Challenges and solutions

Challenges and solutions

From Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

April 13, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges and solutions to living sustainably in the face of pressing global issues.

Is radical change possible to solve some of today’s most intractable problems? In Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Tom Sutcliffe is joined by three journalists to discuss the challenges of trying to live differently. John Kampfner has travelled the world to find examples of places and people bravely and imaginatively confronting some of our most pressing problems – from climate change to health, housing and education. His book is called Braver New World: The Countries Daring to Do Things Others Won’t. But Nicolas Niarchos questions how we live sustainably when the hidden costs of the green transition can be so devastating. In The Elements of Power he investigates the global supply of rare earth metals, essential for decarbonisation, and the terrible, bloody human cost for those involved in their extraction. Natasha Walter explores how activism is being reshaped in the era of climate emergency. In Feminism for a World on Fire, she reflects on the movements fighting for justice, and asks what forms of solidarity and resistance are needed when the planet itself is under threat. Together, the panel consider the innovations, compromises and moral dilemmas that come with trying…

People in this episode

Host: Tom Sutcliffe

Guests: John Kampfner, Nicolas Niarchos, Natasha Walter

Topics covered

  • radical change
  • sustainability
  • climate change
  • activism
  • social justice
  • education
  • housing

Keywords

  • radical change
  • sustainability
  • climate change
  • activism
  • social justice
  • education
  • housing
  • rare earth metals
  • green transition

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Braver New World: The Countries Daring to Do Things Others Won’t, The Elements of Power, Feminism for a World on Fire

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