The Climate Question

Long term climate policy has long been at odds with short-term politics. As numerous countries head to the polls this year, we visit Brazil, Australia and the United States and see how climate policy is being used as a political tool to divide voters. During recent the elections in Australia – a country with some of the world’s highest emissions per capita – experts believe that experiencing the effects of climate change first hand brought the need for action up the agenda, leading to the unseating of the climate sceptic Liberal National Coalition. We hear from a follower of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who believes that the country’s own deforestation figures are fake. Meanwhile, in the US, we look at how the Republican party’s position changed from the 2008 presidential elections from proposing climate policies to denying that man-made climate change is real.Kate Lamble and Neal Razzell are joined by: Kate Walton, political journalist based in Canberra, Australia Kathy Hochstetler, Professor of International Development at the London School of Economics, UK Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Program for Climate Change Communication at Yale University, USAReporter: Roberta Fortuna Researcher: Immie Rhodes Producer: Dearbhail Starr Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Mixer: Tom Brignell

Recent research shows that levels of Methane gas in the atmosphere are rising rapidly. It is over 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide so poses a major threat to the world’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C. At COP26, over 100 countries signed a Global Methane Pledge to reduce man-made emissions by 2030 – experts say cutting methane emissions is ‘the most powerful lever we have for reducing warming... over the next 30 years’. So what can be done to stop the levels rising further? We hear how farmers in Bangladesh, along with other parts of Asia, are using wetting and drying techniques in rice paddies to reduce emissions; how cows are being fed special dietary supplements with a surprising ingredient: seaweed, but why naturally occurring wetlands are a cause for concern. Presenters Kate Lamble and Neal Razzell are joined by: Xin Lan, Greenhouse Gas Scientist with NOAA and University of Colorado Drew Shindell, Special Representative on Methane Action for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition Ermias Kebreab, Professor at the Department of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis, Humnath Bhandari, Bangladesh country representative, International Rice Research Institute, Producers: Alex Murray and Serena Tarling Researcher: Immy Rhodes Reporter: Akbar Hossain, BBC Bengali Series Producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Richard Vadon

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 emissions created by human activity each year is absorbed by them. From phytoplankton to whales to seagrass meadows we explore how this happens.Jordan Dunbar and Kate Lamble are joined by: Rita Steyn, Contributing Editor at The Marine Diaries and lecturer at University of Tampa, Florida Michael Yap, Marine Biologist and Founder of Seagrass Guardians, Malaysia Dr. Haimanti Biswas, Principal Scientist of Biological Oceanography at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, India Dr. Annette Scheffer, Marine Biologist and Lecturer, speaking with us from Antarctica John Kirkwood, Marine Biologist and Expedition Leader speaking with us from Antarctica Researcher: Immie Rhodes Reporter: Mark Stratton Producer: Dearbhail Starr Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell

China currently has 53 nuclear power plants with plans to scale up significantly in the next decade, while India is planning to build 10 new power plants over the next three years. South Korea’s new government has committed to restarting its civil nuclear programme and even Japan’s prime minister has pledged to resume nuclear power in a country that has long been resistant. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy security has now become more of a priority with countries looking for alternatives to Russian gas. And as countries transition to renewable power in an effort to reach net zero by 2050, governments are looking for a stable, green power supply which is lower cost. In the latest IPCC report, all pathways recommended nuclear in some form to mitigate against climate change. After nuclear disasters such as Fukushima in Japan, safety has become an even more pressing issue, both in the region and globally, in the face of a resistant public and to safeguard communities around any power plants. We gained access to the Hinkley Point power plant in the UK which has adapted the design of the reactors to make them safer after what happened in Japan; but the pace of building has been slow and costs have been high. In China, a commitment to build more has led to a coordinated approach in terms of training, the supply chain and funding. But there are challenges ahead.Presenters Kate Lamble and Jordan Dunbar are joined by Changhua Wu, a policy analyst specialising in China's environment, energy, climate change and sustainable development; Diane Cameron, head of the Nuclear Technology Development and Economics Division at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; Edwin Lyman, expert on nuclear safety and proliferation; and Director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned scientists in Washington. Producers: Serena Tarling and Alex Murray Researcher: Immy Rhodes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

There are over 10 million electric cars on the road globally after a decade of rapid growth, representing around 1% of the world’s car stock. But there are questions about whether there is the infrastructure to match. In many countries there are not enough chargers being installed to cope with the number of electric cars being sold. There are also doubts about whether existing electricity grids have the ability to store enough capacity to cope with charging demand and whether the amount of energy required can be fulfilled by green electricity alone.This week we look at Norway, an early adopter to electric vehicles, or EVs, and have been through a quick adaption period in which they improved their electricity grid to support night time charging, as well as improving the network of fast chargers around the country to enable EVs to take their drivers long distances. We then look at Vancouver in Canada has been looking at ways in which they can improve their EV infrastructure, to encourage the public to make the switch away from internal combustion engines. But do they have enough public chargers to serve those without access to their own private driveway?And finally we take a look at how Sub-Sahara Africa is electrifying motorbikes and minibuses. Many rural communities remain off-grid because demand for electricity is so low that it is not financially viable for them to build the infrastructure. For these rural areas, electric vehicles will bring a solid demand for electricity, bringing the potential for companies to make a profit from introducing solar mini-grids to those communities that don’t yet have electricity. Mora Morrison and Jordan Dunbar are joined by: Christina Bu, Secretary General of Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai, Founder of Electric Drive Africa Ian Neville, Senior Sustainability Specialist for the City of Vancouver With special thanks to Katherine Collett from the Energy and Power Group at the University of Oxford.Producer: Dearbhail Starr Researchers: Immie Rhodes and Lauren Stanley Reporter in Vancouver: Max Collins Series Producer: Alex Lewis Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

