Read this: 20/11/2020 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello this week the government published it's 10-point plan to Usher in a green Revolution could climate change be a greater threat to humanity than even covered.

Is it time for the BBC to stop being impartial on the issue and start campaigning urging the government to do more? It's my job to be cracking the whip on Boris is back and then go further me.

I don't want me know then it's feedback this week the BBC's chief environment correspondent.

Just in roulette.

Will face your often critical questions about the BBC's climate coverage and their Descendants have this sorted soldier deserve an enduring and a heartfelt apology and not as very often happens.

Kind of misty-eyed account.

Is it wrong to shed tears in Remembrance of the Carnage of the first world war will be talking to the producer of the Radio 4 Series the Unknown warrior.

What will I go out of your comfort zone reviewers make of the history are on the BBC World Service that she spoke about that happen Ben in a general postal still what we see today the similar arguments coming up from what I hear now in terms of feminism terms of intersectionality you're a woman, but are you a black woman or you're a white woman program the would she listen to another episode find out later in feedback.

This week the government should have been hosting the UN climate change conference in Glasgow but that's not been postponed due to the cupboard crisis on Wednesday out of the government didn't delayed 10-point plan to put the UK on track to meet its Goal of net zero emissions by 2050 one of those plans is the government ban on new vehicle powered Holy by petrol and diesel it's going to stop those being sold in the UK from 2030 environment might have hit the headlines this week, but listen Ascot questioning weather.bbc does this issue the amount of Keira deserves and whether governments businesses and pressure groups are being held to account well.

I'm delighted to be joined by the BBC's chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt and the first email we've got is from Carol conquest as you know the prime minister is due to announce the new Energy policy probably this week.

He were forced to claim that this will help the UK

Paris cop21 climate Commitments when the p.m.

Makes the statement that is the BBC's chance to tell the whole story and that the measures proposed will fall far short of meeting cop21 will that happen well Justin Rowlatt with had the statement from the prime minister and have you pointed out how far the measures will fall short well, I think first of all you know these measures will help keep the Paris goals.

They not go all the way but they said it takes a little bit further we have to register as well.

This is a new statement of ambition by the government and you know that should be acknowledged.

Will it go far enough? It will help us on the way I've reported the fact that you do critics say that this won't go far enough.

So you know I have done my service by putting in Context the scale of ambition that these new measures.

Can I give us but critics say that would would you say that would you say that these measures fall far short to put Carol Conquest of meeting cop21.

I think it is still unlikely that we?

Will meet our Commitments even with these measures.

Have you got to remember that what they're trying to do here is kickstart this they describe their green Industrial Revolution a drawing private finance and all the bills.

You know the wind farm SE1 off the coast of Britain new solar plants you battery technology all of that stuff so a lot of the ambition that said better than the government's plans actually comes from the private sector and other questions then about the underlining have some of these technologies.

So there are uncertainties outside just of the remit of government.

I don't have time to slippery here, but you know we're talking about projections into the future.

They are always uncertain been a great deal of courage this week, but some violinist wonder whether actually they shouldn't be a lot of coverage every week Hillary fairy the World Service Business daily program has a quote from Christine lagarde, which sums up my argument climate change is happening this needs to be repeated over and over so my observation is that it should feature on every news.

Justice a covid-19 crisis cos because it eclipse is its importance as an existential threat not just to the human race but also to the whole ecology of she's right.

We don't get on every single day.

Talk about climate if you look across all our output so online radio TV we do get on most days.

I think people have to understand the Dynamics within the BBC you're in the chief environment correspondent very proud to be it, but it's my job to kind of go out and could have sell my stories to edit it so I'm forever saying hey guys.

You could do there.

So you can do that.

This is really interesting you're the editor of the Today programme of the 6:00 news on Radio 4 your juggling.

You know they the election in America covid crisis it all these other stories with my offer and I think what people who really worried about the climate crisis sometimes don't recognise it whilst he is really very important and probably the biggest challenge facing humanity at the moment.

That doesn't necessarily always make it newsworthy.

Rapid Lotto ticket younger BBC start saying no luck, this is too important for us to be impartial on this one.

We have to be campaigning.

Are you saying I am in the end impartial I am not going to campaign.

I'm not complaining that is absolutely not my job and it was an internal kind of enquiry and editorial kind of enquire about what the BBC How the BBC should approach climb and the judgement was a great line.

They said the referee has spoken you have climate change is happening and it's mankind is playing a big part of it.

We report that scientific fact if you like, but maybe campaigning and urging Boris Johnson to go further know I shouldn't if his plans don't meet the targets that he said we should report that but it's not my job to be cracking the whip on Boris is back and send another language.

