Down to Earth

As humans continue to ravage Earth, is it time to consider other planets as an alternative home? NASA and a host of private organisations - including Elon Musk's SpaceX - are in the race to send people to the red planet, with the earliest projections earmarked for within the next decade. But if we successfully land on Mars, how long could we live there? Lucie Poulet, a French researcher who spent six months surviving in Mars-like conditions on a remote volcano in Hawaii, says the idea of living on Mars remains pure science fiction for the moment. She believes we would be wiser to use space exploration to make our lives more sustainable on Earth.

It doesn't really matter whether US President Donald Trump pulls his country out of the world's first binding agreement on climate change. All of his actions since taking office show he will not keep the promises pledged in the deal. This week Down to Earth examines the White House's climate policy.  

From special advisors to environmental chiefs, the Trump administration's team is increasingly sceptical of all science that points to a link between man-made emissions and global warming.

 

What's behind their reasoning and how are they working to change the opinion of the American public? We take a closer look.

After being used for decades by modern intensive agriculture, pesticides are now showing their limits. In southern Africa, a kind of pesticide-resistant caterpillar is destroying crops and crippling farmers. Independent researchers say pesticides could be dangerous for our planet and our health by causing cancer, modifying our genes or impacting on fertility. French scientists have found that farmers could reduce their pesticide use by 30% and not see the difference. Others go even further by promoting organic farming, as well as new methods, such as agroecology. But could they feed the planet? We take a closer look in this new episode of Down to Earth.

In the past few decades, ecotourism has become increasingly popular but still represents only a fraction of the tourist industry: just 5%, according to the UN. For many nature enthusiasts, ecotourism is the solution for those who want to limit global warming, protect wildlife and develop positive contact with locals while boosting the local economy. Among the countries that have embraced it are Botswana and Iran. We take a closer look at its positive consequences and potential pitfalls.

One out of nine people in this world still don’t have access to safe drinking water, and a global water crisis is just around the corner. To solve the problem, more and more countries and regions are turning to desalination - converting seawater into drinking water - to secure their water supplies. Desalination is bringing clean water to millions. But despite technological breakthroughs, it remains an energy-consuming process and can be harmful to the environment.

Today, there are close to 19,000 desalination plants in the world and Saudi Arabia has most of them; processing some 12 million cubic meters of water a day.

Costa Rica spent seven months producing only renewable energies in 2016. If the Central American country can do it, why can't we all? In this episode of Down to Earth we look at renewable energy production levels in the world, and the main challenges to replacing fossil fuels. Our guest, French Green Party MEP Yannick Jadot, describes the fundamental shifts in production and consumption that will be necessary to make the jump.

The future is racing towards electric cars. They’re getting greener, faster and more accessible by the day. Yet their impact on the environment is real – even before hitting the road, electric vehicles have a higher energy cost than thermal cars. In this episode of Down to Earth, we do the maths to determine which version is easier on the environment.

The internet seems like a virtual world floating around us. But in fact, it’s right under our feet. Data centres, dependent on huge amounts of electricity, store our information and underwater cables allow it to travel around the world. Our guest Jean-Christophe Saintenoy tells us more and explains what we can do to alleviate the environmental burden of surfing the web.

Imagine a world without trash or landfills. Every year, 1.3 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste are thrown away around the world - and that number is expected to increase by 70% by the year 2025. To tackle the issue, a citizen army is gathering. Their motto: the best waste is no waste at all. The idea is to buy only what you need in order to create a virtuous cycle: less consumption, less plastic and less waste. We take a look at how to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle.

All over the planet, environmental activists put their lives on the line - to save a tree, stop the construction of a dam or an airport. In 2015, 185 environmental activists were killed around the world, 60% more than the year before. Their enemies are countless and include the mining industry, wood smugglers, corporations and even governments. The fight can be deadly. In this new episode of Down to Earth, we take a look at the men and women on the frontlines to save the environment.