David Shukman on Climate Change, Extreme Heat and How We Respond

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Science Intersection, I speak with David Shukman, former BBC science editor and author of The Response, about what climate change means for everyday life and how people, communities and governments can respond.David talks about his years reporting on science, climate and environment, the stories that changed how he understood climate change, and why the conversation needs to move beyond abstract global targets into the lived reality of homes, hospitals, schools, transport, flooding, wildfires and heatwaves.We discuss why the UK is not yet prepared for a hotter and more unstable climate, how extreme weather is already affecting London and other parts of the country, and why simple adaptations from external shading to better preparedness could make a real difference.David also reads a powerful extract from The Response about Tony, an elderly man trapped in his basement flat during a London flood, and reflects on why stories can make climate risk feel more human, urgent and memorable.If you find this episode useful, please share it, follow the podcast, and consider supporting The Science Intersection through the donation link in the show notes.You can find David Shukman’s book, The Response: A Story of Fire and Flood in Britain’s New World of Extremes, through Penguin/Ebury, Waterstones, London Review Bookshop, Hive, or your local bookshop.Support the show