Home Planet - 07/12/2010

We are all urged to put our empty cans, wrappers and bottles in the recycling box, but is what is the real cost of this process and is it a sensible use of resources? Electric cars are advertised as costing just pence to run, a fraction of the cost of a tank of petrol. But does this reflect the true cost of running these vehicles? Should we be more concerned about the release of vast quantities of methane as the frozen tundra thaws and is a cement that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it takes to produce too good to be true? And do calculations of global warming take into consideration the recent, unusually cold long clear nights Answering the questions today are Human Geographer Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University; Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia and Professor Philip Stott an environmental scientist from the University of London. Contact: Home Planet BBC Radio 4 PO Box 3096 Brighton BN1 1PL Or email [email protected] Or telephone: 08700 100 400 Presenter: Richard Daniel Producer: Toby Murcott A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.