logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
21m 3s

6. How bad information polluted the clim...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Setting the record straight on some of the most common misleading narratives and tactics to explore what future climate change battlegrounds might look like. We look at how fossil fuel interest groups use division as a distraction: either stoking fear that action to tackle climate change will hurt the poor, or attacking the messengers who raise the alarm. And we take you back to the start of 2021, when blackouts in Texas which killed hundreds were misleadingly blamed on wind turbines. The idea that renewables, like solar or wind power, are dangerously unreliable has been a common theme. What’s the truth behind the claim? And how does bad information surface after extreme weather events and times of climate crisis?

Up next
Jun 2024
Trending is moving to the Documentary Podcast
BBC Trending's podcast feed is closing, but we'll be publishing new episodes in the BBC World Service's Documentary Podcast from now on. Search for The Documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts, and subscribe to get new episodes of BBC Trending along with a range of exciting ... Show More
43s
Jun 2024
Colombia’s guerrilla recruitment video problem
Fighters from dissident armed groups in Colombia are using TikTok to glorify their lives as guerrillas and recruit youngsters.These armed groups didn't like the terms of a peace treaty negotiated between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government in 2016 ... Show More
18m 6s
Jun 2024
The Kenyan influencer championing climate denial
Jusper Machogu is a farmer from southwestern Kenya who describes himself as a “climate sceptic”: he wrongly claims that climate change is a “scam” or a “hoax” designed to hold Africa back. On social media, he has also become known as a staunch defender of fossil fuel exploration ... Show More
18m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Special Report: Landslides exacerbated by climate change
How can the most vulnerable countries protect against climate change if they’re drowning in debt? A major international aid agency revealed this week that 93% of the world’s worst-affected countries can’t afford to safeguard against natural disasters. Some are being forced to sla ... Show More
55 m
Dec 2023
Wer den Kampf gegen den Klimawandel sabotiert
Trotz existenzieller Bedrohung stellen führende Nationen den Klimaschutz hinten an. Und das hat mehrere Gründe Extremes Wetter. Naturkatastrophen. Ernteausfälle. Der menschgemachte Klimawandel bedroht jetzt schon unsere Lebensräume. Und es wird immer schlimmer. Trotz dieser Bedro ... Show More
27m 11s
Jul 2021
Putting a Price on Pollution
Extreme weather across Europe, North America and Asia is highlighting a harsh reality of science and history: The world as a whole is neither prepared to slow down climate change nor live with it.European officials are trying to change that. The European Commission, the E.U.’s ex ... Show More
25m 40s
Aug 2023
Defeating Doomerism: The Search For A New Climate Narrative
On the last Energy Gang we looked at the impact of record temperatures on the energy sector. This week, we discuss another impact of climate change: its effect on human psychology. We discuss how the way we talk about global warming affects how we respond to it.A recent study in ... Show More
57m 13s
May 2022
The ‘carbon bombs’ set to blow up the world’s climate pledges
A Guardian investigation has revealed 195 oil and gas projects known as ‘carbon bombs’ that could trigger catastrophic climate breakdown if allowed to continue. Damian Carrington reports Revealed: the ‘carbon bombs’ set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown. Help support our ... Show More
27m 16s
Sep 2023
What’s the future for global climate action?
It’s been a devastating summer of climate events in Canada, and the world. Canada saw its worst wildfire season on record, and the country was abnormally dry. There were also dramatic floods: on July 21st, Halifax got three months worth of rain in 24 hours. That’s the backdrop fo ... Show More
25m 3s
Dec 2022
Who Pays the Bill for Climate Change?
Last month at COP27, the U.N. climate change conference, a yearslong campaign ended in an agreement. The rich nations of the world — the ones primarily responsible for the emissions that have caused climate change — agreed to pay into a fund to help poorer nations that bear the b ... Show More
45m 40s
Feb 2023
Climate Change is Shaping Our Most Important Decisions in the Energy Transition
The energy industry influences climate change, and climate change also influences the energy industry. Understanding the consequences of a warming world is essential for making the right decisions as trillions of dollars are invested in energy production around the world. While w ... Show More
48m 15s