You use one listener said you should be using emergency and Crisis do you think this could be counterproductive? Do you think sometimes? I actually do think that I mean I do use the term.

Racist makes me slightly uncomfortable prices sounds like a short-term thing and anyone knows anything about that.

She knows what they're facing is a long-term thing.

It's in of indeterminate Lancs because the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Go on warming up even if we would just stop him itching greenhouse gases right now, so it's a very long term challenge so using terms like emergency and Crisis seems to be in to imply you a short-term problem can be overcome if you are going to have to live with this for not just the rest of your life, but your children's life your grandchildren and great-grandchildren right as well.

I feel that maybe that's not an emergency but a huge challenge will have to begin to try and understand and Melissa seller has this to ask about how effective your broadcasting is the BBC exists to inform educate and entertain.

How does it measure its effectiveness in terms of how informed and educated the British people are about the climate and ecological emergency.

It's underlying causes and effects and what needs to be done to tackle it.

Have you measure the effectiveness?

Window measure the effectiveness of our broadcasting we do measure what are audience think of the way, where are approaching things and we get some really interesting feedback for example on this issue of how much do people understand about the science of climate change we've got strong indications for an audience that they like us to explain the basic terminology that we use they do not like it when we assume that they understand what's happening which is why are you look at the way we broadcast hopefully you'll see that.

You know if you don't know much about it.

You'll be able to understand what we're talking about it from every single report.

We do that's the kind of standard that we said well.

Of course.

Everybody's trying to install BBC beard government of protest groups and has a specific question about Extinction rebellion play my Stop Sheffield does Justin rowlet think that Extinction rebellion helping or hindering progress.

Will it see what Extinction rebellion say they want to do they want to raise the profile of the issued probably do raise the profile of the issuer bid but a lot of what they do alienate.

People lots of people get very angry when they blocked newspaper plants or stop computers being able to get to work if you are I take lots of people who after all of the voters that you create the political space for politicians to take maybe it's not so helpful doesn't help you to get stories on to the news if Extinction rebellion provide you with lots of photo opportunities if they've picked up there and they demonstrations are there they'll be reported.

It's a question of how you report the but the fact is they will be reported to be reported to report them, but there is a bar above which you they have to be to get on the national news f2b of national significance and they have to or caused the impact that makes them some other way had a noteworthy and therefore knew whether we do not just report them just because they happening in the same way that we know what other protests you know they're all sorts of brexit rallies, but you were criticized for not covering but that was largely because they were quite small and pretty.

Sky News coverage the same logic applies to reporting Extinction rebellion and finally just in this question from Carolyn who's obviously been listening and following you for a long time since being Newsnight ethical man in 2006 you have met and talked with hundreds of people involved in climate change.

Do you feel more or less positive than you did back then and why are you more optimistic than you weren't 2006? I'm actually quite optimistic.

I was quite optimistic in 2006 but to be honest was Maze Runner evidence of international intention to do something with the problem.

There is much more of that now so with the election of Joe Biden we now have America Europe and China or with net zero ambitions and 125 country signed up to net zero pleasures by 20:50 or thereabout now that is a huge number of countries that are saying they going to double down on the effort to cut carbon more than

Birds of global GDP more than two-thirds of a missions that is in itself helpful you also seen an absolute collapse in the price of renewable energy of the last decade both solar and wind power earful those countries that said they want to cut carbon emissions start investing in Renewables we should expect to get even cheaper and for them to be breakthroughs in technology is like factories hydrogen power carbon capture all of which will help us get there will we actually get their meat the Paris targets keeping temperatures under 1.5 degrees as simply don't know are we beginning to be working in the right direction as a world community.

Yes, I think we are that's optimistic.

I guess it is and the pessimistic thing would be about time too and maybe too late because it's undoubtedly the case that things are getting worse.

I would agree with all of that.

I would absolutely agree and actually when you talk to meteorologist about this year.

It's 50/50.

They say at the moment whether it will be the hottest year ever on record and we haven't had an El Nino which is this.

