An expensive global climate experiment
25:56 | Peatlands are very often the setting for chilling folklore. But they serve an important function – for the climate and biodiversity.
The climate crisis: Can smart ideas save the planet?
28:25 | Can high-tech solutions help protect the climate? What would be the side effects of further human intervention in nature?
Climate change – Averting catastrophe
1:25:56 | The film team visits climate rescuers in Sudan, Indonesia and Europe. 65,000 acacias are growing in Darfur: a blessing for the bitterly poor region, as well as a carbon dioxide reservoir that can help limit global warming.
Wildfires – How can forests be saved in the climate crisis?
28:25 | Woodlands are crucial for life. But today more than ever, they’re threatened by devastating blazes. Heat and drought are fueling the flames. In Europe it’s no longer only the southern countries that are worst affected – the north is, too.
Floating cities as an innovative response to climate change
28:25 | Sea levels are rising due to climate change. Many coastal cities are at growing risk of flooding. Architects are trying to react to this development with new ideas, such as floating cities.
Climate change in the Netherlands – Pioneering coastal management
28:25 | In the Netherlands, climate change is far more than an abstract future danger.
The world of meat substitutes
32:20 | Many people can’t imagine giving up meat without some kind of replacement. So it’s no wonder the market for meat alternatives is growing rapidly.
Copper and the dark side of the energy transition
42:25 | The transition to green energy is crucial for the future health of the planet. But it requires vast amounts of copper.
The melting ice of the Arctic (2/2)
42:25 | Soon the Arctic will be ice-free in summer. While many are concerned about the consequences for the global climate, countries like Russia and the US, as well as China and Canada see an ice-free Arctic as an opportunity.
The melting ice of the Arctic (1/2)
42:25 | Soon the Arctic will be ice-free in summer. While many are concerned about the consequences for the global climate, countries like Russia and the US, as well as China and Canada see an ice-free Arctic as an opportunity.
Coffee: The future of coffee growing and production
25:55 | By changing the coffee growing methods, the small coffee farmers could actually help fight climate change, while increasing their income.
Climate change or politics? – Why Madagascar is going hungry
12:25 | There’s been no proper rainfall in southern Madagascar for seven years. The ground is arid, people are suffering from hunger and thirst. The UN says this is the first hunger crisis directly caused by climate change. But is that really the case?
What does climate neutral mean?
27:30 | More and more companies claim to be climate neutral. It’s a term that is used to sell goods and services. Even countries say that they are seeking to attain climate neutrality. But who actually determines what ‘climate neutral’ means? And who regulates it?
Meltdown in the Himalayas – The politics of climate change
25:55 | The word Himalaya means House of Snow, and is the second largest icecap outside the polar regions. But it is melting at the fastest rate in human history. Pakistan takes a bold bid to mitigate worsening climate change.
Marine climate change – Can our sealife survive?
28:26 | Wildfires, drought, melting glaciers – the impact of climate change is clear to see. But what about the impact on our oceans?
Biofuel instead of coal and oil – How promising are these renewable resources?
42:25 | The biobased economy promises to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems, including climate change. But even these renewable resources require a production process, and that harbors new potential dangers.
Young and old tackle climate change
12:25 | What links 80-year-old Sue Parfitt and 20-year-old Carla Rochel? Both are committed to taking action on climate change.
A threat to human rights – The legal battle to stop climate change
28:05 | Climate change is a threat to human rights. Court rulings are now making governments and businesses sit up and listen.
New forests for greater climate protection?
25:56 | Planting trees will save the climate. At least, that’s the claim of many environmental organizations. Massive reforestation efforts are taking place worldwide. But just how effective are these campaigns?
Algae – The super plant of the future
42:26 | Algae are perhaps the most adaptable and productive organisms on Earth. They’re an important food source, and their ability to provide oil could make them a replacement for fossil fuels.
Man against machine – Coal, climate and the future
12:26 | Eckardt Heukamp is refusing to budge: He’s the last remaining resident of Lützerath in North-Rhine Westphalia, situated on the edge of a huge open-cast lignite mine.
Girls for Future and their fight against the global climate crisis
1:28:10 | ‘Girls for Future’ follows four girls as they fight for a better future. Aged between 11 and 14 years, they are all directly affected by environmental destruction – from air pollution to water shortage – and its consequences.
Is green hydrogen the answer to the climate crisis?
28:25 | Green hydrogen produces zero emissions and many believe it holds the key to limiting global warming. So is it the big hope for the future or a multi-billion euro mistake?
The sound of dying ice
42:26 | Ice is melting around the world, with drastic consequences for humanity. One way scientists can work out just how fast it’s melting is by listening. The disappearing ice has its own sound.
