Living Planet | Deutsche Welle

It’s all around us and critical for life: air. But besides oxygen, that gas we breathe to live, what’s in our air? On this week’s show, we hear about some surprising things harmful for our health that probably shouldn’t be in our air – like microplastics, and radioactivity. And we learn how one island nation is trying to keep its birds in the air by turning trappers into scientists.

The decisions we make, big and small, have impacts on the environment. We learn about how much our food should really cost, what decluttering a family home can entail, and which habits have a surprisingly heavy ecological footprint. Also: meeting your meat — a family farm in northwestern Germany that has figured out the most humane way to kill animals. Or so they say.

As the world experiences the harsh impacts of climate change firsthand, societies and experts alike are attempting to adapt before it's too late. Kenyan communities pursue strategies to manage severe floods and droughts, while scientists in Spain seek to protect rice cultivation from salty seawater. And Venice tests its new tide gate.

From Zimbabwe to Australia to Italy, we meet the communities living alongside wild animals – and discover just how challenging it can be to coexist.

From oil development in Namibia and the "forgotten" greenhouse gas methane, to the growing trend of climate lawsuits and restoring forests in Kashmir — we explore causes and effects of climate change.

The Mekong River in Southeast Asia flows for 4,350 kilometers from China to Vietnam through Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. China's construction of large hydropower dams to feed the country's growing energy needs is causing problems downriver, including dire impacts on the waters and fertile soil that feed hundreds of millions of people.

From caring for baby monkeys in Kenya, once mighty lions in Sudan to genetically modified mosquitos and whale researchers in the Mediterranean: On this week's show it's all about creatures great and small.

Researchers find protecting the panda has come at the expense of helping other species thrive in the same habitat. Meanwhile, a peculiar native marsupial in Australia faces extinction, threatened by a unique type of contagious cancer. And: an ambitious rewilding project in The Netherlands that's seen a neglected lake transformed into an archipelago teeming with life.

From whether the coronavirus crisis is helping or hurting the iconic wildlife of Kenya, to reintroducing keystone species and rewilding parts of Europe — we hear about some big animals. Plus, a cow-free alternative to steak … from the 3D printer.

As a major oil spill threatens coral reef ecosystems off Mauritius, locals are asking who'll pay for the cleanup. Meanwhile, activists in Australia are fighting a new coal mine they say will cause further damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, we take an in-depth look at how France and Germany compare when it comes to climate policy.