Living Planet

By DW.COM | Deutsche Welle

What's Living Planet about?

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.

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Living Planet episodes:

04.25.2024
Deep dive: The evolution of our plastic dependency
Plastics have only been around for a little over a century. But in that time, they've become a huge part of our lives and a growing burden for the environment. Each year, the world produces over 430 million tons of...
04.18.2024
Deep dive: Mercury’s tantalizing promise of endless gold in South America
Mercury’s a known pollutant in fish, but did you know one of the biggest mercury emitters is actually small-scale gold mining? From sunken ships to shihuahuaco trees, we take a deep dive into the astounding history and science of mercury...
04.11.2024
Deep dive: Illegal bushmeat trade
From customs clashes to biodiversity threats and cultural cravings, the illegal bushmeat trade is affecting health and wildlife conservation across continents. But just how widespread is it and why is it so hard to contain?
04.04.2024
What's better: Cotton or polyester clothing?
Are you torn over your clothing's environmental impact? From resource-intensive production methods to consumer behaviors, explore the complexities shaping our fashion choices and their ecological footprints.
03.28.2024
Naturally connected: An ode to the crow
A familiar bird that is as clever as it is cunning, sadly the crow is often dismissed as merely a ruthless menace or an unwelcome alarm clock. But if you look closer, there's beauty in this scavenger's ways.
03.21.2024
What's better: Contact lenses or glasses?
It seems like glasses would be the obvious eco-friendly choice, but not so fast! The answer is both fascinating and a bit mind boggling. Get ready for some eye-opening facts that could make you rethink your eyewear habits.
03.14.2024
Deep dive: The iron grip of Brazil's mining industry
Brazil's iron ore industry is a vital economic asset but it has devastating environmental consequences. In this episode we delve into the challenges faced by local communities in Minas Gerais as they resist the impacts of mining activities on their...
03.08.2024
What's better: Tea or coffee?
Have you ever wondered about the eco-story behind your daily brew? Join us as we spill the beans on the environmental impact of tea & coffee, from cultivation to consumption.
02.29.2024
What's better: Plastic or paper?
Plastic or paper packaging. The more environmentally friendly option seems obvious, right? But concealed within this deceptively simple choice between two materials is a whole lot of different chemicals, marketing tricks and greenwashing. So, which is better for the environment?
02.22.2024
What's better: E-readers or paper books?
Do you ever find yourself stumped by a seemingly simple choice between two things because you're not sure which would be better for the environment? Like plastic or paper packaging, cotton or polyester pants? We're going to try to find...
02.15.2024
Naturally connected: The comfort of a tree
How often do you stop to really look at the trees in your neighborhood or in your local park? To observe their details and feel their presence? Though you mightn’t have really noticed them – they certainly notice you. They...
02.08.2024
Deep dive: We need to talk about farmers and mental health
Recent studies say mental health is in decline among farmers, and they say climate policy is partially to blame. We spoke with German farmers and experts from different EU countries to find out more. And what they had to say...
02.01.2024
Deep dive: The truly amazing world of fungi
When you hear the word fungus, what comes to mind? Maybe you're thinking about those semi-circular growths on tree trunks in the forest, or some mold on a piece of fruit. Estimates suggest more than 90% of all fungal species...
01.25.2024
If you love salmon, you might want to listen to this...
From farmed salmon with open wounds and lice-infested bodies, to the dangers of mating between wild salmon and its farmed counterpart after thousands of fish escaped from a fish farm - we take you to Iceland's aquafarms. And: why it's...
01.19.2024
Why this 3D-printed house could be a gamechanger
This week, a deep dive into the fascinating story behind a 3D-printed house made entirely of bio-based materials. We spoke with people behind BioHome 3D to find out why Maine was almost a fateful setting for this project, and what...
01.11.2024
Is recycling really the answer to the plastic crisis?
Globally only 9% of all plastic waste is recycled. But why is that rate so low? On this week's episode of Living Planet, we're airing an episode from a special on the plastics age which was produced by the DW...
01.04.2024
Bioplastics: The good, the bad and the ugly
One way to curb the world's plastics problem would be to use bioplastics. But not all bioplastics are created equal.
12.28.2023
Bugs that eat plastic
What if there were a way to curb plastic pollution using enzymes? That's what scientists are exploring. On this episode, we'll take a look at how realistic this solution might be.
12.21.2023
The everyday Americans tackling climate change
Americans across the United States are grappling with unprecedented extreme weather events. And if you travel across the country, you'll meet all manner of people, from winemakers to aviation experts, who are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work...
12.15.2023
What kind of world is possible?
Some major climate records were broken this year that paint a grim picture. But what we hear less about are the climate trends heading in the right direction. Dr Hannah Ritchie wants to help us see them.
12.07.2023
Cooling amphibians & carbon-capturing mollusks
Come on a journey from central America to France, to follow the story of the quirky, feathery-gilled Mexican axolotl with a key role in regulating Mexico City's temperature, to meet climate-conscious clam and oyster fishers in Italy, and to visit...
11.30.2023
Whisky's peat problem, the repair cafe & climate skeptics cashing in on the green economy
Is indulging in a wee dram bad for the climate? We investigate whisky's peat problem from the Isle of Islay in Scotland. Later, we drop into a repair cafe in Manchester doing its bit to reduce the millions tons of...
11.23.2023
Amitav Ghosh on colonialism & the climate crisis
Did climate change start with the industrial revolution, or was it earlier than that? And how can the story of an everyday spice help us better understand the climate crisis gripping the planet today? Renowned Indian author Amitav Ghosh on...
11.17.2023
War & warming
The military isn't exactly known for sharing its secrets. But what about when that information has huge consequences for the world's fight to limit deadly warming? Kept behind closed doors, military emissions and pollution have long avoided proper scrutiny. Climate...
11.09.2023
Holding on: Dutch farmers, California's salmon & Germany's Ahr valley
