The Climate Question

More than seven billion of us are expected to be living in urban areas by 2050. So what are the world’s great cities doing about climate change? Humans are now city creatures – with more than half the world’s population already living in urban environments, and huge growth expected in cities in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa during the rest of the 21st century. So mayors are on the front line of deal...

Scientists say the El Niño weather pattern has started and this one is potentially so strong that it could have devastating effects in many parts of the world. So how does El Niño work exactly? And what’s the connection with climate change? El Niño starts when water temperatures rise near the Pacific coast of South America, but the impact on weather is felt around the globe. Some regions are more...

Parts of India have been facing extreme heat - with temperatures soaring past 46 degrees Celsius. But a less familiar story unfolds after dark. When temperatures stay high after sunset, an essential human need is threatened: sleep. Scientific research suggests that hot nights are leading many of us around the world to lose shut-eye already. Our bodies need to cool down to fall asleep – but hotter...

Insects play a crucial role in food production and the spread of disease, as well as being keystone species in many ecosystems. What does a warmer world mean for them? Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar talk to zoologist Dr Tim Cockerill, Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University. Got a question or comment? You can email the team: theclimatequestion@bbc.com Producers: Diane Ric...

Scorching temperatures are expected at this year’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. How will players and fans cope? And how will it affect the action on the pitch? Scientists are concerned about the impact of extreme heat on the biggest sporting event in history. The organisers, FIFA, is introducing mandatory water breaks to keep players cool, but experts say the hot conditions may slow d...

Corals protect humans and sustain 25% of all marine life. But reefs are under threat from climate change, and mass bleaching events mean that some scientists estimate they could disappear by 2100. In this episode, Graihagh Jackson is joined by BBC CrowdScience presenter, Caroline Steel. We go to Puerto Rico to see how self-duplicating, carnivorous coral could be the solution. We also speak to the...

In the global race for critical minerals - could the seabed provide solutions? Or should we leave these metal-rich environments undisturbed? Governments and mining companies around the world are on the hunt for the critical minerals we need for the green tech transition. And there’s growing interest in an unlikely source – potato-shaped nodules that are found kilometres below the surface of our oc...

Electric vehicle sales are soaring in Thailand and Vietnam. What’s behind the boom? And will it help the climate? Thais and Vietnamese are switching to electric cars in huge numbers – attracted by government subsidies and a more exciting range of EVs. Jobs in the car industry are also up in both countries as a new generation of manufacturers compete for domination of the emerging electric market....

What’s the carbon footprint of streaming your favourite shows or doing an AI search? How vulnerable are river estuaries to climate change? Plus, are you a climate optimist or pessimist? Graihagh Jackson and her panel answer your questions. The panel are Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor; Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast; and Caroline St...

It’s one of the most commonly debated questions in the climate world: Is this weather we’re experiencing natural, or is it linked to man-made climate change? In this episode of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar are joined by BBC Lead Weather Presenter, Matt Taylor. Matt’s forecasts are seen not just in the UK but around the world. Matt chats to Graihagh and Jordan abou...

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear accident devastated the Soviet Union and shocked the world. But, 40 years on, are we now seeing a nuclear renaissance? And what does that mean for the climate? Climate Question host Jordan Dunbar has just visited the most contaminated place in the world for a BBC World Service documentary. He tells co-host Graihagh Jackson about the ghostly atmosphere in the former C...

With more and more people moving to cities, informal settlements are expected to grow. When floods hit these unplanned places, it can be disastrous, as we often don’t know much about them. Crucial questions often remain difficult to answer, like how many people live there, what are the buildings made of, and could they withstand a flood? In the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, the BBC’s Noms...

Earthquakes are caused by a sudden release of stress along faults in the earth's crust, not by climate change, but some new studies suggest that melting glaciers and permafrost may influence when, where and how often seismic activity occurs. In this episode, hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar chat to seismologist Dr. Verena Simon from the Swiss Seismology Service and Associate Professor of G...

How much does advertising influence what we buy and how we think? A growing number of cities are restricting adverts for fossil fuel products, from flights and petrol cars to gas heating. From May, Amsterdam is set to become the first capital city to do so. In 2024, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to introduce similar bans worldwide. In this episode of The Climate Que...

As climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed so-called Chief Heat Officers to try to improve their response to record-breaking temperatures. In 2024, Graihagh Jackson spoke to two women who have done the job in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monterrey, Mexico. What does their role involve? What solutions are out there? And do they get enough funding? Plus, Umaru Fofana reports...

Transport is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in cities around the world it is also one of the biggest daily frustrations. Congestion, pollution and long journeys to work affect millions of people every day. In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar explores how cities can move large numbers of people more quickly, cheaply and with fewer emissions. W...

The Climate Question panel answer your queries. Do beavers protect the planet? Should we put solar panels in deserts? And why does the world need to upgrade its electricity grids? Host Graihagh Jackson puts your head-scratchers to Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor; Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast; and Caroline Steel, presenter of BBC C...

War leaves a visible trail of destruction: lives and families devastated, homes and communities reduced to rubble. But there is also a climate cost of armed conflict, and it’s an issue that Climate Question listeners have been asking about. So in this show, Host Graihagh Jackson chats to two leading experts about the carbon footprint of battle itself - the jets, the bombs, the supply lines - and t...

Methane is much more powerful than carbon dioxide and emissions are still rising. So what can we do to tackle the human-made sources of this greenhouse gas? And could this buy us time to get to grips with climate change? It's a topic which many Climate Question listeners have been contacting us about. So in this episode Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar put some of your questions and commen...

China is installing solar panels and wind turbines so fast that its greenhouse gases emissions may now have peaked. If this trend is confirmed, it would be a major milestone in the fight against climate change because China is the world's largest polluter. The BBC’s Beijing Correspondent Laura Bicker has travelled across China to see the country’s clean energy revolution first hand. She’s visited...

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 impa...

Winter sport depends on one thing that is becoming less reliable each year: snow. As temperatures rise, glaciers are retreating, seasons are shifting, and lower-elevation resorts are struggling to guarantee consistent conditions. Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore the ways climate change is reshaping winter sport, from elite competition to local economies. Former alpine ski racer and...

Fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, dread and powerlessness are some of the many emotions associated with what’s called climate anxiety. A global survey of 10,000 young people aged between 16–25 years, found that 60% were very worried about climate change, and nearly half said that their anxiety negatively effects their daily life. Psychologists say these are rational responses to our changing climate,...

We know the planet is getting hotter because of human-induced climate change. But just how hot could it get? In this show, Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar chat to Nasa scientist, Kate Marvel, about the world of climate modelling. Kate has spent decades trying to work out what will happen to the Earth as emissions of carbon dioxide increase. Although the basic facts of climate change are settled...

How farmers and scientists in eastern India are using ancient rice seeds to fight the growing impact of flooding, soil salinity and drought. The BBC’s William Kremer tells Graihagh Jackson about his visit to the Sundarbans in West Bengal, where cyclones and rising sea levels have devastated crops. William meets the rice growers drawing on the skills of their forefathers to feed their families. Gra...