COP26: Floods, Fire, and the Future

Right across the world unpredictable and extreme weather has led to devastating consequences: homes washed away by floods in Europe and China with hundreds dead; extreme heat and giant wildfires in North America and in Siberia, and we now hear that the Amazon rainforest is emitting more carbon dioxide than it is soaking up. Scientists are clear that man-made climate change is playing a significant role in all this. In November senior representatives from 197 countries plus the European Union are supposed to be gathering for COP26 in Glasgow. Can this gathering - and the pronouncements made there - help save us from extreme climate change?Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:Alina Averchenkova, Distinguished Fellow from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.Michael Jacobs, Professor at Sheffield University’s Political Economy Research Institute.Carly McLachlan, Professor of Climate and Energy Policy, Manchester University, and Director of Tyndall Manchester.Dr. James Dyke, Senior Lecturer in Global Systems, University of Exeter.Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight. Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett.Image: People wading through flood waters following heavy rains in Zhengzhou in China's central Henan province. Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images