Stories on why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.
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Carbon capture and storage
It’s likely that there will be no successful green transition without an element of carbon capture, storage and re-use. The oil industry has been burying CO2 underground since the 1970s, so the infrastructure and technology is already available, but removing CO2 from the air at scale is new, and the companies doing it are small. We head to an experimental ‘direct air capture’ plant in Canada to hear how they are making fuel out of air, and explore what changes will be required to ensure that their industry becomes a significant one in the years to come. But if we think that a technology fix is out there, might we limit other efforts? Presenters: Neal Razzell and Manuela Saragosa Contributors: Steve Oldham, CEO, Carbon Engineering Dr Jennifer Wilcox, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the US Department of Energy Prof Stuart Haszeldine, professor of carbon storage and capture at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland Dr Simon Evans, policy editor, Carbon Brief Producer: Jordan Dunbar Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon
What will it take for cities to go carbon neutral?
Cities emit around three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations, and over half of the world’s population now live in one. Many have set ambitious targets to slash and offset their emissions, in the hope of neutralising their impact on the environment and slowing climate change. Some are aiming to do this very soon. Copenhagen’s goal is 2025. More than 700 others have committed to targets over the following decades. But how does a city, choked with traffic and packed full of buildings that require huge amounts of energy, actually go about achieving carbon neutral goals? Joining presenters Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell: Nick Garnett, BBC reporter Dr Seppo Junnila, professor of real estate business at Aalto University, Finland Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone Mark Watts, executive director, C40 Cities Producer: Darin Graham Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon Sound engineer: Tom Brignell
Should we ‘dim the sun’ to save the planet?
Scientists agree that cutting carbon emissions as soon as possible is key to tackling global warming. But as emissions continue to rise, some are now calling for more research into measures that could be used alongside decarbonisation, including – controversially – what’s known as ‘solar geoengineering’ technologies. One idea being considered is spraying light-reflecting particles into the atmosphere to temporarily cool down the earth. It may sound far-fetched, but the idea is based on naturally observed effects following volcanic eruptions. Scientists are now asking whether we could mimic those effects to avoid the worst climate impacts. But research into this technology is not without opposition. A recent solar geoengineering experiment in Sweden got cancelled following a fierce backlash from indigenous and environmental groups. Many say tampering with the climate in this way is too risky to ever try in the real world. So how does solar geoengineering work? What are the risks? And will we ever have to use it? Contributors: Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Under a White Sky Asa Larrson-Blind, Vice-President of the Saami Council Raymond Pierrehumbert, Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford David Keith, Professor of Applied Physics and Public Policy at Harvard University Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Producers: Zoe Gelber and Jordan Dunbar Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon
Is bottom trawling for fish bad for the climate?
More than two thirds of our planet is covered by the oceans, but there’s still much to be uncovered about the role that these watery worlds play in climate change. But recent scientific research claims that bottom trawling, a method of fishing that involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor, emits about the same amount of carbon annually as aviation. Seabed sediments, which act as huge carbon sinks, are churned up, resulting in carbon dioxide emissions. So should trawling – commonplace around the globe because of its effectiveness – be reduced? And has the climate change impact of bottom trawling been exaggerated? Presenters Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson are joined by: Dr Enric Sala, explorer in residence, National Geographic Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations Minna Epps, director, Global Marine and Polar Programme Domitilla Senni, senior campaigner, MedReAct Producer: Darin Graham Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon
Is South Korea a climate villain?
South Korea’s economic development has been the envy of many nations: from war, famine and poverty to one of the richest countries on Earth, all within just a couple of generations. In 1955, gross domestic product was just $64 per capita. Last year, it was $31,000. But this growth was turbocharged by fossil fuels, and has come at a high environmental price. Seventy percent of the power generated in the country comes from fossil fuels and, compared to many rich nations, its commitment to renewables is small. Is South Korea a hero of economic growth or a climate villain? And should developing nations still look to the country as a model to follow? Joining Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson: Jeffrey Sachs, former UN adviser, and professor at Columbia University Zeeshan Abedin, economist at the International Growth Centre Julie Yoon, World Service Language Reporter, Seoul Producer: Jordan Dunbar Series producer: Rosamund Jones Editor: Emma Rippon
Can indigenous knowledge help us fight climate change?