Ocean currents in the Pacific which normally raise temperatures so that would be exceptional if it's if 2020 was the hottest year ever that would be a very bad sign that climate change really is progressing more rapidly even done the analysts thought of that suggestion Rolex the BBC chief environment correspondent and Justin this sharing this month's edition of BBC World questions, which can be found on BBC sounds and also features in the new BBC World Service podcast the climate question and please do tell us your thoughts about that interview or anything else to do with BBC Radio this is how you get in touch you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London se1p 4ax you can follow activity on by using at BBC R4 feedback or you can call us and leave a phone message.

on 03345 standard landline charges apply but it could cost more and some mobile networks all these details are on our website will you treat for asking to BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zones and listen to a program that would only be on their radar this week we have Veronica poku and her partner stuart-taylor who live in London bronica just get a sense of your listening habits what would be your top 3 programmes if you were stranded on a desert island for me every Saturday Live loose ends and I probably go forward how about you Stuart your top thinking Aloud Woman's Hour and a book club of course we didn't ask you listen to any of those we asked you to listen to The History are on the world service available on BBC sounds of Veronica how would you describe

Explain what it's about what if I had to describe it.

I would person such as a bit of a pick and mix and I thought they were quite unusual programs are put together I mean so going to start off with the assassination of Ben talked about the occupation baby so children were born to American GI German women who want to American size talks about the pan-african movement the bombing of Dresden and Calcutta what was the famous player think the late 60s items but the selling point Veronica is it's an hour of historical reporting to the people who were there.

So that was one of the key things to get a witness who was there at the time.

Did you think that was enough if you like a unifying thing to keep this to me that wasn't clear.

I didn't actually pick that up as the unifying theme I mean I think what I focused on more was what it was that they had to say for the probably doing so many.

Is there likely love you be interested in all of them is perhaps not very grateful ronica was there any any of those stories which really spoke to you and really really doing the work that she will the operation babies and it for me kind of resonated one with an area, which I'm really interested in the idea of race my identity and you know of any of them isn't about you know her early expenses of walking on streets and having people touch her face scratch and see whether the skin colour.

Come up there for me when I was a child people with scratch my face with a scrubbing brush to show other children that it wasn't chocolate on my face.

Obviously as a child.

I couldn't figure out why this was happening.

I just wanted to be white to have the feeling of belonging and be like the others student because you yourself a mixed-race like this with summer.

Germany after the war did speak to you the story it really did resonate because although it was set in the experience of somebody born immediately after the Second World War I was only born 20 years after that and I was born into a white family in a white community in rural Devon and there were not a lot folk that looks like me in that environment so I absolutely empathize with almost every aspect of her store Veronica likely to think anybody would be installed in all six Stories and therefore would stay with the programme almost an hour-long program throughout its length.

I'm sure there is someone somewhere who would I wouldn't have and I don't really know many of my friends that would have done because I think somebody differences in the way that the format will put together differences in the topic.

I can't think of

That would have been interested in every single one of those topics which are quite desperate.

I would have thought so I know that your view that it's likely that people will relate to the majority of the stuff.

I think certain elements.

I'm sure would leave out and be more identifiable and more relatable for one person over another the two pieces that were personally meaningful and resonant were the ones about the occupation babies and the pan-african Congress because they have a direct bearing on my lived experience and Keating in magazine programmes in particular is the presentation at is it warm does it invite you in what did you think of the presenters? Do I thought the presenters did a good job? You know they certainly didn't come across as dispassionate academics.

I think they did a good job of framing the packages and the content.

And I thought that they engaged well with the people they were speaking with within their packages so that aspect of the program.

I thought the professionalism was really good and evidence and there wasn't anything I needed to get past to engage with the content.

They serve the content really well, but we get this point at the end of our discuss those who asked for the same thing and I often know what the answer is going to be bad.

I don't this time the question what you are doing your comfort zone and will you listen to the another edition of this program turn out of my comfort zone? I was definitely into my intrigue Zone and yes, I would listen to this show again because it's a curiosity.

I would try to establish out of time what time I find out I'd like to be surprised.

So yes, I would definitely listen again and would you rather yes and no based on?

Experienced they seem to be differences for me in the way the format or put together and Away the present as well and that kind of put me off but I would have tuned in for some of the other things but definitely would have for your patience babe sounds to me that it's a sort of pregnancy have on in the background and then if one of the items interested you you turn up the volume up exactly that's what this would have been for me would have been well.

Thank you very much and you can find the history are from the BBC World Service on BBC sounds and do let us know if you would like to be put out of your comfort.

In 1920 two years after the end of the first world war and unknown warrior was brought back from his temporary grave in France to be buried in Westminster Abbey Wood become a symbol of a generation sacrifice and together with the Cenotaph the centre of the Nation's grief and gratitude to mark the centenary a series of 5 programs round on Radio 4 in a mid morning slot and onion warrior was comprised of contemporary reports and letters from generals journalist and grieving mothers amongst others and was conceived and produced by Caroline Raphael well.

This was an item that many of the hearts of our listeners, but there was the odd caveat before we deal with them.

