Down to Earth

What do a colonising plant and a carnivorous worm have in common? Both come from South America and threaten our ecosystems. They are among invasive exotic species that have contributed to nearly half the world's animal and plant extinctions. In southwestern France, locals, scientists and officials are trying to stop the invasion. The Down to Earth team reports.

Roughly 40 percent of the world's population live in coastal areas. What once felt like a privilege — living close to the sea — is becoming increasingly risky. ️Climate change is speeding up coastal erosion. Rising sea levels and storms are threatening coastal towns like Lacanau, in southwestern France, which is considering moving inland by 2100. FRANCE 24's Aurore Cloé Dupuis, Alexandra Renard, John Walsh and Carlotta Poirier report. 

Wildlife trafficking is one of the most profitable criminal activities in the world, after drug trafficking, human trafficking and arms smuggling. At the end of last year, an international operation uncovered 20,000 live, wild animals, including reptiles, felines, turtles and monkeys. Some 365 people were arrested in connection with six different illegal networks. Here in France, French authorities recently found endangered felines in Parisian apartments, far from their natural habitats. Some of them are now being cared for at an animal shelter in Nogent-le-Phaye, south of Paris. 

In northern France, an entire district is now heated thanks to waste that was previously unrecyclable. Every day, Le Havre converts 300 tons of trash into energy, providing enough heat for more than 37,000 households. This green energy system reduces the local carbon footprint and provides cheaper and cleaner heating to residents. We take a closer look.

Jeans are the most popular trousers in the world. Every year, over 2 billion pairs are made. But most travel one and a half times around the planet before reaching your wardrobe. With toxic dyes, chemical pollution and massive water waste, denim’s carbon footprint is anything but small. But change is happening. From cutting-edge tech to natural dyes, ancient weaving to local production, innovators are rethinking jeans for a more sustainable future. The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

Tired of carrying your electric bike's battery with you everywhere you go? The good news is that you can now buy electric bikes without batteries. This French invention is already seducing cyclists across the country.   

For the first time ever, fishermen in the Bay of Biscay are testing new high tech fishing gear that "speak dolphin language" to warn them of danger. The aim : reduce bycatch, after tens of thousands of dolphins drowned in fishing nets in recent years. Could ultrasound beacons save marine life and support the fishing industry ? FRANCE 24’s Aurore Cloé Dupuis and Alexandra Renard explain.

Celebrated as a superfood, avocados are so popular in Europe and North America that global production has tripled in two decades. But their farming and transport worldwide raise environmental concerns. As Europe's top consumer, France is now growing its own, a surprising move given that avocados are a subtropical fruit. The Down to Earth team reports.

Since Brexit, the UK is no longer subject to European water quality standards. In England and Wales, floods of untreated wastewater have been discharged into rivers and seas, harming the health of residents and destroying ecosystems. FRANCE 24's Down to Earth team reports.

Imagine a world where we could make paper, cardboard and packaging without cutting down a single tree. Today, that dream is becoming reality. The start-up Releaf Paper turns fallen leaves into value. It was founded by a Ukrainian scientist, who moved to France before Russia's full-scale invasion to set up a pilot factory in the suburbs of Paris. Production only started a few months ago, with promises of greener goods and a circular economy. FRANCE 24's Aurore Cloé Dupuis, Alexandra Renard and Jonathan Walsh report.