BBC Inside Science

Biggest COP in history

Jan 11, 2024

COP 28 concluded with discussions on oceans, food security, and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Glada Lahn explains the potential shift from 'brown energy'. Casper Chater explores adapting crops to extreme weather events. Ko Barrett discusses oceans' role in mitigating climate change. Mervina Paueli shares experiences from Tuvalu, an island nation facing climate challenges.

28:26

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Episode guests

Glada Lahn

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Quick takeaways

Transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence is crucial to address climate change and requires significant technological advancements and policy changes.

Addressing the impact of climate change on agriculture and finding alternative crops suited for new climate conditions are essential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Deep dives

Transitioning away from fossil fuels

The COP 28 climate summit has brought attention to the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and gas, contribute to 70% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Although the transition is challenging and should have started decades ago, it is crucial to phase out the old system and embrace cleaner and more sustainable alternatives. The shift requires flicking multiple switches simultaneously and will require significant technological advancements and policy changes. However, the urgency to address climate change cannot be understated, as the reliance on fossil fuels poses severe health risks, environmental degradation, and climate change impacts.

Introduction

5min

Transitioning away from fossil fuels: Challenges, opportunities, and implications

5min

Adapting Crops to Climate Change and Exploring Alternative Options

7min

The Importance and Vulnerability of Oceans to Climate Change

7min

The Final Days and the Disappointments

5min

COP 28, the largest climate summit in history, has drawn to a close. Marnie Chesterton examines some of the main stories to emerge from this lengthy conference.

The way we look after our oceans, measures needed to ensure food security and an agreement to transition away from fossil fuel dependence were some of the big themes of the summit.

The BBC’s climate reporter Georgina Rannard takes us through the final agreement.

We hear from Glada Lahn, senior research fellow at international affairs think-tank Chatham House, who explains how we might one day wean ourselves off so-called ‘brown energy’.

Farming is also a source of greenhouse gases. Growing, processing and packaging food account for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. How we feed the 8.1 billion of us on the planet continues to be a contentious issue. Casper Chater from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew explains what we can do to adapt our existing crops to cope with more frequent flood and drought events.

Oceans are warming, losing oxygen and acidifying. Sea levels are rising. We speak to Ko Barrett, a senior climate advisor at the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about the role oceans have played so far in helping us mitigate the worse effects of climate change. And we meet Mervina Paueli, a 25-year-old Tuvaluan negotiator, whose small archipelago in the South Pacific is on the frontline.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Louise Orchard, Hannah Robins and Harrison Lewis Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth 

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

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BBC Inside Science

Biggest COP in history

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Transitioning away from fossil fuels

Adapting agriculture to climate change

The critical role of oceans in climate change

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts