As The Netherlands desperately tries to reduce its nitrogen emissions, Dutch farmers are up in arms about what that will mean for them. Melting glaciers on Mt Kilimanjaro cause drastic changes in Kenya and Tanzania. And the moment the most elusive wild cat in the world was spotted for the first time in a decade in Algeria.

Living Planet | Deutsche Welle

Mt Kilimanjaro melts, Dutch farmers protest and wildcats struggle

From heatwaves and wildfires in North America to catastrophic flooding in Germany and China, the world over, climate scientists' predictions are being horribly realized. We hear from Californians on the frontline of drought, a disaster expert helps us understand climate risk, and a young Ugandan activist's mission to wake her countrypeople up to the climate crisis unfolding in their backyards.

Climate change is here — not on its way

When we think of the things that are most vital to our lives, what comes to mind? Water? Food? Air? This week on Living Planet we have stories exploring our most basic human needs. We venture to unique water systems under threat high in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. And slightly further North, we hear how cookstoves are changing the game in Guatemala.

The water we drink, the air we breathe

On Living Planet, we often talk about all the greenhouse gas emissions people put into the atmosphere. But this week, we’re looking at ways to suck carbon dioxide back out of the air, in what’s known as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). We visit the seas and the trees to see how this is being done, and we hear how carbon capture technology can help slow, or even reverse, climate change.

Taking out CO2

This week, we've got plastics on the brain — especially pervasive, single-use plastics — as a ban of these items comes into force in Europe. But will it make a big difference in grocery stores, and more importantly, in the environment? We also hear from an activist in Malawi who helped bring in that country's plastic ban. And with all these bans, are we really on our way to a plastic-free future?

A means to an end? Plastic bans and plastic pressures

Oil is big business. It's an industry that employs an estimated 6 million people from Russia to Saudi Arabia to the US. But oil is a leading contributor to climate change and can lead to leaks and spills that pollute waterways and ecosystems. As the world gets more serious about shifting away from fossil fuels, the future for oil looks tenuous.

Crude awakenings: Oil on the delta, spills in the Russian Arctic and revolts in the boardroom

We hear of efforts to breathe life back into seabeds off the coast of Scotland, East African farmers cash in on the Global North’s avocado obsession — which has had dire consequences for the environment elsewhere in the world, and a professional frog nerd takes us through the bizarre and bountiful world of frog songs.

Avocado farming in the right place, frog love songs & reviving life underwater in Scotland

We examine how thinking outside the box can lead to changes big and small. 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Chibeze Ezekiel tells us how he led a successful grassroots campaign against Ghana's first coal-fired power plant. We find out how we can make sense of science through art. Female farmers discover the power of ancient seeds on Ibiza. And we delve into Germany's car-conundrum.

Fighting coal in Ghana, Ibiza's ancient seeds, the art of climate science and Germany's car questions

From shocks to industrial agriculture in the face of a dramatically changing climate in the US' Midwest, to a big bank funding rubber plantations in the Congo Basin, and lastly, the growth of the global denim market, we hear about some of the environmental costs of farming, finance and fashion, as well as attempts to reduce the industrial footprint — and whether those can be trusted.

Living Planet: Agribiz, making denim & corporate greenwashing

Today on the show we ask some deep environmental questions: What rights does nature have? Should people be considered separate from the natural world? What IS wilderness? And: wild hungry animals on the search for food in Tel Aviv.

Living Planet: Defining wilderness (rebroadcast)

When communities face challenges they often find their own, homemade fixes. Community-run gardens around the world can be life-changing operations, and the bees that help pollinate them need our help. Meanwhile landscape restoration teams in South Africa are saving the ancient veld and recycling imported clothing has been a creative opportunity for one designer in Kenya.

Living Planet: DIY solutions for the South African veld, community gardens, busy beehives and secondhand clothing

On this week's show, Spain grapples with the environmental impact of the renewable energy boom. Young entrepreneurs in Kenya discover how a tiny critter can make a big impact on food waste. And Mexico takes the lead in kicking the herbicide glyphosate to the curb for the sake of its native bees.

Living Planet: Unexpected ideas

Across the world, people are having to rethink the way they grow food in the face of the impacts of climate change and industrial agriculture. We hear from seed guardians in Ecuador trying to save vital seed varieties from disappearing, and from farmers in East Africa battling deadly invisible toxins in their crops. Plus: An organic farming group's ambitious plan to green the desert in Egypt.

Living Planet : Freedom, farming and food security

We dissect US President Joe Biden's pledge to cut his country's greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Protesters in Serbia sound off on big polluters, while a city in the UK takes the initiative to clean up its dirty air. And we discuss how international travel to picturesque destinations really impacts the environment in the Global South.

Living Planet: Pledges, pollution and protests

In this episode of Living Planet, we hear about some of the different ways ordinary people relate to environmental issues in different parts of the world. Climate activists talk about using TikTok to reach Generation Z. And 35 years after the Chernobyl disaster, we'll hear how people in Russia and China view the future of nuclear energy.

Living Planet: Earth Day, eco activists on TikTok and nuclear energy post-Chernobyl

Every Thursday, a new episode of Living Planet brings you environment stories from around the world, digging deeper into topics that touch our lives every day. The prize-winning, weekly half-hour radio magazine and podcast is produced by Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster - visit dw.com/environment for more.