The Climate Question

From being glued to diggers to bunking off school, what happens when the public takes climate action into their own hands? Mass protests and demonstrations can be an effective way to gain media attention but do they lead to lasting change? Kate Lamble and Neal Razzell are joined by: Disha Ravi, climate activist, India Dan Hooper, (Swampy), climate activist, UK Mel, member of Scientist Rebellion, Mexico Dana R. Fisher, Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, USA Ruud Wouters, researcher Media, Movements & Politics, University of Antwerp, Belgium Contact us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com Team: Reporter: Imran Qureshi, India Producer: Lizzy McNeill Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Production Co-ordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross, Siobhan Reed Sound engineer: Tom Brignell

The 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

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 affected. With Pakistan contributing less than 1% to global CO2 emissions, a keen sense of injustice is felt in the country, and demands for international support have been made. The Pakistan government has called it a “climate catastrophe” and according to the World Weather Attribution group, it is likely climate change led to intense rainfall. But critics blame mismanagement and say Pakistan should have been more prepared for the inevitable. In this programme, we tell the story of the collapse of one building to see how much of the crisis can be blamed on climate change. Guests: Saher Baloch, Correspondent at BBC World’s Urdu service Zarmat Shinwari, owner of New Honeymoon Hotel Humayun Shinwari, owner of New Honeymoon Hotel Sayed Nabi, manager of New Honeymoon HotelEmail us: the climatequestion@bbc.com Presenter: Neal Razzell Co-presenter: Saher Baloch Producer: Lily Freeston Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Production Coordinator: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

As climate change brings rising temperatures and shifting patterns of rainfall, animals are adapting to keep pace. Bird’s bodies are growing smaller, their wingspan longer, lizards are growing larger thumb pads to help them grip more tightly in hurricane strength winds, beak size is changing. We visit the Galapagos, where evolution was first discovered by Charles Darwin, to investigate the many ways the behaviour and physiology of animals are changing to survive the impact of climate change. But can they do it quickly enough? First broadcast – 14 March 2022 Presenters Jordan Dunbar and Kate Lamble are joined by: Kiyoko Gotanda, Assistant Professor at Brock University Ramiro Tomala, Expedition leader, Metropolitan Touring in the Galapagos Thor Hanson, conservationist and author of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid Anne Charmantier, Director of Research at Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Montpellier With thanks to research carried out by Colin Donihue of Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. Producer: Dearbhail Starr Reporter: Mark Stratton Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Nicola Addyman Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

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 done into the language we use to talk about climate, images are often left out of the conversation.As a result, over time, a limited set of images have come to dominate how we think of climate change – like polar bears and melting glaciers - which haven’t kept up with the changing conversation about the crisis. All too often, these images tend to be abstract, removed from our daily lives and typically don’t feature people - when we know that climate change is happening all around us, all the time, and is very much a story with people and communities at its core.So how can we develop a new, and more effective visual language for climate change? What kind of images ‘work’ to both convey the urgency of the crisis as well as inspire behavioural change? And what are some of the ways in which photographers are seeking to represent the crisis in a way that transforms apathy into action?First broadcast – 27 December 2021Guests: Cristina Mittermeier, photographer and conservationist Arati Kumar-Rao, National Geographic Explorer and photographer Toby Smith, Programme Lead at Climate Visuals Saffron O’Neill, University of ExeterPresenter: Neal Razzell Series Producer: Alex Lewis Producer: Zoe Gelber Researcher: Lizzie Frisby Production Coordinator: Siobhan Reed & Helena Warwick-Cross

