Living Planet - Reports | Deutsche Welle

Now a prominent activist, Vanessa Nakate began protesting against climate inaction outside Uganda's parliament in 2019. While fellow European activists were emptying schools each Friday, she had to take a different approach to educating young people in Uganda. She tells DW why she's recently been tweeting in German.

While some communities brace for the future affects of climate change, the archipelago known as the Turtle Islands off Sierra Leone's coast is dealing with rising sea levels and disappearing land right now. People have had to relocate, which is not cheap for locals who earn just 10 cents a day.

Enjoying nature isn’t always safe for everyone. In a racist incident earlier this summer, a white woman called the cops on a black man while he was out birding in New York City’s Central Park. In response, a group of black wildlife enthusiasts and professionals created #BlackBirdersWeek. DW recently spoke with Danielle Belleny, a wildlife biologist and co-founder of the social media movement.

Allotment gardens are a common sight in German cities. Often situated next to railway tracks or on the outskirts of town, these little plots of land allow people without a yard access to private green spaces to do some gardening. One community garden in the German city of Wuppertal — where 40% of inhabitants are immigrants — is making theirs a more multicultural space.

To help refugees and Germans meet each other in the German town of Koblenz, Manfred Beuth and Mohammed Ali created a hiking group called Wandern mit Freunden (Hiking with Friends). The group meets once a month and despite language barriers, they have found a way to enjoy the great outdoors together and become friends along the way.

Established in 1946, Nairobi National Park covers 117 square kilometers adjacent to the city. It’s home to iconic African wildlife like lions, cheetahs and rhinos. In recent years, conservationists and the local Maasai community have fought to protect the park from land-grabbing and developers.

Tunisia's Kairouan region is the hottest in the country. The landscape is arid, and rain is getting ever scarcer due to climate change. Farmers there worry they may soon be unable to irrigate their crops. But recent efforts to improve water management could help.

Dam projects often have huge impacts on river ecosystems — they block sediments from traveling downstream, harm fish and worsen water quality. Emilio Moran, a geography professor in the US, speaks to DW about how big dams affect biodiversity and local communities, and whether there are any better alternatives.

Ethiopia began building a massive dam, known as GERD, on the Blue Nile in 2011 to generate hydroelectric power and tackle its energy shortage. As the project nears completion, downstream countries Egypt and Sudan fear the dam will threaten their water supply — and that's causing rising tensions in the region.

Trees can help cities to cope with rising temperatures, save on energy costs and reduce pollution. But they provide other benefits to urban populations as well. Join DW for a walk-and-talk around Bonn, Germany.

As demand for local food grows, the French capital is set to devote 30 hectares of urban space to farming this year. The city is now home to Europe's largest urban farm, which aims to be a model for sustainable food production.

When it's high in the atmosphere, ozone can protect us from the sun. But ground-level ozone, commonly referred to as smog, is harmful. This pollutant also affects agriculture — how big of a problem is it?

Growing populations in cities means more cars on the road — and more pollution. Electric vehicles could be one solution to keep the air cleaner and citizens healthier. We ride through Nairobi on a solar bike to find out more.

For people who protect the environment, COVID-19 has added a new layer. Female voices from developing countries around the world, collected by the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, share accounts of hurdles women face in working to protect their communities.

The North Atlantic right whale has just officially become “critically endangered.” Venturing along the eastern seaboard of Canada and the US, it faces risks from climate change to ship strikes. A wayward visitor to Montreal recently sharpened focus on the whales’ plight — and what is being done to save them.

In another deadly year for environmentalists around the world, 212 environmental activists were murdered in 2019 according to a new Global Witness report. It highlights how killings target indigenous environmental defenders disproportionately and that the Philippines and Colombia are hotspots. In an interview, Rachel Cox of Global Witness reveals which industries are behind the murders.

In South Africa, an anti-poaching group is taking extreme measures to save rhinoceros — they’re cutting off the animals’ horns. Conservationists tranquilize rhinos from helicopters and then finish the job with power tools on the ground. But does this tactic work?

How do our consumer choices impact the land? DW recently spoke with Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, about what happens to the land as a result of our demand for clothes, food and other products. He explains what needs to change — and what we can do.

Organic cotton seems to be everywhere this summer — in high street shops, on street-side billboards, and online. Popular fashion brands seems to be promoting their "eco-friendly" collections at low prices. But how green can a $20 cotton dress really be?

Wool is not as lucrative as it once was, due to global competition. To address the issue, one tailor in Germany is looking to make clothes out of local wool and bring back its value.