As The Netherlands continues to battle dangerously high nitrogen levels, its farmers grapple with keeping their businesses afloat and switching to more sustainable methods amid drastic cuts. In California, the salmon have disappeared from an important river, but one radical...
11.02.2023
Is it time to end biofuels?
Making fuel out of food. Sounds like it could be pretty sustainable, right? But then again, does it make sense to be growing crops for fuel that could otherwise be food? We travel to the US, Kenya and Germany to...
10.26.2023
Rethinking conservation
Protecting African wildlife is a big deal - and big business. It's often linked to tourism, which is not always a reliable income stream and can have major impacts on animal habitats. We head to Kenya to meet the black...
10.19.2023
The business of bogs
Peat bogs are enormous carbon sinks. They store twice the amount of carbon dioxide compared to the planet's forests. But ever since people discovered peat was useful for gardening, farming and heating, they've been digging it up, selling it, and...
10.12.2023
Out with the old: European cities & climate change
They're beautiful. They're historic. But they're not really built for this new era of extremes. From Paris to Venice to Rotterdam, how European cities are trying to adapt — and what's standing in their way.
10.05.2023
Tweaks for the environment? From pills for burping cows, eyes on cows' butts & more
Wait, what? From a "cow-burp tax" to painted eyes on cows' rear ends to help stave off predators, surprisingly helpful chickpeas and tweaks to save mangrove forests from being burned up — this episode has it all!
09.29.2023
Introducing: The Big Switch on Europe's energy crisis
Putin's assault on Ukraine triggered an energy crisis that sent Europe's economies into a tailspin and put the European clean energy transition to the test. But how did the European Union, a leader in climate action, become so dependent on...
09.21.2023
Reenvisioning the restroom
It's perfectly natural and something we do every day. Whether you use a squat toilet, a pit latrine or a water closet, humans need to go. But the ways we do so are often not very efficient, useful or good...
09.14.2023
The growing microplastics problem
Microplastics have been found everywhere — from the deepest parts of the ocean to the heights of Mount Everest. A problem that is set to intensify as we produce over 400 million tons of new plastics every year. But just...
09.08.2023
Insuring ourselves against the inevitable
We hear from people in California whose home insurers have left them in the lurch as weather extremes intensify in the state, and talk to an expert on disaster risk and adaptation about what we need to help protect our...
08.31.2023
Giving up fast fashion
Writer and stylist Aja Barber on the imperialism of the fashion industry and how to kick your shopping addiction. And how Kenya's dealing with your unwanted clothing.
08.24.2023
Water woes & how to combat water scarcity
What do you do if there isn't enough fresh drinking water around? According to the World Resources Institute, a quarter of the world's population doesn't have enough water to meet demand. DW explores ways to combat water scarcity.
08.17.2023
Life in the Arctic & Russia's exiled environmentalists
We hear from Russian climate activists and environmental organizations working in exile. And we take you to Svalbard in the Arctic to learn about life on this remote archipelago and hear from the climate scientists studying its unique ecosystem.
08.10.2023
How did we become planet plastic?
Each year, the world produces 430 million tons of plastics – and that figure is set to triple by 2060. How did plastics become such a big part of our lives? And what can we do reduce the harm they...
08.04.2023
Extreme heat & mass tourism
As the northern hemisphere's summer heat intensifies, wildfires burn from Greece to Algeria to California, and climate scientists admit that even some of these extremes were beyond their predictions, we talk drought, heat, fire — and what happens when that...
07.27.2023
Leaving coal, not people, behind
We visit the state of West Virginia in the United States to hear from people grappling with the phase out of coal mining. What's next for this poor state where the coal industry has dominated for more than 100 years?...
07.20.2023
The power of solar
Solar energy is about to get a push in Croatia which has a lot of sunshine, but so far hasn't really done much with that potential. Food waste is a global problem. In many countries of the global south, it's...
07.13.2023
Cooling amphibians & carbon-capturing mollusks
Why the survival of the Mexican axolotl matters for keeping Mexico City's temperature down. The special carbon-capturing capacities of clams. And a new, all-natural woolly lawnmower taking off in France.
07.06.2023
Where your dirty old cars end up & Norway's bid to mine the ocean floor
We hear about how used cars from wealthy countries are getting a new lease on life in Ghana. And we talk to a transport sustainability researcher about why that kind of upcycling isn't as good for the environment as it...
06.29.2023
The world on fire: How to deal with wildfires
As fires are burning in Canada in what's been called an unprecedented wildfire season, with smoke drifting over to the United States and even across the Atlantic Ocean over to European countries, we talk fires and drought on the show....
06.22.2023
Whale speak, nature's opera & tidal marshes (rebroadcast)
How do sperm whales express their cultural differences? And what kind of music would birds and the wind make if you gave them the chance? In today's episode, we listen to some curious soundscapes, as well as hear from the...
06.15.2023
Bill McKibben on power & the climate emergency
Environmental journalist & author Bill McKibben helps us understand the link between power, Russia's war in Ukraine and the climate crisis. We then head to Columbia to hear from people on the ground suffering the consequences of Germany's reignited coal...
06.08.2023
Amitav Ghosh on colonialism & the climate crisis
We talk to renowned Indian author Amitav Ghosh about the origins of the climate crisis, the story of one very important spice, and why he prefers the term "planetary crisis" to the climate crisis.
06.01.2023
Introducing: Drilled on ExxonMobil's oil colonialism in Guyana
This week we're sharing an episode of Drilled, a true-crime climate podcast we love that describes itself as Law & Order meets the climate crisis. This is episode one from their new season that follows the story of a Guyanese...
05.25.2023
Critical minerals & decarbonization: Can we have our cake and eat it, too?
We hear from people in Puchuncaví, Chile, who want to reclaim their region from industrial exploitation. And we talk to author and expert Saleem Ali about how to reduce the harm of mining and refining the minerals critical to harnessing...
05.18.2023
Climate misinformation: How do we tackle it?
Climate journalist Stella Levantesi, climate communication researcher John Cook and Wikimedia strategist Alex Stinson join Sam Baker for an engaging round-table discussion on how factually inaccurate and misleading information about the environment travels around the web - and what to...

