BBC OS Conversations: Climate change and the young
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 9 December 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
World leaders are currently meeting in Dubai for the United Nations’ COP23 climate summit to discuss how to cope with a changing global climate. At the same time, a new study has suggested that air pollution from using fossil fuels is responsible for 5 million avoidable deaths around the world every year.
Host James Reynolds brings together three young people in India, Uganda and Bangladesh to hear their concerns and what it’s like to live in a country struggling with air pollution.
“I got up, I looked out the window, nothing. I couldn’t even see my own lane. It was extremely sad,” said 12 year old Myra in Delhi, India. “I was getting ready to go to the school. I was going to my bus and I couldn’t see anything. Almost all days smog is covering the entire city. It’s suffocating.”
Three women from the United States, India and the UK - all in their twenties - also share why they decided to not have children in order to help save the planet.
“Every year has become more significant,” says Melissa in London, “and of course making changes in my own life to help the climate like being plant-based and not having children seems to be quite a good decision in that regard as well.”
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Global Story is The Podcast |
| 0:05.0 | Helping You Make Sense of the News. |
| 0:08.0 | Join me Katya Adler every weekday as I take a closer look at the stories making the headlines |
| 0:13.2 | with insights from the BBC's global network of experts. |
| 0:17.0 | Search for The Global Story, |
| 0:19.2 | wherever you get your BBC podcasts. BBC Podcasts. |
| 0:27.0 | Hello, I'm James Reynolds. Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service on young people's experiences and |
| 0:32.0 | responses to the global threat of climate change. |
| 0:36.2 | As 2023 is set to become the warmest year on record. |
| 0:43.6 | World leaders are meeting in Dubai at the United Nations Cop 28th Summit |
| 0:47.8 | to discuss the climate. |
| 0:49.9 | We bring together those who, despite their youth, |
| 0:52.0 | are already taking action, |
| 0:53.8 | including three women who've taken the decision not to have kids. |
| 0:57.4 | I think it's just every year to become more significant and of course making changes |
| 1:01.1 | in my own life to help the climate like being plant-based and things like that and not having children seems to be quite a good decision in that regard as well. |
| 1:11.0 | The United Nations World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that despite the long-term goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2015, which included reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, levels of greenhouse gases are continuing to rise. |
| 1:28.0 | There are also record sea surface temperatures, a record sea level rise, and a record low of Antarctic sea ice. Not surprisingly then many people are |
| 1:38.1 | deeply worried about the effects of climate change, particularly when they |
| 1:42.1 | live in parts of the world where those effects, increased |
| 1:45.1 | drought, floods, extreme heat or air pollution, are such a huge concern. |
| 1:51.5 | This is 17-year year old Alicia in Pakistan. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.