In 1985 British scientist Jonathan Shanklin and colleagues published a study that shocked the world. The study revealed a hole in the Earth’s atmosphere right over Antarctica. It had been caused over time by chemicals known as CFCs, used in things like fridges, air conditioning units and aerosol cans. These were destroying the layer of ozone in the stratosphere which protects us from most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation - without it, cases of skin cancer would soar. Less than two years after the discovery, world leaders signed an agreement called the Montreal Protocol, committing to phase out CFCs. It has been described as the most successful international treaty of all time - every UN country has signed up, and ozone is expected to return to its previous levels around the middle of the century. So what can we learn from how we tackled the ozone hole in how we address climate change?First broadcast - 29 Nov 2021Presenters Neal Razzell and Kate Lamble are joined by: Jonathan Shanklin, Meterologist at the British Antarctic Survey, Dr Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth Science at the Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center, Tina Birmpili, former executive secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, Dr Anita Ganesan, associate professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Bristol. Producer: Sophie Eastaugh Researcher: Natasha Fernandes

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 rainfall. This might sound crazy but desperate times call for desperate measures. Climate change is making people desperate again, in some regions droughts are becoming more frequent and pervasive whereas in others floods threaten livelihoods and cities. We have already affected our weather cycle but can we control it? Many governments have turned to cloud seeding programmes to try to manipulate rain to fall where they desire it to. But does it actually work, and what are the potential ramifications? We speak to experts about how people are trying to create rain, whether we’re on the brink of a geopolitical nightmare. Presenters Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell spoke to: Cynthia Barnett, Environmental Journalist and author of ‘Rain: a Natural and Cultural History’ Dr Katja Friedrich, Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder Dr Dhanasree Jayaram, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. The team this week: Reporter: Valdya Baraputri, Bilingual Reporter BBC Indonesia, reporting in Jakarta Researcher: Imogen Serwotka Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Jordan Dunbar Production Coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross & Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Wizard: Tom Brignell

In rural North East Spain, proposals to build hundreds of new wind turbines have sparked opposition and divided communities. And it isn’t only Spain. There has been resistance to wind power projects across the world from Mexico to the US. Opposition groups have succeeded in delaying, and sometimes cancelling, the construction of new wind farms. To move away from fossil fuels, we will need a huge expansion in renewables. But will wind power be able to meet this challenge in the face of local opposition around the world?Guests: Oliver Metcalfe, Bloomberg NEF Joyce Lee, Global Wind Energy Council Alejandra Ancheita, Mexican NGO, ProDESCPresenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Reporter: Esperanza Escribano Producers: Josephine Casserly and Jordan Dunbar Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell PC: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross

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 helped to mitigate the effects of climate change. Since the 1970’s over 90% of atmospheric warming caused by green house gas emissions has been absorbed by our Oceans. But this comes at a cost. Overtime their temperatures have risen and this has had disastrous impact on some of our most important ecosystems. Join us on a dive into the world of warming waters to discover what this means for life below the waves. Presenters Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell spoke to:Dr Juli Berwald, Science writer and author of ‘Life on the Rocks’ Dr Jahson Alemu I. Marine Ecologist, Northeastern University College of Science Dr Emma Camp, Coral Biologist, Future Reefs, University of Technology, SydneyThe team this week: Reporter: Janhavee Moole from BBC Marathi service reporting in Mumbai. Researcher: Imogen Serwotka Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Jordan Dunbar Production Coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross & Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Wizard: Tom Brignell.

Shopping online is nothing new but with the rise of influencer culture, livestreaming, and social commerce buying stuff has never been easier.Research suggests that the production and use of household goods and services is responsible for about 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So is influencer culture making us buy more - contributing to climate change? Or is it more complicated than that? In this programme we hear from Nigerian influencer Noble Igwe and eco-influencer Rosie Okotcha. As well as finding out about the growing popularity of influencers in India and the potential of Chinese live-streamers to become environmental icons. Presenters Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson speak with the following contributors: Noble Igwe, Nigerian influencer Rosie Okotcha, Eco-influencer Professor Shirley Yu, Senior Practitioner Fellow with the Ash Center of Harvard Kennedy School Junofy Anto Rozina founder of India Behavioural Economics Network JB MacKinnon author of ‘The Day The World Stops Shopping’The team this week: Producer: Claire Bowes Researcher: Imogen Serwotka Series Producer: Alex Lewis Production Coordinators: Helena Warwick-Cross, Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Magician: Tom Brignell