Living Planet

We examine how thinking outside the box can lead to changes big and small. 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Chibeze Ezekiel tells us how he led a successful grassroots campaign against Ghana's first coal-fired power plant. We find out how we can make sense of science through art. Female farmers discover the power of ancient seeds on Ibiza. And we delve into Germany's car-conundrum.

From shocks to industrial agriculture in the face of a dramatically changing climate in the US' Midwest, to a big bank funding rubber plantations in the Congo Basin, and lastly, the growth of the global denim market, we hear about some of the environmental costs of farming, finance and fashion, as well as attempts to reduce the industrial footprint — and whether those can be trusted.

Today on the show we ask some deep environmental questions: What rights does nature have? Should people be considered separate from the natural world? What IS wilderness? And: wild hungry animals on the search for food in Tel Aviv.

When communities face challenges they often find their own, homemade fixes. Community-run gardens around the world can be life-changing operations, and the bees that help pollinate them need our help. Meanwhile landscape restoration teams in South Africa are saving the ancient veld and recycling imported clothing has been a creative opportunity for one designer in Kenya.

On this week's show, Spain grapples with the environmental impact of the renewable energy boom. Young entrepreneurs in Kenya discover how a tiny critter can make a big impact on food waste. And Mexico takes the lead in kicking the herbicide glyphosate to the curb for the sake of its native bees.

Across the world, people are having to rethink the way they grow food in the face of the impacts of climate change and industrial agriculture. We hear from seed guardians in Ecuador trying to save vital seed varieties from disappearing, and from farmers in East Africa battling deadly invisible toxins in their crops. Plus: An organic farming group's ambitious plan to green the desert in Egypt.

We dissect US President Joe Biden's pledge to cut his country's greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Protesters in Serbia sound off on big polluters, while a city in the UK takes the initiative to clean up its dirty air. And we discuss how international travel to picturesque destinations really impacts the environment in the Global South.

In this episode of Living Planet, we hear about some of the different ways ordinary people relate to environmental issues in different parts of the world. Climate activists talk about using TikTok to reach Generation Z. And 35 years after the Chernobyl disaster, we'll hear how people in Russia and China view the future of nuclear energy.

This week on Living Planet, stories of how local movers and shakers deal with global problems. Glaciologists in Oregon tell us what they've learned about the climate from frozen caves, while a community in Lyon, France protests meatless school lunches. We also debate the ethics of traveling by cruise or by plane. And women from the Niger Delta share their fight for justice over oil pollution.

From species extinction to waste, land degradation to climate change and pollution, from Kenya to Australia, India, and France, this two-part special explores some of the most urgent environmental problems facing the planet — and how they might be solved. In part two, we hear about deforestation in Kashmir, puzzling water scarcity in Kenya and attempts to reduce severe air pollution in Delhi.