The Climate Question

What does China's green tech revolution mean for the world?

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

China is scouring the globe for the raw materials of the future. How will we be affected? Graihagh Jackson investigates.

Can we build better cities for mental health and the climate?

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, more than half the world’s population live in cities – and as our numbers swell, so will our cities, especially those around the Pacific Ri...

Can we save money and save the planet?

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Experts say we need to be 40 per cent more energy efficient to meet our climate goals. Is that doable? And might it save us money too?It's a solution ...

What is caused (and not caused) by climate change?

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Graihagh Jackson explores the new field of climate attribution science with leading climatologist Dr Friederike Otto. Dr Otto's team ...

Bonus Ep: the climate activists who sued their government (and won)

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this extra episode, Graihagh Jackson hears from our friends on BBC podcast The Global Story about a case that could change the history of climate a...

Can we save the world's coral?

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sci...

Can fertilisers go green?

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ammonia has revolutionised the way we produce our food, helping us to grow much, much more... But it’s also helping to grow global greenhouse gas em...

Why are electric scooters, mopeds and rickshaws booming?

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Delhi’s roads are being taken over by electric mopeds, scooters and rickshaws. More than fifty per cent of two- and three-wheelers are already elect...

How is climate change affecting animal migration?

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, the great migration sees hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles, zebras and antelopes migrate from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania...

How does extreme heat affect pregnant women?

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The BBC’s Global Health Correspondent Tulip Mazumdar investigates how extreme heat fuelled by climate change is affecting pregnant women in India. N...

Your questions answered: Reversing climate change, eating avocados, electric vehicles and more

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You asked, we answered. This week our expert panel dive into your questions. Can climate change cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? How bad are ...

What's it like living a "sustainable" life?

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As governments and industry find ways of reducing emissions to keep climate change under control, some people are taking responsibility for their own ...

What's it like being a 'Chief Heat Officer'?

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed "Chief Heat Officers" to try to improve their response to record-breaking tempera...

Could solar farms in space power Earth?

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the idea of assembling giant solar farms in space and then beaming the renewable energy back down ...

Do we need a 'Category 6' for hurricanes?

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Graihagh chats to the BBC World Service's Global Story podcast about a plan for a super-category for storms. Is climate change making them so powerful...

Why is nuclear power back in fashion?

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the big COP climate summit last December, more than 20 countries pledged to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050 to help cut carbon emissions. Th...

Are wetlands our secret weapon for fighting climate change?

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world's wetlands store carbon and can help us tackle some of the impacts of climate change. Are we overlooking their importance? And what can we d...

Why is climate change fuelling tension in the Arctic?

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Global temperatures have already increased by around 1.3C above pre-industrial levels, but this warming is not spread evenly across the planet. The Ar...

Is climate change on the ballot paper in 2024?

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2024 will see billions of voters head to the polls in a record-breaking year for elections. It follows 2023 – another record-breaking year for the c...

Your questions answered: The impact of war; "green" rooftops; carbon cost of pets

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You asked, we answered. In this episode, a panel of experts dive into your questions. How does war impact climate change? What are the carbon footprin...

Tidal power: What’s holding it back?

14 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lake Sihwa in South Korea is home to the world’s largest operating tidal power station, using the tides to generate enough power for a city of half ...

Will 'sustainable' fuels transform air travel?

07 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The future of flying might depend on used cooking oil, plants and green electricity. Sustainable aviation fuels, known as SAF, are made from less carb...

Who's doing best on fighting climate change?

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Tracey starts 2024 by hearing from Kenya and Costa Rica, two of the countries ranked highest in the fightback against climate change. She talks t...

Can climate change ever be funny?

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Budding comedian (and Climate Question presenter) Jordan Dunbar sets out to discover if humour can help us understand - and cope with - global warming...

Climate review of the year

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

2023 was the hottest year on record. How did the planet cope? And what has the world actually done to tackle climate change? The BBC’s Graihagh Jack...

Was this year's climate summit a game-changer?

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The deal at this year's COP conference in Dubai is being hailed as "historic" because it's the first time nearly 200 countries have all acknowledged t...

The 100 Women climate debate

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As part of the BBC's 100 Women season, Mercy Juma in Nairobi talks to three leading activists from Africa. What are the particular effects of Climate ...

Should the UAE host a big climate summit?

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the world’s attention turns to this year’s COP summit in the UAE, questions remain about the host country and conference president. It’s not ...

Your Climate Questions Answered

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Graihagh Jackson and BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt team up with the BBC's Global News Podcast to answer listeners' questions. They cover everythin...

What is COP?

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the world's biggest - and most controversial - climate conference. But how does it actually work? And does it make a difference? Jordan Dunbar in...

Why is 1.5 degrees important?

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his latest Climate Change 101, Jordan Dunbar finds out why 1.5C is the world's target for limiting global warming. Why 1.5 degrees? And what happen...

What has COP achieved?

19 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly three decades since the United Nations climate talks began, we take a look at what it has achieved when it comes to tackling climate change. We...

