In Kenya, conservationists and private landowners have come into conflict with semi-nomadic herders, who bring their cattle onto the private preserves. But Sveva Gallman is trying to build bridges with the community of herders and save her family's Laikipia Nature Conservancy through an unlikely activity – acrobatics.

What should the rules of war be when it comes to the environment? Do we need a Fifth Geneva Convention to protect biodiversity and natural resources? Professor Sarah Durant thinks so. Durant's research on megafauna in the Sahara-Sahel has shown how conflicts lead to species decline.

Desertification resulting from climate change in North East Nigeria has considerably shrunk bodies of water in the region. One of them — Lake Chad — is a central fishing area. To further complicate matters, fishing is nearly impossible in what is left of the lake because of Boko Haram's decade long insurgency. As fishermen try to settle in new areas, tensions have arisen.

If you celebrate Christmas, you know taking down the Christmas tree is one of the less pleasant traditions of the season. And what do you do with the tree to get rid of it? Do you put it on the curb for garbage pick-up? Use it for firewood? Well, New York City has found a creative and sustainable way to dispose of the trees its millions of residents discard each year.

Wildfires in Australia have left a trail of destruction behind them. At least 27 people have died, more than 2,000 homes have been lost, and smoke has traveled as far as Brazil and Argentina. 10.3 million hectares (25 million acres) have burned since the start of the fire season. That's more than six times the size of the fires in the Amazon last summer and the 2018 California wildfires, combined.

In East Africa, terrestrial and mangrove forests used to run along the coast from Somalia to Mozambique, but climate change and human interference have decimated the Somali and Mozambican sections over the years. But in between, in Kenya, the forest is flourishing. There, locals are helping to support their communities by planting mangroves, which absorb carbon dioxide.

The cedar is Lebanon's national symbol — a source of identity and pride. It's featured on the country's banknotes, its passports, and its flag. So what better image to draw Lebanese citizens into a discussion about climate change than the fate of their beloved cedar tree?

It's been four years since the Paris accord was signed and many nations are falling behind on their emissions targets necessary to keep temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius before the end of the century. DW's Irene Banos Ruiz outlines what the top takeaways have been from this year's United Nations climate conference.

Africa is home to three of the world's megacities — cities with populations of over 10 million — and the continent's urban population is set to double by 2050 from its current 1.2 billion inhabitants. Such growth not only means a strain on resources, but also concerns over how development will take place, and whether or not it will further contribute to climate change.

To explain how China's shift in environmental policy came to be, as well as some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a cleaner, greener China, DW recently spoke with environmental journalist and author, Beth Gardiner. She explains how social media helped lead to greater public awareness about unhealthy air.