The Climate Question

The system of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC plays a crucial role in the global climate, helping to keep Europe relatively mild and to circulate vital nutrients for marine life.

But scientists are worried that the AMOC system might be starting to weaken because of climate change and that, in the worst case scenario, it might eventually collapse.

This could lead to freezing temperatures in Europe and changing rainfall patterns around the world. The Amazon rainforest could dry out, for example, and the monsoon in South East Asia might also be affected.

But there's a lot of uncertainty about the AMOC in climate models, as well as a lack of real world data because scientists have only been measuring this vital ocean system for a couple of decades.

In this show, The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Esme Stallard talk to Professor Penny Holliday. Penny is the Chief Scientific Officer at the UK's National Oceanography Centre. She has been leading research on the strength and variability of AMOC for decades.

Producers: Graihagh Jackson, Diane Richardson and Grace Braddock

Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images

Climate change is having major health impacts around the world, which are only expected to increase as our planet gets warmer. These impacts range from heat stroke to the spread of tropical diseases, from hospitals losing power during extreme weather to the effect on our mental health.

In a show first broadcast in 2025, Graihagh Jackson talks to Dr Jemilah Mahmoud, executive director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Malaysia and Dr Omnia El Omrani, vice-chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, about the challenges the medical sector faces, as well as possible solutions and how healthcare must also address its own emissions problem.

If you have a question or a comment, email us at [email protected] or leave a WhatsApp message at + 44 8000 321 721

Presenter: Graihagh Jackson

Lithium and copper are at the heart of the green energy transition, but what's the environmental cost of extraction?

From the lithium mines of Salar de Atacama in Chile to the historic copper mines of Butte Montana, author James Crawford has visited the extraordinary landscapes and mining operations powering the renewable energy transition.

Graihagh and Jordan chat to James Crawford about his new book Vanishing Earth, and the legacy of mining repair and restoration. Can we learn from the past to mine better in the future?

If you have a Climate Question you’d like answered, email: [email protected]

Hosts: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar

Photo: Lithium ponds in Chile (courtesy James Crawford)

When a powerful El Niño strikes, it can devastate harvests, flood communities and kill thousands of people. Scientists have been warning for months that this one could become the strongest on record. The question is: are we ready?

In this episode of The Climate Question, hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar find out how communities in Kenya and Peru are preparing for a potentially historic El Niño.

They speak to BBC Nairobi Correspondent Thomas Mukhwana and Miguel Aristegui from the international development charity Practical Action about the challenges that lie ahead. Miguel's charity worked with the Peruvian government on an action plan it introduced after a localised El Niño event in 2017.

From flood-prone neighbourhoods in Nairobi to Peru's newly installed meteorological radar network, we explore what happens when weather extremes collide with existing vulnerabilities. Can early warning systems, emergency planning and climate adaptation reduce the risks? Or will many communities remain exposed when the worst impacts arrive?

If you have a Climate Question you’d like answered, email: [email protected]

Producers: Diane Richardson, Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart-Smith

From Mongolia to Texas, record numbers of lithium-ion batteries are being added to the world's electricity grids - helping to provide more reliable power and speeding up the transition to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

China is installing over half of these new batteries, often in giant battery farms, followed by the United States and Europe. And with prices dropping fast, the trend is likely to continue and spread to more developing countries.

But is battery development moving fast enough to help us meet our climate goals? And what about alternatives to lithium-ion technology like using air, water or even sand? Could these types of batteries help us with other energy problems such as storing heat over the winter.

In this edition of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson talks to Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter at Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg Green's Zero podcast.

Producers: Diane Richardson and Melanie Stewart-Smith

The United Nations says the world will pass its most important climate target within a few years. So can we bring the planet's temperature back down quickly? Or will the damage be irreversible?

In 2015, world leaders agreed in Paris to try to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

But the UN now says what scientists call "overshoot" is guaranteed, and it may have devastating consequences.

Experts are worried that the higher temperature may trigger "tipping points" in vital parts of our planet's climate system, including coral reefs, glaciers, rainforests and ocean currents.

Once past their tipping points, they could flip from helping to keep the Earth cool to making it even warmer.

In this show, The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar talk to Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Producers: Simon Watts, Melanie Stewart-Smith and Diane Richardson

The Philippines and Pakistan are now the world's top solar panel importers. We find out why, and what other countries can learn from the boom!

Cheap solar panels, mainly imported from China, are transforming lives and slashing electricity bills across Asia.

In the last year, Filipinos have put up five times as many rooftop solar panels as the previous ten years combined. Installation companies are struggling to keep up with demand.

In Pakistan, where the boom started earlier, solar power has reached every sector of the economy from the textile industry to farming. Solar has helped Pakistanis weather the current energy crisis and reduced the country's reliance on imported fossil fuels.

The Climate Question Host Jordan Dunbar talks to Filipino climate journalist, Jhesset Enano, and Pakistani energy analyst, Zeeshan Ashfaq, from the Renewables First think tank in Islamabad.

Producers: Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart Smith

Huge construction projects are transforming China - think enormous dams, giant solar power farms and a vast high-speed rail network. Will Beijing's "engineering mindset" help it deal with climate change?

China's senior leadership is dominated by engineers, starting with President Xi, who trained as a chemical engineer in the 1970s. They have overseen megaprojects like the 50-kilometre bridge joining Hong Kong and Macau, and a plan to move water from southern China to the much drier north.

The engineering mania extends to energy, where the world's largest polluter has invested trillions of dollars in wind and nuclear power, as well as high voltage transmission lines spanning the country.

But China still uses a huge amount of coal power, and its mega projects have often damaged the local environment and led to the displacement of millions.

So what does Beijing's approach mean for climate change? And can China build its way out of the problem?

In this edition of The Climate Question Host Jordan Dunbar and BBC Presenter Celia Hatton talk to Dan Wang, the author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. Dan is currently a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

Producer: Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart-Smith

As shown by the recent flash floods, Nepali mountain communities are on the front line of climate change. Can they adapt?

Host Jordan Dunbar talks to two Sherpas who have become climate researchers. They are glaciologist Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, and Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, who researches how global warming affects indigenous groups in Nepal.

This programme was recorded in July 2026.

Got a question for The Climate Question? Email us: [email protected]

Producers: Diane Richardson and Melanie Stewart-Smith

Europe is reeling from a record-breaking drought which has closed nuclear power stations, stopped river traffic and sent food prices soaring. And there may now be more intense droughts in some parts of the world because of climate change.

Our host Graihagh Jackson explores solutions from water usage apps in South Africa to solar irrigation systems in Egypt. She also looks at the challenges of adapting our energy infrastructure for a warming planet.

Her guests are Dr Iain Staffell, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London, and Dr Vidhisha Samarasekara, Strategic Program Director for Water, Climate Change and Resilience at the International Water Management Institute.

Got a question for The Climate Question? Email us: [email protected]

Picture Credit: International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Producers: Diane Richardson and Melanie Stewart-Smith