Why are climate scientists receiving abuse?

12 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the world faces up to the increasingly apparent effects of climate change, access to accurate information that helps us to understand what’s goin...

Why does it matter that Greenland is melting?

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Greenland is an island covered in a sheet of ice that is over 3km thick in places, containing 7.4 metres of average global sea level rise. Due t...

Why did Ecuador vote to stop drilling for oil?

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador forms part of the Amazon rainforest and is one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. It also produces 6...

How do our listeners stay positive on climate?

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we hear from listeners about the ways they cope and how they remain positive on climate change. From being involved in a like-minded communi...

Bill Gates: How I stay positive on climate change

15 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Gates, the tech billionaire turned philanthropist, has been combating poverty, disease, and inequity around the world for decades. However, in re...

How can we fight drought in the Horn of Africa?

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we speak to people in the greater Horn of Africa, experiencing the worst drought in 40 years. It's left 23 million people at risk of starvat...

Are disabled people forgotten in climate disaster plans?

01 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

About 16 percent of the world’s population is thought to be disabled, but they are still 2 to 4 times more likely to be injured or killed in a natur...

Can tourism ever be good for the climate?

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re off to Costa Rica, an eco-tourism hotspot in collaboration with BBC’s The Travel Show.Eco-tourism is big business - it’s foreca...

What should I eat to help fight Climate Change?

17 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Climate Question receives lots of emails from listeners asking about the impact that the food and drink we consume on a daily basis has on the env...

Meet the Climate Quitters: Part Two

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this, the second episode in our spin-off series on Climate Quitters, we invite trailblazers from three different continents to reveal the ups and d...

Going carbon neutral: Lessons from Denmark

03 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bornholm – a Danish island in the Baltic Sea – is trying to go carbon neutral by 2025. It is a lofty ambition that would put the island decades ah...

Can live music go green?

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The live music industry is booming. With global growth in concerts and festivals, more and more of us are enjoying our favourite bands and artists liv...

Can small islands live with climate change?

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been raising awareness of the impact that climate change is having on small island nations like hers,...

What is Climate Change?

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Dunbar introduces The Climate Question's guide to the Climate Change basics - with the help of some friends of the show.

Prof Jim Skea: living in an era of 'global boiling'

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

July 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest month ever on Earth. A combination of heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere, unseasonable warmth in par...

Meet the Climate Quitters: Part One

06 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you thought about quitting your job because of climate change?Research shows more and more people are worried about their career’s impact on th...

Can we have a climate-friendly death?

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Funeral rites are steeped in culture, tradition and faith, with most of the world opting for cremation or burial. However, with new research now revea...

How are Afghans fighting climate change?

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change has been tightening its grip on the people of Afghanistan, with flood after flood and drought after drought. It’s considered to be on...

Climate Change and El Nino: Can we handle both?

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists say an El Nino weather event has started. Its effects will be felt everywhere in the form of heavier rainfall in some parts of the world an...

What's the cost of fashion to the climate?

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The journey from catwalk, to wardrobe, to landfill is getting shorter and shorter. Our demands for fast fashion mean around 100 billion garments are p...

Mia Mottley: helping poorer nations fight climate change

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, is on a mission to fight climate change through a radical scheme to reform the international financial system...

Does climate change mean a future without coffee?

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world loves coffee. We drink two billion cups each day! But it’s very vulnerable to climate change, and millions of coffee farmers are strugglin...

How does war affect the climate?

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the Ukrainian counter-offensive underway, Sophie Eastaugh looks at the climate damage caused by the conflict there and by the recent civil war in...

What can I do to help climate change?

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re off to Costa Rica, an eco-tourism hotspot in collaboration with BBC’s The Travel Show.The Climate Question gets lots of emails fr...

Is climate change ruining your relationship?

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can you have a successful relationship with someone if you believe passionately in climate action, but they don’t? The fate of our planet can b...

Why are women more affected by climate change?

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The impacts of climate change are already being felt around the world. Research shows that some groups are disproportionately affected. Women already ...

Is lab-grown meat better for the planet?

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Billions of dollars have been pumped into the promise of a climate-friendly way of producing meat, but is growing a steak in a lab any better for the ...

Can we trust Google’s carbon footprint calculations?

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you are planning a trip, but you want to check the climate impact before choosing how to get there, then beware. Google has been seriously underest...

Why are 15-minute cities so unpopular?

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of cities where everything you need on a daily basis can be reached within a quarter of an hour by foot or bike has grown in popularity in re...

Is there a greener way to rank successful economies?

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many blame our obsession with economic growth as being one of the biggest drivers of climate change. The United Nations is currently looking at option...

How renewable are renewables?

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wind and solar power will play a crucial role in curbing climate change, but what happens to all the worn-out turbines and photovoltaic panels once th...

Could solar farms in space power Earth?

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the idea of assembling giant solar farms in space and then beaming the renewable energy back down ...

How did we discover climate change?

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1856, an American woman called Eunice Newton Foote discovered that higher levels of carbon dioxide would warm the planet. But credit for discoverin...

