The Climate Question

Climate commentators are warning that an exceptionally strong El Niño event — dubbed 'Godzilla' — is about to affect the Arctic, raising questions over how severe the impacts will be. The discussion focuses on potential consequences for Arctic ice, weather patterns and global climate systems as the powerful warming event takes hold.

Discussion is growing around the idea of Alberta holding a referendum on separating from Canada. Premier Danielle Smith's government passed Bill 54 in 2024, lowering the threshold needed to trigger citizen-initiated referendum questions, which separatists see as a pathway to a independence vote. Supporters cite frustration with federal energy and climate policy, while critics warn a referendum would create deep economic and constitutional uncertainty.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a significant climate change case centered on a devastating wildfire in Colorado. The case is expected to address questions of liability and accountability for climate-related disasters, and news outlets across the country are reporting the court's decision to take it up. Observers see it as a potentially consequential ruling for how climate damages are litigated in the United States.

BBC World Service's Climate Question podcast is asking whether the world has lost the battle against rising heat. The episode examines why extreme temperatures keep breaking records despite decades of climate pledges, and what, if anything, can still be done. Listeners are weighing in on whether adaptation, rather than prevention, is now the realistic focus.

Justice Clarence Thomas is under scrutiny as the US Supreme Court takes on its most consequential climate case in years. Attention is focused on his role in the case amid questions about his participation, with the outcome expected to shape how far federal agencies can go in regulating planet-warming emissions and how other climate-related litigation proceeds.

Attention is turning to the International Court of Justice over its role in addressing climate change, with discussion of how international law can be applied to the climate crisis and what states' obligations might be. Observers are watching proceedings that could shape global climate accountability and future policy obligations for governments.

A climate change lawsuit has reached the US Supreme Court nearly five years after a devastating wildfire in Colorado. The case ties the destructive blaze to broader questions about climate change and legal accountability, drawing significant national attention as the justices weigh whether to hear arguments in a dispute watched closely by both environmental advocates and industry groups.

The US Supreme Court is hearing a major climate-related case, and coverage is laying out the key questions to watch as arguments unfold. Observers are focused on how the justices' ruling could shape federal authority over climate regulation and what it means for future environmental policy. The outcome is expected to have wide-reaching implications for US climate action.

Pacific Island nations are hosting a pre-COP climate meeting, giving the region a high-profile platform ahead of the next UN climate summit. However, the guest list of attending leaders and officials is reportedly thin, drawing attention to questions about how much weight major emitters are giving the gathering and the concerns of low-lying island states on the front line of climate change.

The US Supreme Court is set to hear a major climate change case, a decision that could shape federal climate policy and the scope of environmental regulation. Details of the parties and legal questions remain limited, but the case is expected to draw significant attention from policymakers, environmental groups and industry.

Attention is on Nepal's struggle to obtain climate justice, as the Himalayan nation faces severe glacial melting, floods and landslides despite contributing little to global emissions. The question of whether Nepal will ever receive compensation and support from major polluting nations is being widely debated, with the United Nations' climate frameworks and loss-and-damage funding at the centre of the discussion.