<description>&lt;p&gt;Governments around the world have promised to fight climate change. But are they also pumping an absolutely massive amount of money into subsidies for fossil fuels? 
In 2022, an IMF working paper estimated that global subsidies for fossil fuels totalled $7 trillion. But when you dig into that research, you find that this number might not mean what you think it does. 
We explain how they reached that conclusion, with the help of Angela Picciariello from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Nate Vernon, one of the co-authors of the IMF paper.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We investigate a huge estimate for how much governments pay to support coal, gas and oil

Governments around the world have promised to fight climate change. But are they also pumping an absolutely massive amount of money into subsidies for fossil fuels? 
In 2022, an IMF working paper estimated that global subsidies for fossil fuels totalled $7 trillion. But when you dig into that research, you find that this number might not mean what you think it does. 
We explain how they reached that conclusion, with the help of Angela Picciariello from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Nate Vernon, one of the co-authors of the IMF paper.

Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Just hours after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US presidential election, rumours started swirling that something was afoot. 
A graph went viral on social media that appeared to show there were 20 million more votes cast in 2020 than in the 2024 election. Where had these supposedly “missing” votes gone? 
 
Conspiracy theorists on both sides of the political spectrum began shouting claims of fraud. 
 
The answer, it turns out, is rather more straightforward.
 
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls 
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison 
Sound Mix: Hal Haines 
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020

Just hours after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US presidential election, rumours started swirling that something was afoot. 
A graph went viral on social media that appeared to show there were 20 million more votes cast in 2020 than in the 2024 election. Where had these supposedly “missing” votes gone? 
 
Conspiracy theorists on both sides of the political spectrum began shouting claims of fraud. 
 
The answer, it turns out, is rather more straightforward.
 
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls 
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison 
Sound Mix: Hal Haines 
Editor: Richard Vadon

Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?

<description>&lt;p&gt;A huge quantity of clothing is produced every year around the world. But is so much made that there are already enough tops, trousers, skirts and all the rest to clothe humanity for decades into the future? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That’s a claim that has been percolating around the internet recently, that there are already enough clothes for the next six generations. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tim Harford and Beth Ashmead Latham explore the source of this claim and, with help from Sabina Lawreniuk from Nottingham University, find that the evidence behind it is far from persuasive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford and Bethan Ashmead Latham
Producer: Bethan Ashmead Latham
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Mix: Annie Gardiner
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry

A huge quantity of clothing is produced every year around the world. But is so much made that there are already enough tops, trousers, skirts and all the rest to clothe humanity for decades into the future? That’s a claim that has been percolating around the internet recently, that there are already enough clothes for the next six generations. Tim Harford and Beth Ashmead Latham explore the source of this claim and, with help from Sabina Lawreniuk from Nottingham University, find that the evidence behind it is far from persuasive.Presenter: Tim Harford and Bethan Ashmead Latham
Producer: Bethan Ashmead Latham
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Mix: Annie Gardiner
Editor: Richard Vadon

Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?

<description>&lt;p&gt;The great theories of economics seem to have great explanatory power, but the actual world is often far too complicated and messy to fully test them out. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Professor Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, an economist at the London School of Economics has an answer – sport. In the contained setting of competitive sport, he says, the rules are clear and you know who is doing what. This means, with some analysis, you can see vibrant illustrations of well-known economic theories playing out before your eyes. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ignacio talks to Tim Harford about some of his favourite economic theories, demonstrated in action in sporting competition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Natasha Fernandes
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: John Scott 
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

From loss aversion to game theory, how sports provide evidence for economic theories

The great theories of economics seem to have great explanatory power, but the actual world is often far too complicated and messy to fully test them out. Professor Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, an economist at the London School of Economics has an answer – sport. In the contained setting of competitive sport, he says, the rules are clear and you know who is doing what. This means, with some analysis, you can see vibrant illustrations of well-known economic theories playing out before your eyes. Ignacio talks to Tim Harford about some of his favourite economic theories, demonstrated in action in sporting competition.Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Natasha Fernandes
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: John Scott 
Editor: Richard Vadon

What can economics learn from sport?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Could the cut in winter fuel payments cost thousands of lives?
Is it really true that criminals sentenced to three years will be out of prison in two months?
Are older drivers more dangerous than young ones?
Do Southeastern Railway shift 50 million leaves from their lines?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Bethan Ashmead Latham and Nathan Gower
Producer: Natasha Fernandes
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Plus, winter fuel deaths, prison sentence maths and leaves on railway tracks.

Could the cut in winter fuel payments cost thousands of lives?
Is it really true that criminals sentenced to three years will be out of prison in two months?
Are older drivers more dangerous than young ones?
Do Southeastern Railway shift 50 million leaves from their lines?Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Bethan Ashmead Latham and Nathan Gower
Producer: Natasha Fernandes
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon

Are older drivers more dangerous?

Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

Details

Recent Episodes