<description>&lt;p&gt;What do you think of when you think about our oceans? Maybe you see a picture of our planet with a big patch of blue? Maybe you think about storms or dramatic ocean voyages? Maybe fish or coral reefs? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this edition of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore how our oceans are even more important than you might imagine. They help put the brakes on climate change and regulate our weather - even in faraway deserts. They provide food, and even influence the rise of great civilisations, like Ancient Egypt. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graihagh and Jordan are joined by oceanographer and physicist Helen Czerski, author of Blue Machine, How the Ocean Shapes Our World. Helen also chats about the challenges of trying to collect data at sea during huge storms. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hosts: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar
Production team: Simon Watts, Nik Sindle, Grace Braddock
Sound mix: Ben Andrews and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or a comment? You can email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How our oceans are crucial for life on Earth and help protect us from climate change

What do you think of when you think about our oceans? Maybe you see a picture of our planet with a big patch of blue? Maybe you think about storms or dramatic ocean voyages? Maybe fish or coral reefs? In this edition of The Climate Question, Hosts Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar explore how our oceans are even more important than you might imagine. They help put the brakes on climate change and regulate our weather - even in faraway deserts. They provide food, and even influence the rise of great civilisations, like Ancient Egypt. Graihagh and Jordan are joined by oceanographer and physicist Helen Czerski, author of Blue Machine, How the Ocean Shapes Our World. Helen also chats about the challenges of trying to collect data at sea during huge storms. Hosts: Graihagh Jackson and Jordan Dunbar
Production team: Simon Watts, Nik Sindle, Grace Braddock
Sound mix: Ben Andrews and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon WattsGot a question or a comment? You can email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

What does the ocean do for us and the planet?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Across the world vehicle manufacturers are racing to make zero emission cars in the move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles. It’s a huge market which could reach 9 trillion dollars worldwide by 2030. One small country which is grabbing this opportunity is Hungary. Located in the heart of Europe but with a population of under 10 million, it’s becoming one of the top battery producers globally for electric cars.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This transition is bringing billions of euros of investment into the Hungarian economy and creating tens of thousands of jobs. One city in particular – Debrecen – the country’s second biggest, is becoming an epi-centre for battery production. The Climate Question’s Jordan Dunbar has been to Debrecen to find out who’s benefitting from the green gold rush. He speaks to local people and businesses about their hopes and fears as their city is transformed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This programme was first broadcast in February 2025.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Jordan Dunbar
Producers in Hungary: Ellie House and Balint Bardi
Producer in London: Caroline Bayley
Sound Designer: Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have a question, email us at the climatequestion@bbc.com or leave a WhatsApp message at +44 8000 321 721&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Hungary is becoming a global leader in EV batteries, but who really benefits?

Across the world vehicle manufacturers are racing to make zero emission cars in the move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles. It’s a huge market which could reach 9 trillion dollars worldwide by 2030. One small country which is grabbing this opportunity is Hungary. Located in the heart of Europe but with a population of under 10 million, it’s becoming one of the top battery producers globally for electric cars.This transition is bringing billions of euros of investment into the Hungarian economy and creating tens of thousands of jobs. One city in particular – Debrecen – the country’s second biggest, is becoming an epi-centre for battery production. The Climate Question’s Jordan Dunbar has been to Debrecen to find out who’s benefitting from the green gold rush. He speaks to local people and businesses about their hopes and fears as their city is transformed.This programme was first broadcast in February 2025.Presenter: Jordan Dunbar
Producers in Hungary: Ellie House and Balint Bardi
Producer in London: Caroline Bayley
Sound Designer: Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon WattsIf you have a question, email us at the climatequestion@bbc.com or leave a WhatsApp message at +44 8000 321 721

Who wins in the electric vehicles transition?

<description>&lt;p&gt;How can the world speed up its efforts to fight climate change? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s been a dramatic fortnight at the COP climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem, with torrential rains and floods, protests and even a fire. A deal has finally been done but it’s divisive and has left many wondering whether we'll really avoid the worst effects of a warming world. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson as they take a deep dive into the results of the negotiations and find out what they mean. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The BBC’s Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt joins us from Brazil. Plus, our panel of experts discuss the future of climate action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests:
Adil Najam, Professor of International Relations and Environment at the Pardee School, USA 
David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at the University of California, USA 
Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production Team: Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Jordan Dunbar, Grace Braddock, Melanie Stewart-Smith, Steven Bailey
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We're still behind on our global warming targets after the big summit in Brazil.

How can the world speed up its efforts to fight climate change? It’s been a dramatic fortnight at the COP climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem, with torrential rains and floods, protests and even a fire. A deal has finally been done but it’s divisive and has left many wondering whether we'll really avoid the worst effects of a warming world. Join Jordan Dunbar and Graihagh Jackson as they take a deep dive into the results of the negotiations and find out what they mean. The BBC’s Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt joins us from Brazil. Plus, our panel of experts discuss the future of climate action.Guests:
Adil Najam, Professor of International Relations and Environment at the Pardee School, USA 
David Victor, Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at the University of California, USA 
Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands Production Team: Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Jordan Dunbar, Grace Braddock, Melanie Stewart-Smith, Steven Bailey
Editor: Simon WattsGot a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

How can the world speed up climate action?

<description>&lt;p&gt;The American lawyer, oil lobbyist and master strategist Don Pearlman is said to have chain-smoked his way through almost every UN climate gathering from the early 1990s until his death in 2005.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some of those who saw Pearlman operate in Kyoto, where the first legally binding international agreement on climate change was agreed in 1997, say he created the playbook for stalling climate talks. The Kyoto protocol was never ratified by the United States, and Pearlman is now the subject of a major play, Kyoto, which has just transferred from London to the Lincoln Center in New York.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As the COP30 climate summit takes place in Brazil, Climate Question Host Jordan Dunbar has been telling our friends on The Global Story podcast the true story of the man once nicknamed "the high priest of the carbon club". &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With episodes each weekday, The Global Story is where the world and America meet. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For The Global Story podcast&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producers: Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The true story of the man once described as "the high priest of the carbon club"

The American lawyer, oil lobbyist and master strategist Don Pearlman is said to have chain-smoked his way through almost every UN climate gathering from the early 1990s until his death in 2005.Some of those who saw Pearlman operate in Kyoto, where the first legally binding international agreement on climate change was agreed in 1997, say he created the playbook for stalling climate talks. The Kyoto protocol was never ratified by the United States, and Pearlman is now the subject of a major play, Kyoto, which has just transferred from London to the Lincoln Center in New York.As the COP30 climate summit takes place in Brazil, Climate Question Host Jordan Dunbar has been telling our friends on The Global Story podcast the true story of the man once nicknamed "the high priest of the carbon club". With episodes each weekday, The Global Story is where the world and America meet. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption.For The Global Story podcastProducers: Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

The oil lobbyist who tried to sink the first big climate deal

<description>&lt;p&gt;Carbon dioxide is a molecule so important it has shaped life on Earth for billions of years. Without it, there would be no plants, no oceans, no people. But now, after centuries of burning coal, oil and gas, it's in the atmosphere at levels that alarm scientists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of The Climate Question, Graihagh Jackson speaks to Peter Brannen, science journalist and author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything, and Esme Stallard, BBC climate and science reporter. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They explore what makes this tiny molecule so powerful, how it has driven ice ages and mass extinctions, why the story of CO2 is the story of human progress — and what might come next. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Host: Graihagh Jackson
Production Team: Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Graihagh Jackson, Grace Braddock
Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and Ben Andrews
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>

CO2 makes life possible, but if too much is released the planet can overheat.

Carbon dioxide is a molecule so important it has shaped life on Earth for billions of years. Without it, there would be no plants, no oceans, no people. But now, after centuries of burning coal, oil and gas, it's in the atmosphere at levels that alarm scientists.In this episode of The Climate Question, Graihagh Jackson speaks to Peter Brannen, science journalist and author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything, and Esme Stallard, BBC climate and science reporter. They explore what makes this tiny molecule so powerful, how it has driven ice ages and mass extinctions, why the story of CO2 is the story of human progress — and what might come next. Host: Graihagh Jackson
Production Team: Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Graihagh Jackson, Grace Braddock
Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and Ben Andrews
Editor: Simon WattsGot a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

How does carbon dioxide shape our world?

Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.

The Climate Question

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