Living Planet
As humans' impact on the planet becomes more evident, there is a need for independent reporting. Living Planet looks at new technologies, visits innovative projects and keeps you up-to-date on the state of the earth.
02
FEB
The nature around us: Permafrost science breaks down in the Russian Arctic, building a library of species, biopiracy and brown hyenas
This week on Living Planet, we hear from climate scientists whose work has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine. We visit an ambitious project in the Netherlands, which shows us that living things really are all around us. And we look into the exploitative practice of biopiracy.
26
JAN
How do we shake fossil fuels? Petrochemicals in beauty products, Uganda's pipeline battle and evaluating EVs
Today on Living Planet — a controversial oil pipeline in Uganda stirs up strong reactions. We ask what fossil fuels have to do with our beauty routine. And if you've wondered about the environmental and economic trade-offs of getting an electric vehicle, we've got answers.
19
JAN
Finding the cold on a warming planet — balmy winter sports, chilly supermarkets and ancient ice cores
Today on Living Planet, we're traveling to some cold (and not-so-cold) places. We're asking how Europe’s snow-starved winters are affecting winter sport enthusiasts. We visit a French supermarket that's keeping things especially chilly. And we head to the lab to find out how climate scientists study the world's oldest ice.
12
JAN
Too far or not far enough?
In recent months, climate activists have thrown food at famous paintings and glued themselves to roads. In the German town of Lützerath, protestors are resisting eviction to stop a coal mine. Today on Living Planet, we ask: Are activists going too far, harming their own cause? Or are they not going far enough, in light of climate realities? And are their efforts leading to any meaningful change?
05
JAN
Assault on the Amazon's guardians
This week on Living Planet — as Brazil welcomes its next president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, we reflect on the destruction the Amazon has experienced over the past few years, as a criminal system has moved in. What does this mean for the Indigenous people who've inhabited this famous rainforest for millennia, and are often its greatest defenders?
29
DEC
2022
Another spin around the sun
This week on Living Planet, we look back at a few of our favorite stories and interviews from the year. From conversations about conservation colonialism and fossil fuel despots to investigative stories into illegal activities and hopeful tales of returning wildlife, we covered a lot in 2022.
22
DEC
2022
Maintaining tradition: Growing chestnuts & tasting the weather
This week on Living Planet, we're getting a little festive – venturing to chestnut groves in Italy and to the Swiss Alps for an old-school weather forecast. We also visit the Canary Island of La Palma to hear how locals are living with the long aftermath of an unwelcome volcanic eruption.
15
DEC
2022
A betrayal of resources: Namibia's Fishrot scandal and a First Nation view of the global biodiversity conference
This week on Living Planet, 21-year-old Ta'Kaiya Blaney from the Tla'amin Nation shares her perspective on the current biodiversity summit in Montreal and the shortcomings of such UN conferences. And in Namibia, fall-out from a scandal known as 'Fishrot' — where fishing rights were illegally given to an Icelandic company — is still rocking the country, its government and its fishermen.
08
DEC
2022
Into the wasteland: An investigative waste special
Do you really know what happens to the stuff you throw away? In this episode, we follow the dirty trail of British waste, from the moment households toss their trash into the wheelie bin and diligently sort their recycling, to where it actually ends up — revealing the illegal dumping of millions of tonnes of waste happening in the UK and abroad.
01
DEC
2022
Is it time to end biofuels?
As energy prices go sky-high this winter, any source of affordable energy may seem like a welcome reprieve. But does it make sense to be growing crops for fuel that could otherwise be food? This is the conundrum of biofuels. Today on Living Planet, we travel to the US, Kenya and Germany to explore biofuels – how they came about, their promises and drawbacks, and why it is we're still using them.
24
NOV
2022
Planting the seeds of change
As the dust settles on COP27 climate talks in Egypt, we reflect on what was and what wasn't achieved to help the world avert catastrophic warming. And as we hear from people living in South Africa's coal belt — we’re not just headed for a world made worse by burning fossil fuels, we're living in one. Plus, we meet the seed savers taking matters into their own hands — one tasty bean at a time.
18
NOV
2022
Climate justice: Who’s gonna pay for climate change?
In this special episode, five experts talk about how the world might pay for the harm inflicted on poorer nations by the burning of fossil fuels. Director of the Loss & Damage Youth Coalition Ineza Umuhozo Grace, climate economist Gernot Wagner, the Dominican Republic's Vice Minister of Climate Change, Milagros De Camps and two International Red Cross representatives share their insights.
