Chris Wright, US Energy Secretary: The problem with climate alarmism

Justin Rowlatt speaks to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright about his belief that the threat from climate change is exaggerated. It is a view shared by the American President, Donald Trump, and one that has seen subsidies to the renewable energy industry, worth billions of dollars, cut by the US administration. Secretary Wright is highly critical of the transition to sustainable power, describing it as unsuccessful and costly, and instead believes the solution to emissions lies in nuclear fusion. He has drawn the wrath of the international scientific community with his controversial challenge to climate orthodoxy, including his claims that there have been no increases in extreme weather events across the globe. Chris Wright was nominated by President Trump as his Energy Secretary in November 2024 after a career in the energy industry and is an outspoken opponent of global efforts to combat the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. The US President has described climate change “as the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: James Bryant, Miho Tanaka and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Photo: Chris Wright. Credit: Will Oliver/EPA/Shutterstock)

Somalia has a serious security challengePaul Njie speaks to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, about ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in his country. While he says much progress has been made in tackling terror, he acknowledges that the insurgent groups al-Qaeda and, in particular, al-Shabab still pose a serious challenge. However, he refutes the American charge that Somalia is a safe haven for terrorists - a charge that has led to a US travel ban for Somali nationals. He also stands firm in the face of pressure to allow the secession of Somaliland, the self-declared republic in the north of Somalia. The country’s unity, he says, is sacrosanct. Long-running tensions with neighbouring Ethiopia are downplayed, and instead he gives his support to working together in both countries’ interests. President Mohamud first came to power in 2012, at the head of an internationally backed Government that brought a degree of stability to a country riven by civil war for decades. Re-elected for a second time in 2022, he is now attempting to change the country’s constitution to allow direct voting for all citizens rather than through clan elders. He believes this is necessary to continue Somalia’s journey to democracy. Thank you to Paul Njie, Hassan Lali and Gladys Kigo for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Paul Njie Producers: Hassan Lali and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud poses for a photo in his office. Credit: Ed Ram/Getty Images)

‘Peace seems to be a word, a five-letter word, that is losing its value.’Waihiga Mwaura speaks to Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, in a broad-ranging interview about the the UN at 80, and the state of the world today. The UN is currently hosting its annual General Assembly at its headquarters in New York. Leaders, senior politicians and diplomats from all over the world are meeting there to discuss and resolve a variety of the planet’s most pressing issues.This is the General Assembly’s 80th such gathering since the United Nations was formed. This year’s theme is ‘Better together’, and sees a renewed urgency on delivering the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: 17 interconnected global goals, first adopted by all UN member states in 2015, covering areas including ending poverty, improving health and education, and tackling climate change.Before becoming the UN’s 5th Deputy Secretary-General, a role Ms. Mohammed took up in 2017, the Nigerian-British diplomat and politician previously served as Nigeria’s Minister for the Environment.In this interview, she also reflects on the ‘price’ of war and how it diverts vital global attention and resources away from international development, as well as discussing the need for the UN’s Security Council to be more accountable amid growing calls to increase its size to include more member states.The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Waihiga Mwaura Producers: Ben Cooper, Priscilla Ng’ethe and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General Credit: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Ione Wells speaks to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview.He sets out his anger not only at the hefty trade tariffs imposed on his country by President Trump, but also at the lack of communication or negotiation from the US administration. Now, he says, he has no relationship with the American president.President Lula da Silva does not want to celebrate the recent guilty verdict and lengthy sentence handed down to his predecessor Jair Bolsanaro for plotting a coup against him. But while he hopes Mr Bolsanaro continues to defend himself, for now, he says, he is guilty. The President also attacks what he views as the outdated and unrepresentative nature of the United Nations, and claims the conflict in Ukraine would not have happened if the UN was more effective. He describes the war in Gaza as genocide. President Lula da Silva has been in office since 2023, and also led Brazil between 2003 and 2011. He’s been a figurehead of the left in the country for many decades, having risen through the trade union movement into politics.Thank you to Ione Wells and Jessica Cruz for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Ione Wells Producer(s): Ben Cooper, Jessica Cruz and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Credit: Andre Borges/EPA/Shutterstock)

Jamie Coomarasamy speaks to Moazzam Malik, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK, about operating on the ground in Gaza.They’re one of a number of non-governmental organisations, or NGOs, operating in the Gaza strip amid a backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.On 22 August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), declared that half a million people – around a quarter of Gaza’s population – are suffering from famine. The report was labelled an "outright lie" by Israel, which has denied there is starvation in the territory. You’re going to hear about Save the Children’s work on the ground, the conditions their staff are operating under, how they lobby politicians, and the implications of the situation in Gaza on future international cooperation.The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Jamie Coomarasamy Producers: Tom Gillett and Adele Armstrong Editor: Nick HollandGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Photo: Moazzam Malik. Credit: Feisal Omar/Reuters)

