The state of the world’s environment is one of the most important stories of the new century. Debates over the impact of climate change reverberate throughout the globe. So do disputes about what actions might be necessary, both to preserve the environment and to develop sources of energy for a growing global community.
The World’s environment coverage, led by environment editor Peter Thomson, examines the health of the planet and explores the impacts of human activity on everything from the earth’s ecosystems to the food we put on our plates.
Environment
A Bicycle-Powered Recycling System for Electronic Waste
Millions of tons of e-waste end up in the developing world each year. Much of it is improperly recycled, if it’s recycled at all. Now, one man wants to use pedal-power to change that.
Protecting Black Rhinos in Namibia
Amidst awful stories of elephants and rhinos slaughtered by poachers in Africa, Namibia stands out for its cutting-edge approach to protecting wildlife. Author Rick Bass talks about how former poachers have been enlisted to protect the animals they once killed.
New Monkey Species Found in Central Africa
The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is the Lomami Forest, an African lowland rainforest in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) where a new species of monkey called Lesula has been discovered. Conservation biologist John Hart with the Lukuru Wildlife Research Project talks about the discovery.
Asia’s Appetite for Coal Brings Hope & Worry to US West
With coal use falling fast in the US but still growing in Asia, western coal producers are pitching a plan to build five big new coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon. Backers promise new jobs in the Northwest, but opponents warn of big new environmental risks and say the plan will only feed the world’s dangerous appetite for coal.
Glow-in-the-Dark Fish: Bright Idea or Environmental Threat?
A Texas company has been selling genetically modified fluorescent zebra fish called ‘GloFish’ for nearly ten years. But now the company is offering a new kind of glow-in-the-dark fish. And it’s got environmentalists concerned. Science journalist Adrianne Appel has written an article about ‘GloFish’ in the Washington Post. She speaks with anchor Lisa Mullins.
In New Race for Ivory, Elephant Poachers Take to the Skies
Jeffrey Gettleman, East Africa Bureau Chief for The New York Times, wrote that the poaching of elephants for the illegal ivory trade has gotten out of control in Central Africa, and has become increasingly militarized.
London One-Man Play Tackles Overpopulation
It was a limited run in a tiny London theater, but the producers consider it a success, a one-man show about overpopulation and global ecological collapse.
Budget Cuts Exacerbate Raging Fires in Spain
A series of forest fires continue to blaze in the mountains outside Madrid forcing thousands to flee their homes and creating a political firestorm. There are some 4,000 fires raging this summer, and firefighters say that budget cuts have made their job next to impossible.
The Terrible World of ‘Artisanal’ Mining
Geoffrey York, Africa correspondent for The Toronto Globe and Mail speaks to Marco Werman about his visit to artisanal mining operations in Democratic Republic of the Congo, where children work in horrendous conditions.
Radio Tags to Help Wood Ant Research
Researchers in Britain want to better understand the habits of the Northern hairy wood ant, one of the country’s more interesting ant species. And they’re going to use tiny radio tags to do it.
Life After the Fukushima Meltdown
As Japan debates whether or not to phase out nuclear power, people in and around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant are settling into the grim realities of life after the multiple meltdowns of March, 2011. Host Marco Werman speaks with journalist Emily Taguchi, who’s just returned from a lengthy reporting trip to the region.
How Plantain Trees Could Become an Energy Source
For the world’s rural poor, electric lighting is often an unaffordable luxury. Scientists in Sri Lanka have devised a possible solution – a way to, in essence, grow an electric battery in the garden.
Arctic Ice Cover Headed for a Record Low
Anchor Marco Werman speaks with The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson about what’s going on up there and what it might mean for the rest of the world.
Kenyan Start-Up Offers Farm in a Backpack
Millions of farmers in East Africa not only want to be better farmers, but also have the money to invest in technologies to help them do that. A Kenyan start-up called “Backpack Farm” wants to tap into that market.
Court Orders Suspension of Work on Huge Brazil Dam
The Belo Monte dam would be the third biggest in the world, flooding 200 square miles of the Amazon, but a Brazilian court says it was approved illegally.
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