correspondent, and Anjani Trivedi, Global Business Correspondent at The Economist, about car-spreading, emissions, electrification, and whether governments and consumers could reverse the trend.Guests: Theo Leggett, BBC International Business Correspondent Anjani Trivedi, Global Business Correspondent, The EconomistPresenter: Jordan Dunbar Production team: Ben Andrews, Grace Braddock, Tom Brignell, Gareth Jones, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle Editor: Simon WattsImage: CJ Gunther / EPA-EFE / REX / ShutterstockGot a question or a comment? You can email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com
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Are there any quick fixes to the climate crisis?
Jan 400:26:28Tap to summarizePeople 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 something a little different.Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar stage an imaginary cabinet meeting, with three “ministers” competing to deliver the biggest climate impact in just five years. Climate scientist and YouTuber Adam Levy pitches methane cuts in food and farming. Radhika Khosla, an urban climatologist and adviser to national governments, argues building smarter and reducing air conditioning are the fastest levers. And Jordan steps into the role of Transport Minister to make the case for buses, bikes and less traffic.Together, they explore whether these quick fixes are enough — and why, if they’re so effective, they aren’t already happening.Guests: Radhika Khosla – Associate Professor, University of Oxford Adam Levy – Climate Scientist and creator of ClimateAdamHosts: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar Production Team: Grace Braddock, Tom Brignell, Dafydd Evans, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle Editor: Simon WattsImage: ReutersGot a question or a comment? You can email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com
Transcribe →What should Africa do with its fossil fuel reserves?
Oct 23, 2022Tap to summarizeAfrica 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 campaignerEmail 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
Transcribe →What can we do with nuclear waste?
Oct 2, 2022Tap to summarizeThe 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 AsiaReporter: 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
Transcribe →Are Catholics ignoring the Pope on climate change?
Dec 21, 2020Tap to summarizeIn 2015, Pope Francis asked Catholics the world over to protect our planet. But five years on, with emissions and extinctions rising, what difference has it made? And have any other religions followed suit? For answers, Neal and Graihagh are joined by two leading voices on the environment: Christiana Figueres, who helped the world reach the Paris Climate Agreement, and Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Pope’s leading climate advisor. They’ll hear evidence from Poland, a Catholic country that runs on coal and where Church leaders are not always in step with the Vatican’s teaching on the environment. They’ll also assess the global impact of the Pope’s green push, and talk about the role of faith in fighting climate change. Produced by Anna Meisel and Eleanor Biggs Editor: Ravin Sampat. Sound Design: Tom Brignall
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