Podcast
Living Planet
Hosted by DW · EN
Looking to reconnect with nature? Want to make better decisions for the health of the planet? Every Friday, Living Planet brings you the stories, facts and debates on the key environmental issues of our time.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Can we bury climate pollution?
6d ago00:29:33Tap to summarizeWhat happens after carbon is captured? In this special collaboration with How We Survive, Living Planet follows CO₂ from a cement factory to its final resting place more than a mile beneath the seabed. We investigate the promise, pitfalls and politics of a technology that could help tackle climate change - or prolong the fossil fuel era.
Transcribe →Is carbon removal a fantasy?
2w ago00:29:23Tap to summarizeEvery time you drive a car, heat your home or board a plane, carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. A growing industry says it can pull that CO₂ back out again. Living Planet reporter Sam Baker visited two companies behind direct air capture to see whether this much-hyped technology is on the verge of a breakthrough - or headed for a reality check.
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How this super pollutant became as ‘lucrative as cocaine’
3w ago00:26:10Tap to summarizeAt some point today, you’ve probably used an appliance that relies on HFCs, also known as refrigerants. They're many times more potent than CO2, which is why the EU, US and others are phasing them out. Planet A reporter Tim Schauenberg went undercover to explore the black-market boom in these gases now worth hundreds of millions of euros in Europe alone.
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Europe’s chemical recycling gamble
4w ago00:28:40Tap to summarizeA new generation of chemical recycling plants promises to turn hard-to-recycle plastics back into new packaging and keep waste out of landfills and incinerators. But as Europe pours millions into the technology, critics are questioning whether it can really deliver on those promises. This investigation examines the gap between the industry’s recycling claims and the reality on the ground.
Transcribe →The Feldheim experiment: The village that took back its power
May 2200:27:40Tap to summarizeWind turbines, pig manure, people power – and one radical idea. Feldheim may look like an ordinary farming village, but it’s become world famous for its unique energy system, where residents pay far less for power than most Europeans. So what can the rest of the world learn from the German village that decided to go it alone?
Transcribe →Rats, revisited
May 1500:30:39Tap to summarizeWe thought we were done talking about rats. Then your questions came in. From plague myths to poisoned predators, population growth and climate change to urban allotment gardens in Helsinki, this bonus episode follows the threads we couldn't fit in the first time around, and digs deeper into the surprisingly emotional world of humans versus rats.
Transcribe →Prescription for a superbug crisis
May 800:28:58Tap to summarizeAfter a life-changing accident, Vanessa spent years fighting a dangerous infection that kept coming back. Eventually, doctors discovered why: the bacteria fueling it were resistant to antibiotics. Her story leads us far beyond the hospital, into waterways, soils, and a hidden world where the medicines meant to save us may be helping create the next superbugs.
Transcribe →The dirty truth about laundry (Rebroadcast)
May 100:30:20Tap to summarizeLaundry seems harmless - but it’s not. Chemicals, microplastics, and energy use add up fast. Are we overwashing just to feel "clean”? Discover how to clean your clothes smarter - and greener.
Transcribe →War-proofing Ukraine's power grid with solar
Apr 2400:31:57Tap to summarizeWhen Russia targets Ukraine's energy system, it's not just turning off the lights, it's creating conditions for nuclear disaster. Each attack forces a rethink: more solar, more batteries, more distributed, harder-to-hit systems. For Ukrainians, this isn't about climate protection, it comes down to survival. What can the rest of the world learn from this?
Transcribe →Something is wrong in the Arctic – Narwhals can tell
Apr 1700:29:41Tap to summarizeAlex Ootowak grew up watching narwhals, the "unicorns of the sea", frolic in Canada’s Arctic waters. Then a nearby mine changed everything. In this episode, hear how underwater recordings reveal a decline in narwhals — and why scientists couldn't research these enigmatic creatures without the Inuit community.
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