Living Planet - reports | Deutsche Welle

The largest glacial cave system in the contiguous United States is melting at an alarming rate. The complex system has been studied by cavers and glaciologists since the caves were first discovered in 2011 in mountains near Portland, Oregon. But scientists may be running out of time, as the warming climate means the glaciers could be completely gone in a few years.

In Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta, women are the breadwinners in many homes, doing traditional jobs like farming and fishing, while men often head to cities to work. After decades of oil pollution, women especially have suffered the consequences of serious pollution, and the health problems associated with it. But they are now leading the movement to change that.

In parts of the Caribbean, it is not unusual for faucets to run dry — the region is facing drought linked to climate change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that means many people lack the water they need to wash their hands. Aging infrastructure that wastes this precious resource is among the main problems. But locals in Trinidad are seeking solutions.

In much of the world, clean water is taken for granted. But in parts of the Global South, drought and flooding connected to climate change are making water scarce. And that is hitting kids the hardest. DW reporter Jennifer Collins chats about a Global Ideas project that investigated the impacts of water inequality on the health of children in South Africa and India.

Despite its location straddling the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, Chile is facing water scarcity, due in part to climate change-related drought. Water was privatized under the Pinochet dictatorship in the 1970s — limiting access for farming communities and city dwellers alike. In 2020, citizens voted to rewrite the constitution. And water is looming large in the debate.

In Italy, trees are under attack from a tiny, round, reddish-brown invader. The pine tortoise scale latches on to its victim, excretes copious amounts of sugary liquid and waits for black sooty mold to take over. The nonnative pest from the Americas first showed up here in 2014, and it's threatening to decimate Rome's 1 million umbrella pine trees. Angelo van Schaik tells us how they can be saved.

Over the past 40 years, around 1 million square kilometers of the rainforest have been destroyed across South America. Two famous Brazilians want to end deforestation and bring rainforests in their homeland back to life. Sebastiao Salgado, a well-known photographer and forest champion, and musician Gilberto Gil hope to plant 1 million trees a year. Sonya Diehn presents a report by Ivo Marusczyk.

Forests capture and store about one of every four tons of carbon dioxide we spew out, slowing global warming. And though trees are increasingly likely to suffer from warmer temperatures and drought, there's hope: plants need carbon dioxide, and the ever-growing amount could help them. Reporter Dan Grossman, funded by the Pulitzer Center, followed researchers at an active volcano in Costa Rica.

The Latur region of the western state of Maharashtra in India is notorious for water scarcity, and farmers there have faced drought for some time. But over recent years, they have been shifting cultivation methods to conserve water, turning toward nature-oriented farming to restore the land and rivers. And those efforts are making the communities more resilient to climate change impacts.

It's about the most underrated superfood out there: the humble legume. Loaded with nutrition, legumes — or beans — are barely eaten in some parts of the world, although some experts see legumes as the best option for sustainably ensuring food security. Plant scientist Chris Ojiewo in Nairobi spoke to DW about the Tropical Legumes Project, an initiative seeking to put beans on tables across Africa.