Down to Earth

By FRANCE 24 English

Down to Earth episodes

August 27, 2021 Unsold clothes: Out of fashion
From fast fashion to haute couture, the textiles industry has a dark secret: mountains of unsold clothes, destroyed before they see the light of day.
7 min
July 16, 2021 Electric car batteries: A second life?
It's the biggest revolution in motoring in more than a century. In the decades to come, electric cars will overtake their petrol-powered counterparts. But what should be done with the batteries used to run electric cars? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.
6 min
July 02, 2021 Offshore wind: France's turbine turmoil
Unlike its European neighbours, France has been remarkably reluctant to accept offshore wind technology. In a country where nuclear still reigns supreme, earmarked projects have often stalled, mired in debate and controversy. But with growing pressure to develop renewable energy infrastructure, is France ready to embrace the winds of change? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.
7 min
June 18, 2021 Blue crabs: Alien stowaways in the Mediterranean
A captivating crustacean and a ferocious predator: in this edition we discover a transatlantic invader that's taking no prisoners in its quest for domination. Safe from its natural predators on the Atlantic coast of North America, the blue crab devours everything in its path, dealing a painful blow to an already fragile ecosystem.
7 min
June 04, 2021 Designer genes: Technical tinkering
Faced with global food insecurity and an ever-changing climate, we expect farmers to produce more and to do so using sustainable techniques. While crops naturally evolve over time, we now want them to adapt to our demands at an unprecedented rate. The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.
7 min
May 21, 2021 Fast food, zero waste
The Covid-19 pandemic hit hospitality hard, and with old-school "eating out" off the table, eateries mobilised to bring the restaurant into the home. But an onslaught of disposable packaging often came with it. Could deposit schemes help stem the plastic tide? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.
6 min
May 07, 2021 City bees: Hungry hives
Paris is abuzz with the hungry hives of hard workers: safe from pesticides, bees feast on the floral diversity of the French capital and beekeepers hail the superior honey. But at what cost? With 20 hives per square kilometre, Paris is at capacity.
7 min
April 23, 2021 Rewilding: Nature's recovery
Scientists are calling it the sixth mass extinction and up to a million plant and animal species are threatened. As we colonise the natural world for our own ends – agriculture, urbanisation – we destroy habitats and disturb ecosystems. But what if we reintroduced some of the extinct species and then left nature to heal itself?
7 min
April 09, 2021 Making space for solar
With France pledging to triple or even quadruple its solar energy production by 2028, one of the biggest challenges is finding the necessary space to build the solar farms. Rooftops alone can't solve the problem. The most cost-effective method is installing photovoltaic panels at ground level, but this will require an additional 3,000 to 4,000 hectares per year.
7 min
March 26, 2021 Coastal erosion: A creeping crisis
A quarter of the French coastline is affected by erosion, a quiet scourge that has already displaced its first victims in France. With increasingly violent storms claiming metres at a time, whole towns are on the verge of engulfment. We can perhaps slow its progress, but how can seaside resorts defy the mighty ocean? The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.
7 min