Indigenous people represent only about six percent of the world’s population, but they inhabit around a quarter of the world’s land surface. And they share these regions with a hugely disproportionate array of plant and animal life. According to the UN and the World Bank, about 80 percent of our planet’s biodiversity is on land where indigenous people live. Global climate policy has however been slow to recognise that indigenous knowledge - built up over centuries - is worth listening to. This is despite the fact that sometimes in very remote areas, where scientific and meteorological data is lacking, this knowledge may be all there is. Indigenous knowledge can provide valuable insight into what adaptations have worked in the past, and so provide an important guide to the future. What are the barriers to bringing indigenous knowledge out from the margins of climate research and policy, and can they be overcome? Guests: Nancy Kacungira, journalist, BBC Africa Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, environmental activist and member of Chad’s pastoralist Mbororo people and Earthshot Prize Council Nigel Crawhall, chief of section, local and indigenous knowledge systems, UNESCO Aida Sanchez, assistant professor at Norwegian University of Life Sciences Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Producer: Darin Graham Researcher: Zoe Gelber Editor: Emma Rippon
Why can't we crack our food waste problem?
From fruit rotting in fields, to retailers turning down funny shaped vegetables, and consumers scraping leftovers into the bin, food waste is everywhere. It’s estimated that around a third of all our food ends up not being eaten. If we could sort this, total greenhouse gas emissions would reduce by around eight percent. To put that in context, the only countries that are responsible for emissions of that size are China and the US. So, what can be done? Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar discuss fixes - big and small - and hear from a farmer in Morocco turning apples that would otherwise rot into vinegar. The first thing that needs to happen for change to start is for governments to properly count the climate cost of food waste. And that, it seems, is a long way off. Guests: Dr Tammara Soma - Research director of the Food Systems Lab at Simon Fraser University Dr Liz Goodwin - Senior fellow and director in food loss and waste at the World Resources Institute Mahacine Mokdad – journalist Presenters: Jordan Dunbar & Graihagh Jackson Producer: Olivia Noon Editor: Emma Rippon
Is carbon the new calorie?
More companies are rolling out carbon dioxide emission labels on products to help us make greener choices. Unilever, the global consumer goods giant, recently announced it is committing to put carbon footprint information on 70,000 products, while multi-national companies Oatly and Quorn have already started adding labels like this to their packaging. But this is not the first time companies have tried this. In the 2000s, for example, an international supermarket put carbon labels on hundreds of products, but cancelled the project after a few years. Why are carbon labels coming back now, and what does this information really tell us? How do you measure the carbon footprint of a product? And will this drive behaviour change and help the environment? Presenters: Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson Producer: Darin Graham Researchers: Zoe Gelber and Olivia Noon
What does the world want from the US?
President Biden has invited the world’s major polluters to a summit on Earth Day (April 22nd). It may be the biggest climate summit ever organised by an American leader. On the campaign trail last year, Mr Biden said climate change was his “number one issue.” Now, the pressure is on for him to make a big announcement. But while the US has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, it has no official plan to hit the Paris targets. Frantic work is underway in the US to come up with something that satisfies the President’s lofty campaign rhetoric but can actually get through America’s polarised, gridlocked political system. Ahead of the summit, The Climate Question is reaching out to climate diplomats and experts from China, Bangladesh, the EU and beyond, to hear what the world expects from the US on climate change. Presenters: Neal Razzell & Graihagh Jackson Producer: Jordan Dunbar
Is it time to ditch the plough?
Cities, money, roads, beef burgers and telephones, in fact pretty much all of human civilisation as we know it, would probably not exist were it not for one simple invention. The plough. This humble yet revolutionary tool enabled us to cultivate vastly greater amounts of food than our hunter gatherer forefathers giving rise to villages, cities and empires. But it has come at a cost. Nearly 10,000 years of cultivated agriculture have released billions of tonnes of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere. Just within the EU, it’s estimated 5% of current greenhouse gas emissions come from agricultural soils. That’s more than aviation and shipping combined. Around the world an increasing number of farmers are adopting new methods without the plough to restore soil health and lock more carbon into the ground. But some scientists are questioning whether the potential for carbon sequestration into the soil is being over hyped. What’s more, for millennia the plough has been a crucial ally in boosting yields and in the coming decades we are going have to produce lots more food to feed the growing global population So the Climate Question is; Is it time for us to ditch the plough?
