Corals protect humans and sustain 25% of all marine life. But reefs are under threat from climate change, and mass bleaching events mean that some scientists estimate they could disappear by 2100.

In this episode, Graihagh Jackson is joined by BBC CrowdScience presenter, Caroline Steel. We go to Puerto Rico to see how self-duplicating, carnivorous coral could be the solution. We also speak to the scientist who helped discover what was causing coral bleaching in the first place - back when climate change was commonly denied.

This programme was first broadcast in 2024.

Guests:

Picture: Prickly alcyonarian - Dendronephthya sp. Orange red colored soft coral. Credit: ultramarinfoto via Getty.

Presenters: Graihagh Jackson and Caroline Steel

Got a climate question you’d like answered? E-mail the team: [email protected]

In the global race for critical minerals - could the seabed provide solutions? Or should we leave these metal-rich environments undisturbed?

Governments and mining companies around the world are on the hunt for the critical minerals we need for the green tech transition. And there’s growing interest in an unlikely source – potato-shaped nodules that are found kilometres below the surface of our oceans.

These polymetallic nodules contain high levels of elements like cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper. Supporters of deep-sea mining say that harvesting them might be less damaging to the environment than mining on land. But many scientists support a moratorium; they say industrial activity on the seabed could damage the biodiversity of a fragile part of our planet.

The BBC’s Climate and Science Reporter Georgina Rannard has been following the deep-sea mining debate for five years. She chats to Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar.

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

Production team: Simon Watts, Graihagh Jackson, Diane Richardson, Melanie Stewart-Smith

Picture Credit: A Brittle Star, Michael Zeigler via Getty Images

Electric vehicle sales are soaring in Thailand and Vietnam. What’s behind the boom? And will it help the climate?

Thais and Vietnamese are switching to electric cars in huge numbers – attracted by government subsidies and a more exciting range of EVs.

Jobs in the car industry are also up in both countries as a new generation of manufacturers compete for domination of the emerging electric market.

But can the pace of growth last? Will the boom in electric cars reduce the chronic air pollution in cities like Bangkok? And will it help Thailand and Vietnam reduce their carbon emissions?

In this edition of The Climate Question, Host Jordan Dunbar chats to Ember’s Asian Energy Analyst, Lam Pham and Bloomberg’s Thailand Reporter, Patpicha Tanakasempipat.

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

Presenter: Jordan Dunbar

What’s the carbon footprint of streaming your favourite shows or doing an AI search? How vulnerable are river estuaries to climate change? Plus, are you a climate optimist or pessimist? Graihagh Jackson and her panel answer your questions.

The panel are Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor; Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast; and Caroline Steel, presenter of BBC CrowdScience.

Got a question or comment for the next listeners' show? You can email us at [email protected] or leave a WhatsApp message at + 44 8000 321 721

Production team: Diane Richardson and Grace Braddock

Picture Credit: ljubaphoto via Getty Images

It’s one of the most commonly debated questions in the climate world: Is this weather we’re experiencing natural, or is it linked to man-made climate change?

In this episode of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar are joined by BBC Lead Weather Presenter, Matt Taylor. Matt’s forecasts are seen not just in the UK but around the world.

Matt chats to Graihagh and Jordan about the crucial difference between weather and climate, and the challenge of communicating this on air. They discuss why heavy snowfall will still be possible in a warmer world, as well as the likely increase in droughts, heatwaves and extreme weather.

Matt also talks about whether climate change will make his forecasts more or less accurate. And he tells Graihagh and Jordan about an encounter with BBC wildlife legend, David Attenborough!

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

Presenters: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear accident devastated the Soviet Union and shocked the world. But, 40 years on, are we now seeing a nuclear renaissance? And what does that mean for the climate?

Climate Question host Jordan Dunbar has just visited the most contaminated place in the world for a BBC World Service documentary. He tells co-host Graihagh Jackson about the ghostly atmosphere in the former Chernobyl control room and the huge dome that now covers the remains of the nuclear reactor that exploded.

Jordan and Graihagh also discuss how the disaster set back the nuclear power industry for decades. Now, however, nuclear is firmly back on the international agenda because of rising power demand and concerns about energy security.

With around 40 countries now aiming to build more nuclear power stations, what will this mean for the climate and the world’s goal of keeping global warming under control?

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

Presenters: Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson

Picture credit: Getty Images

With more and more people moving to cities, informal settlements are expected to grow. When floods hit these unplanned places, it can be disastrous, as we often don’t know much about them. Crucial questions often remain difficult to answer, like how many people live there, what are the buildings made of, and could they withstand a flood?

In the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko visits a project using drones and artificial intelligence to help authorities prevent the worst impacts of flooding. And in Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil, we hear how an innovative digital map helped the emergency response – and will soon be available to all for free across the world.

This programme was first broadcast in 2024. You can email us at [email protected]

Guests:

Presenter: Jordan Dunbar

Image: Reuters

Earthquakes are caused by a sudden release of stress along faults in the earth's crust, not by climate change, but some new studies suggest that melting glaciers and permafrost may influence when, where and how often seismic activity occurs.

In this episode, hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar chat to seismologist Dr. Verena Simon from the Swiss Seismology Service and Associate Professor of Geosciences at Colorado State University, Sean Gallen.

Got a question or comment? email us at [email protected]

Production team: Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock

(Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

How much does advertising influence what we buy and how we think?

A growing number of cities are restricting adverts for fossil fuel products, from flights and petrol cars to gas heating. From May, Amsterdam is set to become the first capital city to do so. In 2024, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to introduce similar bans worldwide.

In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar asks whether banning fossil fuel adverts is a good idea and whether it makes any difference when it comes to fighting climate change.

He speaks to Marco Silva from BBC Verify about the role advertising plays in shaping public attitudes, and Anna Holligan, the BBC's correspondent in The Hague, explains how the restrictions in The Netherlands actually work.

Guests:

Got a question or comment? email us at [email protected]

Production team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Melanie Stewart-Smith

Picture: Getty Images

As climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed so-called Chief Heat Officers to try to improve their response to record-breaking temperatures.

In 2024, Graihagh Jackson spoke to two women who have done the job in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monterrey, Mexico. What does their role involve? What solutions are out there? And do they get enough funding?

Plus, Umaru Fofana reports from Freetown on what happens when extreme heat grips the city. Umaru talks to locals forced to sleep outside because of the temperature, despite risks to their health and safety. And he also investigates a new piece of building design that might help people living in informal settlements.

Got a question or comment? email us at [email protected]

Presenter: Graihagh Jackson