Every year, tens of thousands of people — from world leaders to activists to celebrities— gather for one of the world’s most ambitious meetings: the UN’s annual climate summit, COP.

But what does it actually take to make it happen? How do you feed, transport and house 80,000 people, while trying to keep global negotiations on track?

The Climate Question hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar talk to Helen Wright, who helped deliver COP26 in Glasgow and COP28 in Dubai, to find out what goes on behind the scenes.

From keeping the meeting rooms at exactly 21.5°C to managing thousands of journalists, politicians and protesters, Helen shares what it’s really like to build a temporary city devoted to climate action.

We also hear from Bloomberg’s Akshat Rathi on whether all that effort actually changes global climate policy — and what’s on the cards for COP30 to be held in the Brazilian Amazon.

Guests:

Production team: Jordan Dunbar, Nik Sindle, Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock

Got a question or a comment? Email us: [email protected]

The Amazon is probably the most famous rainforest on Earth. It’s home to Indigenous communities, one of the world's biggest rivers and a diversity of plant and animal life found nowhere else. But it’s also a region rich in sought-after resources — gold, iron ore, bauxite, coffee and rubber — and vast areas of forest have been cleared for cattle and soy production.

Producers: Nik Sindle, Diane Richardson, Graihagh Jackson, Jordan Dunbar, Grace Braddock

Got a question? Email us: [email protected]

BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt travels to Somalia to investigate the links between global warming and the decades-long conflict there. He hears how Somalis are responding by launching businesses and their own renewables industry. This programme was first broadcast in 2024.

Presenter: Justin Rowlatt

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Mumbai is India’s economic engine, but every rainy season this megacity comes to a virtual standstill as torrential rains flood streets, homes and transport networks. In 2005, Mumbai faced one of its worst floods on record – and experts warn that climate change could make future rainfall even more intense.

This week, Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore what’s happening with Mumbai and the mighty monsoon – and how a city of more than 20 million people can adapt to a wetter, more unpredictable future.

They hear from BBC Marathi correspondent Janhavee Moole and Zerin Osho, Director of the India Programme at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, about the challenges to India’s financial capital.

Guests:

Production Team: Jordan Dunbar, Grace Braddock, Tom Brignell, Joe McCartney, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle

Got a question? Email us: [email protected]

Today, more than half the world’s population live in cities – and as our numbers swell, so will our cities, especially those around the Pacific Rim, where it’s predicted our largest megacities of 10 million plus will be situated. And herein lies an opportunity: 60% of the buildings needed for 2050 are not yet built.

Could we shape our cities into places that are good for the climate and also good for our mental health? Can we design buildings and infrastructure that make green decisions easier and also help us deal with stress or depression?

In a programme first broadcast in 2024, Jordan Dunbar hears about examples in the Netherlands and Egypt. Are there win-win options out there that can help the world deal with two of its biggest challenges?

Contributors:

Production Team: Graihagh Jackson, Octavia Woodward, Brenda Brown

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What can ice cores tell us about the atmosphere millions of years ago?

These cylinders of ice, drilled from glaciers and ice sheets around the world, preserve precious clues about our changing climate and records such as rainfall, temperature and greenhouse gases, even volcanic eruptions. But what can the past tell us about the future?

Host Graihagh Jackson hears from two ice core experts about their icy adventures in Antarctica, the Himalayas and beyond.

Dr Liz Thomas is Head of Ice Cores Research at the British Antarctic Survey and is currently working on an ice core that may be the oldest ever.

Lonnie Thompson is a pioneer in the field whose first ice core finds date back to the 1970s. He is Distinguished University Professor of Earth Sciences. Senior Research Scientist, Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University. Professor Thompson also appears in a documentary called The Canary.

Presenter: Graihagh Jackson

Geothermal energy is renewable, reliable and powerful. So, why is most of it untapped? That’s what our listener, Anna in the UK, wants to know. Full disclosure, she’s a geologist and is thoroughly perplexed by the lack of uptake. Geothermal is renewable, reliable and abundant and yet, less than 1% of the world’s energy is generated from it.

Graihagh Jackson and the BBC’s former Global Health Correspondent Tulip Mazumdar investigate how extreme heat, fuelled by climate change, is affecting pregnant women in India.

When people talk about tipping points in the climate, it’s usually bad news – the irreversible melting of ice sheets or the collapse of rainforests. But could there be positive tipping points too, moments where climate solutions break through and spread rapidly?

Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate Change at the University of Exeter and author of Positive Tipping Points: How to Fix the Climate Crisis, says it’s already happening – from the dramatic rise of renewable energy to the surge in electric vehicles. He explains how in Norway, the 80s pop band A-Ha played a crucial role in making EVs mainstream.

So, could positive tipping points hold the key to addressing the climate crisis?

Africa gets a world beating amount of sunshine — but has just 1% of the world’s solar panels.

Over half the continent still lives without electricity, stalling progress and holding back people’s lives. But change may be coming — thanks to a surge in solar imports from China.

New data from energy think tank EMBER shows a 60% jump in solar panel shipments to Africa in the past year. If installed, they could generate 15 GW — nearly doubling Africa’s current solar capacity.

It’s not just the biggest energy users like South Africa, Nigeria, and Algeria. Countries like Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, and Ethiopia have tripled their imports.

So, is this the start of a solar-powered revolution on the continent?

Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar speak to Dr Rose Mutiso, Science Advisor at the Energy for Growth Hub and Founder of the African Tech Futures Lab.

Got a question? Email us: [email protected]

Production Team: Jordan Dunbar, Nik Sindle, Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock, Chris Gouzaris and Tom Brignell