Down to Earth

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we focus on sustainable agriculture. Our guest Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar, environmental activist and author, tells us why it's time to "end human arrogance with nature".

In this first instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the challenges of reaching zero carbon emissions. The world is on a very steep trajectory. Back in 1850 we emitted just 198 metric tonnes of CO2 per year. Fast forward to 2014 and that number has ballooned to 32,000 tonnes.

But wait for it: we need to get to zero emissions by the end of the century to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change. So how will we get there?

We try to answer this question with our guest Thomas Spencer, Climate Programme Director at the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations.

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the issue of deforestation. The number of trees on Earth has halved since the beginning of human civilisation, with an estimated 15 billion being lost each year.

Deforestation is now the second leading contributor of carbon emissions worldwide after the burning of fossil fuels.

Forests are both a cause of and a solution to climate change.

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the challenge of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Today, fossil fuels and nuclear are estimated to make up more than three quarters of our electricity production. Just 23 percent comes from renewable energy.

And when we take a closer look, we can see that most of it comes from hydropower, with wind, biomass and solar just a fraction of our power.

To reign in global warming, we need to turn the overall ratio upside down.

Our guest Pierre Cannet, Climate and energy director for WWF-France, tells us more.

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the role of urban crusaders. Cities produce an estimated three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions. The result is not always pretty.

New Delhi, a city of 8 million cars, is rated the most polluted in the world. Beijing is often dubbed the home of China's "airpocalypse". And even in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is regularly masked by a haze of smog.

We explore how cities can help turn the climate change battle around.

To discuss this issue, we speak to Rajendra Shende, former director of the United Nations Environment Programme and now chairman of Terre Policy Centre and Celia Blauel, Paris deputy mayor in charge of the environment and sustainable development.

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the cost of fighting global warming. The World Bank estimates that global warming could drive 100 million additional people into poverty.

The alternative is to act swifty, but thorny questions remain: who is going to pay and how much?

Our guest Pascal Canfin, senior advisor at World Research Institute and former French development minister, gives us some pointers.

In this instalment of FRANCE 24's special series on the Paris Climate Conference, we look at the frontline victims of climate change. The populations are already forced to endure floods, droughts, cyclones or rising sea levels.

By 2050, the number of people displaced by the environment could reach more than 200 million.

But where will they go? For the moment this new wave of migrants has no form of protection.

For more, we speak to the Maldives' ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Ahmed Shiaan.

Australia depends on coal for three quarters of its electricity and tens of billions of dollars in export earnings. But with new plans to mine the nation's largest untapped coal reserves, there are fresh fears for the environment. With a change in Prime Minister and pressure to reduce emissions at an all-time high, is Australia ready to loosen its grip on this powerful black rock? Our team from Down to Earth investigates.

Rising sea levels, extreme weather and drought: climate change is already causing tens of thousands of people to migrate. But where will these displaced populations go? There is no refugee status for victims of climate change. "There is a void in terms of their protection", says Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It is estimated that by 2050, 200 million people could be displaced by the environment. When the Geneva Refugee Convention was signed in 1951, there was no mention of climate change. Today, in the eyes of international refugee law, these people simply don’t exist.

And yet they do exist.

In this episode of Down to Earth, the team investigates the "climate refugees": who they are, where they come from and the difficulty in finding solutions for a group that has never been formally defined.

As host of this year’s major COP 21 climate conference, all eyes will be on Paris. But is the French capital fit for the job? Double the number of bike lanes, carbon emissions slashed by a quarter, and more green rooftops: Paris has recently committed itself to a raft of ecological initiatives in the areas of transport, energy and a generally healthier living environment.

However, it’s still home to some of the poorest air quality in Europe, thanks largely to the high proportion of diesel cars known for emitting large quantities of fine particles. Adrien Brunetti from the NGO France Nature Environnement tells Down to Earth that "just living in Paris causes a loss of life expectancy of between 8 and 22 months".

When world leaders arrive in Paris to plan how to keep a global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, their backdrop will be a city that has turned to a greener future while acknowledging just how far there still is to go.