The Climate Question

Our changing climate affects all genders - with extreme weather events, heat, drought and flooding putting pressure on the lives and wellbeing of entire communities.
Yet the United Nations says that women and girls bear a disproportionate share of the burden and that by 2050, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty,16 million more than the total number of men and boys.
So why exactly are women and girls more affected by climate change? And how can we build a better future?
In this episode, Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Esme Stallard talk to Mary Robinson, former Chair of The Elders, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Envoy on Climate Change.
Producers: Graihagh Jackson, Diane Richardson and Grace Braddock
Sound Mix: Ben Andrews and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts
Picture Credit: Getty, Imtiyaz Shaikh/Anadolu Agency.

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
Sound Mix: Dafydd Evans and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts
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 theclimatequestion@bbc.com or leave a WhatsApp message at + 44 8000 321 721
Presenter: Graihagh Jackson
Producer: Diane Richardson
Research: Jordan Dunbar
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound engineer: Tom Brignell and Philip Bull
Editor: Simon Watts

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: TheClimateQuestion@bbc.com
Hosts: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar
Production team: Diane Richardson and Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound engineers: Ricardo McCarthy and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts
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: TheClimateQuestion@bbc.com
Producers: Diane Richardson, Jordan Dunbar and Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound engineer: Ben Andrews, Ricardo McCarthy and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts