<description>&lt;p&gt;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? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This programme was first broadcast in 2024. You can email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests:
Rodrigo Rocha, Partner at the Responsive Cities Institute, Porto Alegre
Dr Caroline Gevaert, Associate Professor at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente
Nomsa Maseko, the BBC’s South Africa Correspondent&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Jordan Dunbar
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Researcher: Octavia Woodward
Sound mix: Tom Brignell
Editors: Sophie Eastaugh and Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Image: Reuters&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Extreme weather can devastate informal urban settlements. Can drones and AI help?

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 theclimatequestion@bbc.comGuests:
Rodrigo Rocha, Partner at the Responsive Cities Institute, Porto Alegre
Dr Caroline Gevaert, Associate Professor at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente
Nomsa Maseko, the BBC’s South Africa CorrespondentPresenter: Jordan Dunbar
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Researcher: Octavia Woodward
Sound mix: Tom Brignell
Editors: Sophie Eastaugh and Simon WattsImage: Reuters

Can technology help us fight flooding in cities?

<description>&lt;p&gt;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. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production team: Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock 
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Philip Bull
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown. 
Editor: Simon Watts. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;</description>

New research suggests global warming may affect when and where seismic activity happens

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 theclimatequestion@bbc.com Production team: Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock 
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Philip Bull
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown. 
Editor: Simon Watts. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

Earthquakes and climate change

<description>&lt;p&gt;How much does advertising influence what we buy and how we think?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests:
Anna Holligan – BBC correspondent in The Hague
Marco Silva – Senior journalist, BBC Verify&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and James Piper
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Picture: Getty Images&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Amsterdam is the first capital city to bring in a ban. Could this become the new normal?

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:
Anna Holligan – BBC correspondent in The Hague
Marco Silva – Senior journalist, BBC VerifyGot a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.comProduction team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Melanie Stewart-Smith
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and James Piper
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Simon WattsPicture: Getty Images

Why are some cities banning fossil fuel ads?

<description>&lt;p&gt;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. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Graihagh Jackson
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Sound engineer: James Beard and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Graihagh Jackson meets two women trying to protect their cities from heatwaves

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 theclimatequestion@bbc.comPresenter: Graihagh Jackson
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Sound engineer: James Beard and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts

What's it like being a chief heat officer?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Transport is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in cities around the world it is also one of the biggest daily frustrations. Congestion, pollution and long journeys to work affect millions of people every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar explores how cities can move large numbers of people more quickly, cheaply and with fewer emissions. With most urban journeys still dominated by private cars, the challenge is how to shift people towards more efficient forms of transport.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He speaks to Dario Hidalgo, a transport expert based in Bogotá, where a system known as Bus Rapid Transit has helped transform how millions of people travel. By giving buses dedicated lanes, larger vehicles and faster boarding systems, cities can move more people using fewer vehicles, cutting both congestion and emissions. Variations of the model are now being used in cities around the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jordan also hears from Sarah Kaufman, Director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation in New York, about why similar systems can be harder to implement in dense cities, and how measures like congestion charging are helping to reduce traffic and fund improvements to public transport.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While electric cars are often seen as part of the solution, both experts say reducing the number of cars on the road altogether is key. From buses to bikes, they explore how cities might redesign transport systems to be cleaner, faster and more efficient.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guests:
Dario Hidalgo – Professor of Transport and Logistics, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá
Sarah Kaufman – Director, NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, New York&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Mike Regaard
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Melanie Stewart-Smith&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Image: Guillermo Legaria/AFP via Getty Images&lt;/p&gt;</description>

From Bogotá to New York, cities try ways to cut traffic and emissions.

Transport is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and in cities around the world it is also one of the biggest daily frustrations. Congestion, pollution and long journeys to work affect millions of people every day.In this episode of The Climate Question, Jordan Dunbar explores how cities can move large numbers of people more quickly, cheaply and with fewer emissions. With most urban journeys still dominated by private cars, the challenge is how to shift people towards more efficient forms of transport.He speaks to Dario Hidalgo, a transport expert based in Bogotá, where a system known as Bus Rapid Transit has helped transform how millions of people travel. By giving buses dedicated lanes, larger vehicles and faster boarding systems, cities can move more people using fewer vehicles, cutting both congestion and emissions. Variations of the model are now being used in cities around the world.Jordan also hears from Sarah Kaufman, Director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation in New York, about why similar systems can be harder to implement in dense cities, and how measures like congestion charging are helping to reduce traffic and fund improvements to public transport.While electric cars are often seen as part of the solution, both experts say reducing the number of cars on the road altogether is key. From buses to bikes, they explore how cities might redesign transport systems to be cleaner, faster and more efficient.Guests:
Dario Hidalgo – Professor of Transport and Logistics, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá
Sarah Kaufman – Director, NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, New YorkGot a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.comProduction team: Grace Braddock, Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Mike Regaard
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Melanie Stewart-SmithImage: Guillermo Legaria/AFP via Getty Images

Can better buses fix city pollution?

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

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