Is science fiction holding back climate action?
For centuries, we’ve been reading, watching and listening to science fiction. And all too often, it’s pretty pessimistic about our future, especially when it touches on the topic of climate change. This is leading some to ask whether these doom and gloom stories are doing the climate fight more harm than good - causing us to feel so anxious and powerless that we don’t take action. So for this week's climate question, we’re asking: Is sci-fi holding us back? Graihagh Jackson is joined by: Amy Brady, editor-in-chief of the Chicago Review of Books, where she writes a monthly column called Burning Worlds. In it she explores how fiction addresses climate change. Cheryl Slean is a playwright, filmmaker and educator working with the National Resource Defense Council’s Re-write the Future campaign to increase accurate climate stories in film and television. Ken Liu is a futurist and author of speculative fiction. He has won the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards. His debut novel, The Grace of Kings, is the first volume in a silkpunk epic fantasy series.
What can we do about climate migration?
Bangladesh is a country that is exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. With a low elevation and high population density, as well as poor infrastructure and an economic reliance on farming, it is naturally susceptible to extreme weather. The intensification of conditions due to climate change means more people are being driven from their homes and land by sea level rises, storms, cyclones, drought, erosion, landslides, flooding and salinisation of the land. It's estimated that by 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will become a climate migrant. But Bangladesh is far from being alone. Across South Asia, it’s estimated that more than 40m people will be displaced; worldwide, the figure runs into the hundreds of millions. Climate migration is coming. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Guests: Akbar Hossain - reporter, BBC Bengali Service Qasa Alom - presenter, BBC Asian Network Dr Tasneem Siddiqui - founding chair of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit in Bangladesh Dr Kanta Kumari Rigaud - lead environmental specialist at the World Bank Presented by Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell Produced by Alex Lewis Researched by Zoe Gelber Edited by Emma Rippon
Climate justice in the courtroom
A Peruvian farmer is suing a German fossil fuel company, the city of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit against 26 oil and gas firms, and a Polish coal mining company was taken to court by its own shareholders. Activists, investors and everyday people are increasingly pursuing climate litigation as a means to exert pressure on companies and shift our societies onto a more sustainable trajectory. But success is far from assured. Our climate question this week is: Can companies be held accountable for climate change? Guests: Saúl Luciano Lliuya - Peruvian farmer Florence Goupil - freelance journalist Rupert Stuart Smith - DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford researching climate change litigation and attributing climate change damages to individual emitters Sophie Marjanac - climate accountability lead at Client Earth Presented by Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell Produced by Zak Brophy Researched by Dearbhail Starr and Olivia Noon Mixed by Tom Brignell Edited by Emma Rippon
Must our future be cast in concrete?
As the world becomes more populous, experts say we’re likely to use 25 percent more concrete in the next decade. But concrete is also responsible for eight percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions. There are concerns that the industry isn’t taking its carbon footprint seriously enough. So our climate question this week is: Must our future be cast in concrete? Guests: Arpad Horvath, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkley Professor Karen Scrivener, head of Laboratory of Construction Materials at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland Anupama Kundoo, professor of architecture at the Potsdam School of Architecture, Berlin, and working architect Sophia Yan, China correspondent for The Telegraph Presented by Graihagh Jackson and Neal Razzell Produced by Alex Lewis Researched by Zoe Gelber Edited by Emma Rippon
What will happen to the fossil fuel workers?
The rise of renewables is good news for the climate, but for millions of families who rely on fossil fuels for a paycheque, it means big changes. People have been talking about a “just transition” for decades. The term was first used in the 1990s, when US unions were demanding help for those who'd lost their jobs because of tightening environmental laws. Now it means looking at how we decarbonise our economies around the world, without leaving certain people behind. Neal and Graihagh hear from Craig, Colorado, as it plans for the shut down of its coal mines. They also hear from the Middle East and North Africa, where countries have relied on oil and gas for their economies. The money from fossil fuels has kept an instable region together in the past, so what happens when that money runs out? Reporter: Sam Brasch, Colorado State Radio Experts: Laury Haytayan, Middle East and North Africa director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute; Professor Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House. Producer: Jordan Dunbar Researchers: Olivia Noon and Dearbhail Starr Editor: Emma Rippon