Today on the show, we're taking a look at our plastic world — from the oceans, to its place in our homes, to its original source. What can we do now about our plastic problems and what do we still need to figure out?

This week on Living Planet, we hear about the people protesting extinction — our own, to be exact. And we examine how climate change is bringing insects and the diseases they carry to new places around the world.

This week, we look at how melting sea ice is threatening the survival of polar bears in the Arctic, and ask what impact shrinking glaciers will have on Switzerland's hydroelectric power supply. We'll also meet UNDP goodwill ambassador Olafur Eliasson, and find out how illegal mining is destroying India's fragile Aravali mountains.

Why do we waste so much food? And what can we do about it? Neil King and Gabe Borrud get to the bottom of these questions on this week's Living Planet. They visit a supermarket to gauge their role as consumers, and team up with two dumpster diving sisters for a nighttime harvesting spree. They also talk to a leading food economist and discover the root of the food waste problem runs a lot deeper.

The much anticipated IPCC report on the oceans and the cryosphere sets out the full extent to which the world’s oceans, glaciers, mountains and polar ecosystems are being disrupted by climate change, with dire consequences for life on our planet.

As young people all over the world take to the streets to demand climate action and the United Nations Secretary General hosts a special climate summit in New York, the UN Environment Programme's Executive Director, Inger Andersen tells us people power is proving pivotal. And we look at new ways of getting the climate message across.

The dilemma of our times — our fast-moving, convenient lifestyles are polluting the planet and heating up the climate. Could a plastic-free supermarket — or a recycling app help solve some of our problems? Author Edward Davey says there is hope and suggests "Ten Ways to Change the World" in his book "Given Half a Chance."

This week on Living Planet, we tackle stories of environmental change. Fires are burning throughout the Amazon, but what does this mean for the world's largest tropical rainforest? We also see how gardeners in Spain are adapting to a changing climate and explore what climate insurance looks like in Uganda.

DW's Neil King, Gabriel Borrud and Vanessa Fischer drop by the studio to talk about the new DW podcast On the Green Fence. They discuss how making this 5-part series that explores issues like climate change, water pollution, biodiversity loss and food sustainability has affected their outlooks on the world. And we hear what chaos ensued when Neil and Gabe shared a tent with a few mosquitoes.

From Scotland to South Africa, the Himalayas to Hawaii, this week we feature stories from around the world about how we deal with all the stuff we create, and discard. We're taking a look at waste's big problems and some of the inventive and pragmatic solutions to deal with it.