Stevie Wonder was born in 1950 in the industrial city of Saginaw, Michigan, USA. Even from a young age, he displayed a great love of music - first with a church choir, and then teaching himself how to play a range of instruments, including the harmonica, piano and drums, all before the age of 10. He was just 11 years old when he was discovered and signed by the legendary Motown record label - and the rest is history.Across a career that’s spanned seven decades, he has sold over 100 million records worldwide, won numerous awards - including multiple Grammys, a Golden Globe and even an Oscar, and received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom too.Over the years, Stevie has also used his platform to campaign on social issues close to his heart. He’s long-advocated for greater rights for disabled people around the world, and he successfully spearheaded a movement to create a national holiday in the US to recognise the birthday of the civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was also a vocal critic of apartheid in South Africa and called for the release of Nelson Mandela.In this wide-ranging interview, Stevie discusses his journey to stardom, where he gets his creative spark, and speaking out against injustice.Thank you to the Sidetracked team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Annie Macmanus Producers: Ben Cooper and Gráinne Morrison Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Stevie Wonder Credit: Savion Washington/Getty Images)

‘I'm very confident that someday soon we're going to have government as good as our people again’Paddy O’Connell speaks to former US Vice President Mike Pence about President Trump’s second term in office. Pence, whose political career began a quarter of a century ago, first rose to international prominence when he was selected by Donald Trump to be his running mate for the 2016 US Presidential election.When the insurgent billionaire shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton, Pence found himself at the centre of an administration beset by multiple controversies from the very beginning, including having to navigate impeachment proceedings against his boss.The pair, however, weren’t always aligned in their worldviews, and the relationship became increasingly frayed behind closed doors. Formal ties were severed when Pence resisted efforts by Trump to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden in 2020.After leaving the post of Vice-President, Pence remained active in politics in the years that followed, eventually running for the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential election. This was, of course, won by his old boss - but Pence refused to endorse him the second time around.Despite the turbulent four years in office, he remains proud of what he and Trump achieved in that time. However, he can now speak more freely about his former boss, who is back in the White House for a second term.His experience at the very top of American politics also gives him unique insight into events both at home and abroad. In this wide-ranging interview, he discusses many pressing issues including vaccine scepticism, global tariffs and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Thank you to the Newsnight team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Paddy O’Connell Producers: Ben Cooper, Samuel Kerr, Pascale Puthod and Liz Rawlings Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Mike Pence. Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images)

John Wilson speaks to British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason about his obsession with music, adjusting to fame and how he’s faced racist abuse.While still a student, he performed to an audience of more than one billion people at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, instantly becoming one of the most recognisable classical performers in the world. Now, still just 26 years old, he explains the unique joy of performing with his family. Kanneh-Mason is one of seven siblings, all are talented musicians and regularly play together.Of Antiguan decent, he was the first black person to win BBC Young Musician of the Year. He’s also used his profile to join calls for dropping ‘Rule, Britannia!’ from the Last Night of the Proms, explaining how difficult it is for someone whose ancestors were enslaved to hear imperial songs sung with such determination. Thank you to the This Cultural Life team for helping to make this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: John Wilson Producers: Alex Loftus, Ben Cooper and Edwina Pittman Editor: Nick HollandGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Photo by Ian West - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Paddy O’Connell speaks to Professor Francis Fukuyama about the threats to liberal democracies around the world. The American political economist and international relations scholar, who is currently a senior fellow at Stanford University, has written widely on issues about development and international politics. He is best-known for his 1992 book ‘The End of History and the Last Man’. He argued that the end of the Cold War, marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, represented the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution, and the universalisation of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.But three decades on, Western liberal democracy appears to be struggling to adapt to the many challenges of the 21st century. Amid geopolitical instability, its future does not appear as universal as Fukuyama once proposed, even in the US. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Paddy O’Connell Producer: Ben Cooper Editor: Nick HollandGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Professor Francis Fukuyama. Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

Rahul Tandon speaks to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s former president and first woman to be elected to lead an African country. Born in 1938 in what she describes as a prosperous and ‘unusual family’, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was guided by a deep commitment to education, which she pursued despite financial hardship and the demands of motherhood. Her outspoken criticism of the Liberian government led to her being persecuted and exiled, as the country descended into two civil wars that killed over 250,000 people. She was elected president of Liberia in 2005, when she set about repairing the country’s shattered economy and social fabric, drawing from her successful careers at the World Bank and United Nations. Her efforts led to her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.Thank you to the Business Daily team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producers: Adriana Urbano & Amber Mehmood Editor: Nick HollandGet in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)