Extreme weather, rising sea levels, devastating floods – The global climate crisis
28:25 | Extreme weather is occurring more frequently worldwide. Rising sea levels and heavy rain are causing devastating floods. Most researchers agree that these are the consequences of climate change.
Business fights climate change
12:26 | Everyone produces CO2 emissions each day. Businessman Dirk Gratzel has calculated his carbon footprint to date. He aims to erase it fully by the end of his lifetime.
Europe: The world’s first carbon-neutral continent?
42:24 | The new president of the European Council, Charles Michel, wants the twenty-seven member states to commit to making Europe the planet’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. But Poland, 80% dependent on coal, is blocking the measure.
Will roots save the world?
42:26 | Humanity faces major challenges. Could roots hold the answers? Research shows that roots have the potential to provide food for the world’s population, stop climate change and help extract resources in an environmentally friendly way.
Can nature itself save us from the effects of climate change?
28:26 | Extreme weather is on the rise worldwide: heavy and severe rains, flash floods and landslides have also occurred in Germany. One study warns that seven times as many people will be threatened by flooding in the next 25 years.
Lithium – new gold rush in the Andes
28:26 | High in the Andes mountains, mining companies are gearing up for the massive extraction of lithium – the raw material of the future.
Climate change in Romania
25:54 | Sand is overrunning Oltenia, a historical region in southern Romania. It’s getting hotter and drier, with sandstorms now reaching all the way to Bucharest. As they try to prevent the worst, environmentalists are turning to reforestation.
Can green investment change the world?
25:54 | A new generation of investors wants to force businesses to become environmentally-friendly. Even climate conservationists know that money talks, but can green investments really save the world?
Norway and CO2 emissions
25:56 | Oil nation Norway plans to help fight climate change by capturing and storing Europe’s carbon emissions. But this is not without risks.
Fine-tuning the climate
42:25 | Engineers and scientists are trying to intervene in the Earth’s geochemical cycles. Because it appears efforts to cut CO2 won’t suffice to avoid irreversible climate change. But does geoengineering offer a real solution? Or is it just human hubris?
Germany’s struggle with wind power
28:25 | Germany needs wind power if it is going to meet its climate goals, and successfully transition from nuclear and coal power to renewable energy. But the construction of wind turbines has been stalling.
Climate change – living on the water
42:26 | Sea levels are rising faster and faster, threatening 700 million people who live on the world’s coasts. Will water become the habitat of the future?
Climate change in the desert
28:16 | Climate change is leaving its mark on Morocco’s oases, too. Sandstorms are becoming more and more frequent, groundwater levels are sinking and palm trees are shrivelling up and dying. An age-old way of life is in danger.
Rising threat from the seas
42:25 | How high will the oceans rise due to climate change? The projections are the subject of dispute, with scientists continually correcting their estimates upward.
Ways to cool the world
42:26 | Scientists are testing new technologies they hope could counteract the effects of climate change. But how could that work on a global scale? And – if it is possible at all – what are the dangers?
Radical climate change movement or rational protest?
28:25 | Extinction Rebellion was founded two years ago, and has achieved remarkable success since then.
Drought and floods — the climate exodus
53:31 | More people around the world are fleeing from climate change than from war. If human-induced climate change continues at the current rate, the World Bank warns that by 2050 there could be as many as 180 million climate refugees.
Climate change in the Antarctic
28:25 | Few places on Earth are as remote as the German research facility Neumayer Station III. The scientists who work at this outpost in Antarctica are studying the effects of climate change — under extreme conditions.
Climate change? Without me!
28:25 | Dedicated climate activists are seeking to hold a mirror up to society through protests and blockades, resorting to drastic measures at times.
Greta Thunberg and “Fridays for Future” – a growing student movement
28:26 | The worldwide “Fridays for Future” movement is piling the pressure on politicians. In Europe in particular, the influence of the campaign launched by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg is growing.
Melting ice – the future of the Arctic
42:25 | Climate change in the Arctic is fueling not only fear, but also hope. Sea levels will rise and flood many regions. But the melting ice will also expose new land with reserves of oil, gas and minerals.
From rainforest to charcoal
42:25 | Huge areas of tropical rainforest are being destroyed to make charcoal for barbecues. The global deforestation is leading to growing problems. Nigeria and the DRC Congo – two of Europe’s main charcoal suppliers – are also affected.
Climate change: Europe’s melting glaciers
42:26 | Every year, climate change is destroying two of the currently 70 square kilometers of glaciers left in the Alps.
Fleeing climate change – the real environmental disaster
42:26 | How many millions of people will be forced to leave their homes by 2050?