logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
28m 6s

How will climate change affect where we ...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Extreme weather is forcing communities to leave their homes and it's becoming a bigger and bigger issue. What can we do about it? In this edition of BBC Inside Science, Gaia Vince and her guests discuss what climate displacement means for people all over the world. We hear from Diwigdi Valiente, a member of the Guna Yala people of the San Blas Islands in Panama, where whole communities have already begun to evacuate. Closer to home the experts consider the impact of rising sea levels on British coastal communities.

Guests are:

Richard Betts, head of climate impacts at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter;

Lucy Easthope, professor in practice of risk and hazard at the University of Durham and a leading adviser on emergency planning and disaster recovery;

Professor Guillermo Rein, an expert in fire science at Imperial College London; and

Michael Szoenyi, head of flood resilience at Zurich Insurance. He explains why climate change has become such an important factor for business and individuals planning for the future – and why it’s essential we don’t leave big decisions about where we should live to the last minute. Presenter: Gaia Vince Producer: Clem Hitchcock Content Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell Editor: Richard Collings

Up next
Yesterday
The race to protect a third of the world
It's the time of year when nations come together to try and agree on a plan to futureproof the planet. But in the lead up to the Conference of the Parties 31, another meeting takes place – a smaller gathering, but one some would argue is just as important. COP17, the 17th meeting ... Show More
26m 29s
Oct 22
Is there time on Mars?
The first ever spacecraft to bring Martian samples back to Earth has launched from Japan. However, before the spacecraft returns from Phobos in 2031 there are many complex challenges that lie ahead, leaving an anxious 5 year wait for the scientists involved. To help us understand ... Show More
26m 28s
Oct 15
The climate changing power of 400 billion toasters
Back in May, we checked in on the developments in the eastern Pacific’s ocean currents, that we call El Niño. We said that stirrings in the surface suggested there might just be quite a big one. Now, it seems, everyone is talking about it, and it’s definitely big. What is the El ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2016
Climate Change
Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by guests Dara O Briain, Professor Tony Ryan and Dr Gabrielle Walker to discuss the ever-hot topic of climate change. They take a forensic look at the evidence that the climate is indeed changing, how we know that we are responsible, and what c ... Show More
49m 21s
May 2021
Climate change will displace millions. Here's how we prepare | Colette Pichon Battle
Scientists predict climate change will displace more than 180 million people by 2100 -- a crisis of "climate migration" the world isn't ready for, says disaster recovery lawyer and Louisiana native Colette Pichon Battle. In this passionate, lyrical talk, she urges us to radically ... Show More
12m 58s
Aug 2023
Can small islands live with climate change?
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been raising awareness of the impact that climate change is having on small island nations like hers, from the Caribbean to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In addition to facing more extreme weather and temperatures, these islands a ... Show More
23m 59s
Nov 2021
Can COP26 deliver on climate change?
<p>The science is unequivocal: human-made climate change is leading the world into an environmental crisis, and time is running out to prevent permanent damage to ecosystems and make the planet uninhabitable for many of us humans. </p><p>As communities around the world increasing ... Show More
39m 53s
Sep 2021
To a Lesser Degree: Trailer
Rising global temperatures have already increased the frequency of floods, wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves around the world. If humanity does not change course rapidly, the effects of climate change will become more extreme.What can be done to avoid this outcome?Vijay Vaithees ... Show More
1m 31s
May 2022
Living face-to-face with climate change
What’s it like to live in a country on the sharp end of climate change? Today Tamasin Ford takes you to Sâo Tomé and Príncipe, the twin island nation in the gulf of Guinea. With the smallest economy in Africa, it has few means to fight what the UN calls the biggest threat modern ... Show More
18m 46s
Nov 2022
What peat can tell us about our future
The Congo Basin is home to the world’s largest peatland. Simon Lewis, Professor of Global Change Science at UCL and the University of Leeds, tells Roland how peatlands all around the world are showing early alarm bells of change. From the boreal Arctic forests to the Amazon, Simo ... Show More
53m 36s
Aug 2021
TED Climate: How to make sense of extreme weather
From raging wildfires in Australia to sub-zero winter storms in Texas, we’re seeing a rise in extreme weather across the globe. But how can we tell what’s caused by climate change, and what’s just bad weather? To answer this question, Dan breaks down the differences between weath ... Show More
11m 17s
Jul 2022
Climate change and evolution
We discuss the impact of climate change on today's wildlife. 
6m 18s