Can green start-ups lead the way in Africa?

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With rolling blackouts and huge waste disposal issues a regular occurrence in large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, we look at how green tech start-ups o...

Are South Africa’s blackouts a green turning point?

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Worsening energy blackouts are crippling South Africa. They’re being caused in part by an over-reliance on ageing coal-fired power stations which ca...

Can artificial intelligence help farmers adapt to the effects of climate change?

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The effects of climate change on weather patterns around the world, including seasonal temperatures and rainfalls, are being felt keenly in agricultur...

Can investors change an oil company from within?

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some oil and gas giants are being pushed by shareholders to adopt more climate friendly strategies. An environmental law charity is suing the director...

How can we prevent the spread of disease in a warming world?

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our warming world is changing the geographical distribution of several animal species. Mosquitoes have been able to colonise new regions, places where...

Can the ski industry survive climate change?

26 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Record-breaking temperatures in the Alps in Europe have led to a disappointing ski season so far. Some slopes have been more brown than white, while o...

Can natural gas ever be green?

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natural gas is often seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to coal, yet it’s a fossil fuel and gives off climate warming emissions when bu...

How can oceans help us capture carbon?

12 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and can hold more than 150 times the amount of carbon dioxide as air. Around a quarter of CO2 emiss...

How is India doing in the fight against climate change?

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

India has made a lot of climate pledges in the last couple of years. They’ve had mixed reviews. Some have applauded the country’s ambition – inc...

Why are we still subsidising fossil fuels?

29 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009, the G20 countries pledged to phase out 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies, which have long been seen as an obstacle to fighting climate chan...

Why isn’t the world heating equally?

22 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average temperature. Ice caps are melting, forcing the indigenous Inuit community living aroun...

How do we stay cool in a warming world?

15 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Heatwaves are already the most deadly of climate risks. If we don’t keep climate change in check, we’ll experience more of them, reaching even hig...

Can renewables be used for heating?

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Half of all the energy we use globally goes on heating and cooling. We need heating for all sorts of things; from keeping our homes warm to industry w...

Can we reduce lives lost from extreme weather?

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Extreme weather is becoming even more extreme thanks to climate change. Countless lives are claimed by heatwaves, cold snaps, cyclones, droughts and t...

How to speak to a climate denier

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From climate sceptic to climate campaigner, Sarah Ott grew up in the US surrounded by doubters, listening to out-right deniers. This is the story of w...

Was the 2022 World Cup as green as it seemed?

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2010, FIFA announced that the tiny country of Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup. It would be the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The ...

How much does biodiversity matter to climate change?

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ecosystems of the land and ocean absorb around half our planet warming emissions. But these are being destroyed by human activity. At the same ti...

Are meat substitutes as green as we think?

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What we eat has a massive impact on global warming. Meat and dairy are among the biggest drivers of the climate crisis - creating more planet-warming ...

Did ‘Africa’s COP’ deliver for Africa?

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the start of COP 27 Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi told the world that it was vital that African countries receive "appropriate support and fund...

What does climate change mean for Egypt?

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 –...

COP27: Are countries keeping to their climate pledges?

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last year at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, countries made big promises to tackle climate change – by curbing their greenhouse gas emissio...

What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

How green is green finance?

30 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 eve...

What should Africa do with its fossil fuel reserves?

23 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Are prizes the best solution for climate change?

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We know many of the obstacles in the way of a creating a cleaner planet - making cement green, decarbonising electricity or creating affordable clean ...

Can climate protests make a difference?

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From being glued to diggers to bunking off school, what happens when the public takes climate action into their own hands? Mass protests and demonstra...

What can we do with nuclear waste?

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The race to reduce emissions has more and more nations reaching for the nuclear option. Nuclear power plants are being built around the world, generat...

How much can flooding in Pakistan be blamed on climate change?

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Can animals evolve to deal with climate change?

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As climate change brings rising temperatures and shifting patterns of rainfall, animals are adapting to keep pace. Bird’s bodies are growing smaller...

Does climate change have an ‘image problem’?

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Images are a key part of communicating climate change, and shape how we understand the crisis unfolding around us. But while lots of research has been...

What can we learn from fixing the ozone hole?

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1985 British scientist Jonathan Shanklin and colleagues published a study that shocked the world. The study revealed a hole in the Earth’s atmosp...

Can we engineer rain to help solve climate change?

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the Aztecs to the Zoroastrians, humans have always prayed for rain. We’ve tried dances, ritual sacrifices and even blowing up the sky to boost ...

Why can’t we build more wind farms?

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In rural North East Spain, proposals to build hundreds of new wind turbines have sparked opposition and divided communities. And it isn’t only S...

What do warmer waters mean for life below the waves?

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Ocean, it covers more than 70% of the surface if our planet, it provides us with food, medicine and even influences the weather.For years its also...

Is Influencer culture bad for the planet?

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shopping online is nothing new but with the rise of influencer culture, livestreaming, and social commerce buying stuff has never been easier.Research...