What's Living Planet about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Living Planet episodes:

Deep dive: The evolution of our plastic dependency

Deep dive: Mercury’s tantalizing promise of endless gold in South America

Deep dive: Illegal bushmeat trade

What's better: Cotton or polyester clothing?

Naturally connected: An ode to the crow

What's better: Contact lenses or glasses?

Deep dive: The iron grip of Brazil's mining industry

What's better: Tea or coffee?

What's better: Plastic or paper?

What's better: E-readers or paper books?

Naturally connected: The comfort of a tree

Deep dive: We need to talk about farmers and mental health

Deep dive: The truly amazing world of fungi

If you love salmon, you might want to listen to this...

Why this 3D-printed house could be a gamechanger

Is recycling really the answer to the plastic crisis?

Bioplastics: The good, the bad and the ugly

Bugs that eat plastic

The everyday Americans tackling climate change

What kind of world is possible?

Cooling amphibians & carbon-capturing mollusks

Whisky's peat problem, the repair cafe & climate skeptics cashing in on the green economy

Amitav Ghosh on colonialism & the climate crisis

War & warming

Holding on: Dutch farmers, California's salmon & Germany's Ahr valley

Is it time to end biofuels?

Rethinking conservation

The business of bogs

Out with the old: European cities & climate change

Tweaks for the environment? From pills for burping cows, eyes on cows' butts & more

Introducing: The Big Switch on Europe's energy crisis

Reenvisioning the restroom

The growing microplastics problem

Insuring ourselves against the inevitable

Giving up fast fashion

Water woes & how to combat water scarcity

Life in the Arctic & Russia's exiled environmentalists

How did we become planet plastic?

Extreme heat & mass tourism

Leaving coal, not people, behind

The power of solar

Cooling amphibians & carbon-capturing mollusks

Where your dirty old cars end up & Norway's bid to mine the ocean floor

The world on fire: How to deal with wildfires

Whale speak, nature's opera & tidal marshes (rebroadcast)

Bill McKibben on power & the climate emergency

Amitav Ghosh on colonialism & the climate crisis

Introducing: Drilled on ExxonMobil's oil colonialism in Guyana

Critical minerals & decarbonization: Can we have our cake and eat it, too?

Climate misinformation: How do we tackle it?