The renowned climate scientist and IPCC author Maisa Rojas has been making headlines after being appointed as Chile’s new Minister for the Environment. She has pledged to deliver a green, sustainable and resilient future – and a ‘just transition’ to renewables from an economy that has to date been reliant on mining, forestry and agriculture. The legacy of General Augusto Pinochet has cast a long shadow over Chile, so one of the first hurdles is a vote on a new constitution in July which would ease the passage of new climate legislation. The new government of leftist leader Gabriel Boric also faces a divided Congress, and will need to galvanise support for a radical new agenda. Chile has vast potential for solar energy and hydropower, providing the infrastructure is in place to transmit it to different parts of the country. Can the government play a leading role globally in shifting to great dependency on renewables – and closing down coal-fired power stations in the coming decade? Presenters Kate Lamble and Mora Morrison are joined by: Maisa Rojas, Minister for Environment for the Chilean government and climatologist Claudia Heiss, head of political science at the Institute of Public Affairs at Universidad de Chile. Dr Álvaro López-Peña, consultant on energy transition, CEO ALP Sustainable EnergyProducer: Serena Tarling and Darin Graham Researchers: Natasha Fernandes and Frances Read Reporter: John Bartlett Series Producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Nicola Addyman

When talking about climate change, the term net zero has become popular with politicians over the last few years. More than 130 countries have now pledged to go net zero to help slow global warming. Reaching net zero means reducing the amount of emissions as much as possible and removing any that remain from the atmosphere. We hear from communities in South Africa, where the government plans to reach net zero by 2050. But the country is heavily tied to coal and faces several challenges around employment and energy security. And while politicians make their net zero announcements, the United Nations projects that emissions will continue to rise even with the current pledges politicians have announced. What does net zero mean and could it help climate change? Presenters Jordan Dunbar and Kate Lamble are joined by: Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN climate change high-level champion for EgyptLola Vallejo, climate programme director at the IDDRI Dr Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy ForumClarification: this programme includes a contribution from Dr Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Forum. Within the programme, we should have also said that the Forum questions climate change science and the cost of policies to tackle it. Reporter: Zinhle Kanyane Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Producer: Darin Graham Series producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Nicola Addyman Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill

Hundreds of youth activists travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, to have their voices heard. As we approach the halfway point between COP26 and COP27- to be held in Egypt - we want to know how young people are feeling about progress made. We speak to Maria Reyes from Mexico, Edwin Namakanga from Uganda and Farzana Faruk Jhumu from Bangladesh, who all attended the conference. Is the world on course to protect nature, curb emissions and generate the necessary finance to help poorer nations adapt?Helping us answer these questions is Wanjira Mathai, a COP veteran and the Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute, and COP26 president Alok Sharma. With presenters Jordan Dunbar and Mora Morrison. Producer: Mora Morrison Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producers: Ros Jones + Alex Lewis Studio engineer: Tom Brignell

As more countries launch more rockets into orbit for commercial and scientific reasons, the space industry is experiencing rapid growth. It’s on the verge of an even greater increase as space tourism takes off. The International Space Station is now open to tourists and private companies have developed rockets that can be reused – all meaning more launches into space. But rocket exhausts contain particles that can affect the climate. What are the potential impacts and is it time to apply the brakes to the new space race?Presenters Jordan Dunbar and Phoebe Keane are joined by:D Raghunanadan, director at the Delhi Science eForum Eloise Marais, associate professor of physical geography at University College London Stephen Freeland, emeritus professor of international law at Western Sydney University. Producer: Darin Graham Researcher: Lizzie Frisby Reporter: Mike Killian Series producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Emma Rippon

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, parts of the world are so dependent on Russian gas that they have no option but to continue to buy it. This week’s episode looks long term plans for improving energy security, particularly in Europe where the biggest focus is on increasing renewables. Whilst this sounds like great news for the climate, Europe only accounts for 10% of the worlds’ emissions. For fossil fuel rich countries like the United States, energy security policy will mean pumping more oil and gas out of the ground. We visit Bonny Island in the Niger Delta where business in Liquified Natural Gas is booming to explore how other resource rich countries stand to gain from the increase in oil and gas prices. And ask, as the world makes plans to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas, what will this mean for Russia’s climate policy?Presenters Kate Lamble and Jordan Dunbar speak with contributors: Simone Tagliapietra, Senior Fellow and Energy expert at European think tank, Bruegel Laura Cozzi, Chief Modeler at International Energy Agency (IEA) Ken Caldeira, Senior Scientist at Carnegie Institution of Sciences and at Breakthrough Energy Oksana Antonenko, Global Risk Analyst at Control Risks Group Researchers: Natasha Fernandes, Frances Reed and Julian Kwong Reporter: Fyneface Dumnamene is Executive Director at Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre Producer: Dearbhail Starr Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Nicola Addyman Studio Engineer: Tom Brignell