I asked Caroline where she got the idea for the series from I'm slightly obsessed with the story of the missing soldiers during the First World War partly out of exploring as I think a lot of people did during the memorials to the first.

I want to find out more about my great uncle and went out to see his grave on the centenary of his death in 2015 and I just started so just do my own research on second-hand book and I started becoming really interesting how people felt at the time.

I think most would start with you the story but I don't think we properly understood the anguish of so many mothers in particular.

It seems to have something of their boys brought back even if it's part of the dead body unknown body that they can think you might be their sons the scale of that language was extraordinary was I think it was conscripted army conscripted military so as with other says in her letter that they weren't able to say on the 1st of December 1918 a mother.

many route to the Imperial War Graves Commission from Mrs Ruth Jervis kirkstone, Staffordshire 21st of December 1918

sirs, I was shocked beyond words and greed more than I can say as I read the decision of the Imperial War Graves Commission in the daily papers for the 29th of November we the exclamation of the Remains about a brave boys and the refusal to allow those remains to be brought home to their native countries that sense of loss and that also moment when a war ends about that, this is it this is the Future the future is without my husband my wife my brother and the sense that in every single sense.

They would not be coming back well.

We've received it.

That said a lot of emails about your series here to Jean millman.

The reading of the amount of the journey of the Coffin of the Unknown soldier from Victoria station to Westminster Abbey by David Haig

Brought tears to my eyes it was so sensitively read I hope many others can hear it again Susan Roberts such an amazing evocative series 5 programmes so much.

I didn't know about the events leading up to what is now an accepted part of our national Remembrance the social history and the emotional impact of the presentation had me spotted in time to stand with the crowds dare.

I say they should become part of national curriculum, but probably for adults to so can and did you have a similar sense of Discovery you about the subject but has your delts and dive into the documents and son are you surprised what you didn't know yes, I don't think I knew most of it to be absolutely honest so it was a Discovery research went on the long time how difficult with some research though, because you didn't list of this undercover.

You couldn't drop round all the libraries museums and so on and personally asked for dog.

Search susa how are you able to do the research? Yes, it was was the brother moment when it's got commissioned in May that awful cold feeling a realising.

How was I going to do it because so I just had to rely on academic papers that were online on the National Archives generosity on quite a lot of second-hand books there must be around the country rather surprised that the military memoirs of somebody long-forgotten was suddenly sold, but I would also say that I had some tremendous help from people who are working in these archives including at the Westminster Abbey particularly from the Imperial War Museum and I'm enormously grateful.

Well it costed won the dangers in dealing with fraud with emotion is the program may be thought to in an edge over into sentimentality and now was a concern from this list know who sent us an email halfway through the series.

Paw Patrol the episode concerning the repatriation of the Unknown warrior and the ceremony at the Cenotaph was presented in an unnecessarily sentimental and a rather soft-focus account and for me David haig's fast delivery didn't help I don't wish and anyway to underestimate the importance of the remembrance ceremony.

We should never forget the reality is the incompetence of those generals who were featured around the Cenotaph quite probably caused the unnecessary death of the Unknown warrior and to me the Descendants of the Footsoldier deserve an enduring and a heartfelt apology and not as very often happens is kind of misty-eyed account will cost of a 5 episodes and in the last one deal with real sense of disillusionment among people but that were slightly sentimental I mean it's a real danger here is yes, I can.

Understand where that I listened it is coming from and the language in the Times is so rich and so vivid there's more of it was cut it was cut Welbeck but I think the into the series was to try and transport people back to that time for a lot of people the only understanding the only till almost visual experience of of the occasion would be true paper reports and that is how they were receiving it, but why the episode paying the Debt did focus on the different happiness and anger and disillusionment in society 1920 in the immediate post-war period yes, but it also reflected.

What was happening after was that you've got this small backlash, but even the daily Herald newspaper even they actually what about the Living how we looking after the ex-soldiers.

In the end to a small apology I have see you sort of make a serious and hope that everybody will listen to all of them but because they don't but there were elements suddenly and episode 2 whether there's not only some debate about who should actually attend the Abbey ceremony but also who would be allowed to March behind the quarters and there was quite a lot of anger suddenly coming from ex-soldiers or a reactor point and there are one or two comments in the second episode about how they was real fear that they might be rides on the street that they were I think they use the word but I think we can understand that there was quite a lot of meanings of packed into that word.

I don't to produce it Caroline Rafael who by the way when she was radio 44 comedy introduces to John Finnemore tour film series featuring the radio Times list of the top 10 radio comedies of all time she was commissioned Mark steels in town another.

Comedy and what was number one.

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and that's it for this week until next week.

Keep safe and help keep other people safe to goodbye.