Living Planet | Deutsche Welle

Even in five episodes, we couldn’t cover everything. So in this bonus epilogue, Neil and Kathleen sit down with reporters Sam Baker and Charli Shield to unpack some questions we left on the cutting room floor – from the messy consequences of outdated US flood maps to why helping poorer countries leapfrog fossil fuels matters to us all – plus your comments, a few laughs, and final reflections.

It's the trip of a lifetime. A journey to the end of the Earth, where icebergs groan and penguins shuffle. More tourists are flocking to Antarctica than ever before, drawn by a sense of urgency as climate change melts its ice caps. But what happens when we turn the last wild places into destinations? And what can Antarctica teach us about our role as visitors in a changing world?

This week we are sharing an episode from Boiling Point, a podcast by L.A. Times Studios that looks at the climate challenges facing California and the American West, and the solutions to fix them. "Breaking Down Plastics" features an interview with journalist Susanne Rust about why plastics are unavoidable, what that means for our health and what lawsuits can achieve.

How does a person in advertising go from perpetuating consumerism one day to championing environment citizenship the next? In this episode, we explore the story of one ad man whose job was quite literally making him sick and the unexpected connection he made with a climate-anxious teen.

In the past 20 years more than a fifth of our oceans have been growing darker. What is causing this and how worried should we be? In this episode we take you beneath the Baltic Sea to explore how ocean darkening is changing the marine ecosystem, plus the steps we need to take to protect our oceans.

After cancer treatment, Suzanne was persuaded to join an animal-assisted therapy session with horses. She was skeptical at first, but the experience changed her life. This episode explores how equine therapy is helping cancer patients process grief, reconnect with themselves, and find strength in nature. Plus, what researchers are beginning to uncover about animal-assisted therapy.

When Kelly Ramsey joined an elite unit of wildland firefighters called the "hotshots" in Northern California, she thought she knew what she was signing up for. But climate change has flipped a switch, transforming wildfires from a natural occurrence into an unstoppable force. We’ll hear her story and check in with firefighters in Canada and Australia about what it now takes to put out the flames.

What’s a forest really worth? Or a pollinator, or a reef? In this final episode of The Cost of Climate Change, we travel to Tasmania’s underwater forests to uncover the hidden costs of nature loss and what the economy has been ignoring - from vanishing carbon sinks to collapsing food systems. But there’s another side to this story: what we can save by putting nature first.

Extreme heat is no longer a future threat. It's here - and it’s costing us. From hospitals pushed to the brink, to cities built for a cooler planet, the toll is mounting on our bodies, our livelihoods and the systems meant to keep us safe. In Part 4 of our Cost of Climate Change series, we dig into the true price of rising heat, and what it might take to adapt before the next heatwave hits.

What do a German heat pump and a Canadian carbon price have in common? They're both flashpoints in a growing political battle over how to cut emissions and share the costs fairly. In Part 3 of our series The Cost of Climate Change, we follow the money and ask: who needs to cough up – consumers, taxpayers, or polluters?

Sun, wind, water, and Earth’s heat - they’re abundant, carbon-free, and cheaper to harness than ever. But what’s the true price of overhauling our energy system? Is clean power really the cheaper path? In Part 2 of our series The Cost of Climate Change, we head to outback Australia to meet an accidental ally in the race to ditch fossil fuels.

In this episode, we head to Miami - where vibrant nightlife, sunshine, and storm surges collide. As hurricanes intensify and insurers pull out, the cost of living in paradise is becoming impossible to ignore. Who foots the bill for extreme weather, and how do we keep from going broke? One new Florida community might hold some of the answers. This is Part 1 of our series The Cost of Climate Change.

Ever notice how debates about the cost of climate change tend to focus on how green policies are too expensive – and less about the huge bill we’ll all face the longer we fail to act? That’s exactly what our new five-part series will be exploring, starting April 18. Here's a taste of what to expect.

PFAS, or "forever chemicals," are everywhere – in food packaging, water, and more. But what happens when they enter our bloodstream? One woman's fight to find out.

Is our love for nature more than instinct? A look at the fascinating link between nature, mental health, and physical recovery.

Spring is in the air, and so are fresh blooms! With the US marking National Flower Day this week and flower season about to ramp up in the world's flower capital, the Netherlands, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite episodes. Find out how cut flowers are grown, how they reach us, and what it takes to keep them blooming year-round.

Governments are cracking down on climate protests. They say activists have crossed the line into extremism. But history shows resistance only adapts. As repression intensifies, will it crush the movement - or make it stronger?

Last year, the world pumped over 41 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Hard to picture, isn’t it? In this episode, we explore different ways of understanding this basic concept of climate science along with the help of a researcher with a very personal link to the origins of our obsession with carbon dioxide.

Is Ireland really running out of water? Is AI to blame? And where does Irish mythology fit in? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, we answer your questions, share unexpected insights, and, of course, have a bit of craic along the way.

Imagine a city where everything - work, shopping, schools, and parks - is just 15 minutes away. Is this the key to a greener, more convenient future or a threat to personal freedom?