.png)
The average living space in western countries has increased dramatically over the past decades. In Germany, urban sprawl and construction projects are eating away at nature at a rate of 50 soccer pitches per day. At the same time, people here are struggling to find affordable accommodation. How can we break this trend and are tiny houses really the answer?
Climate change is expected to make heat waves longer and more severe, with catastrophic consequences for our health and economies. The International Energy Agency predicts that energy demand from air conditioners will triple by 2050. But ironically, the more we use these carbon-intensive machines, the more we contribute to global heating. So how do we break that cycle?
In Germany, nearly 40% of national greenhouse gas emissions are caused by buildings. The housing and construction sector will need to change dramatically if there is to be any hope of achieving climate neutrality by 2045. But where to start? Listen in to find out more about passive houses, sustainable construction materials and the carbon footprint of building a family home from scratch.
Three months after deadly flash floods tore through Germany's Ahr Valley, residents in the village of Dernau are looking to the future. For many, that means rebuilding homes destroyed in the deluge. But how do you build back in a sustainable way? What needs to change to make buildings more flood-resilient? And when does it make sense to move away altogether?
This time On the Green Fence is bringing you an episode from our friends at Outside/In, an American podcast about the natural world and how we use it. In their episode "Scents and Sensibility" the Outside/In team explore the origins, role and transformation of potpourri. Listen in for a unique take on this "old school" air freshener.
Growing up in a working-class neighborhood in western Germany, environmental issues had never really played a role for brothers Adnan and Burak Arslan. But when Adnan was selected to be a part of a citizens' assembly on climate change, his view began to shift — to the surprise of his friends and family.
Climate change and severe droughts have weakened forests around the globe. In Germany, where many forests are planted monocultures, about 80% of trees are considered unhealthy. What's even more alarming is that the forest dieback is also affecting younger trees now. So what happens if we lose our forests? And is there anything we can do to stop it?
Germany's demographic setup favors the older generation in this year's crunch election. More than half the eligible voters are above the age of 50 and only 15% are below the age of 30. What does this mean for intergenerational dialogue and future environmental policy? Are older people in Germany really less interested in the environment than the Friday For Futures generation?
This week, On the Green Fence brings you another environment podcast we think you'll enjoy: Fireline. Wildfires across the United States are getting bigger, hotter and more devastating. But what does all this fire really mean — for the West, for firefighters and for everyday folks? And what's it really like to fight fire on the ground?
Germany's car industry is among the most competitive in the world. But Aachen-based engineering professor Günther Schuh believes he can carve out a space for his electric car startup: e.Go Mobile. He says his small e-vehicles are among the most sustainable models around, and have a role to play in the transition to zero-emission mobility.
Most urban centers around the world are designed for cars, with significant chunks of space dedicated to roads and parking spaces. But what if our infrastructure was geared towards pedestrians and cyclists instead? Advocates say shifting away from car-centric cities could bring huge benefits to our health and climate.
Lithium is a critical component of e-car batteries. As demand for electric cars soars, this raw material could be heading for severe bottlenecks very soon if lithium production isn't ramped up dramatically. But what does this mean for the environment and just how far can we get with the 86 million tons of lithium resources identified globally?
If Germany wants to meet its target of getting 10 million electric cars on the road by the end of the decade, the country's car industry needs to change gears fast. Faced with ever stricter EU regulation and CO2 limits, Volkswagen Group has announced plans to roll out 70% of the core brand in Europe as e-cars by 2030. But just how sustainable is their new e-car strategy?
There are 1.5 billion cars in the world today. These combustion engine vehicles are major polluters, and governments are hoping to meet their climate targets by replacing them with lower-emission alternatives, such as electric cars. But this transformation is going to be a massive challenge, and it's already proving to be extremely divisive in Germany — one the world's leading car producers.
Humans have long been driven by a desire to explore the planet and visit faraway places. But with tourism's toll on the environment now calling our globetrotting habits into question, some say it's time for change. But just how realistic is this given that people are itching to travel freely again once the Covid-19 pandemic is over?
The accommodation you book as a tourist has a major impact on how eco-friendly your holiday is. A Bavarian hotel owner in one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations promises carbon-neutral stays. But how does this work?
The iconic cove from "The Beach" movie is slowly starting to recover from the onslaught of mass tourism. Thai authorities had sealed it off to the public in 2018 after almost all the coral was destroyed. Now tourism operators and local stakeholders struggling under the pandemic are urging the authorities to reopen the beach. But how can the environmental recovery be secured if this happens?
Flying is one of the most polluting and privileged forms of travel. The aviation industry is facing growing pressure to wean itself off fossil fuels to bring down CO2 emissions. Can it succeed? Or do we need to stop flying altogether?
Cruises are among the most carbon-intensive ways to travel, and the sector is growing fast. Cruise ships are also a testing ground for new technologies and alternative fuels, and could help drive change in the shipping industry as a whole. Neil visits Lucienne Damm from TUI Cruises to find out how the German company is planning to meet its target of going climate neutral by 2050.
Global meat production is predicted to grow 85 percent by 2050. If this happens, it will have a cataclysmic effect on the environment. So how are we going to feed 10 billion people - who desire meat - without using more land and increasing atmospheric emissions? The answer to this question will have to include meat alternatives. But which ones have a chance? And what's standing in the way?
Locally hunted game has the smallest environmental footprint of all meat. The downsides of factory farming don’t apply to animals roaming free in the forest. This is why huntress Alena Steinbach won’t eat meat unless it’s killed in the wild. The former vegetarian with a degree in green business management takes Neil and Gabe deep into Europe’s largest forest for a hunt. What will they discover?
As the proverb goes, man is at the top of the food chain. Does that give us the right to kill animals? Rainer Hagencord, a vegetarian priest located in the Silicon Valley of German meat production, preaches against this. His exegesis of the Bible is plunging devout Christians into existential crisis. Some are leaving the church. Others welcome him as a prophetic voice the region deeply needs.
No transport, no suffering: Farmers Michael and Tina Jansen dignify the lives - and death - of their animals. That's why they've sought out mobile butcher Matthias Kürten. He takes his slaughterhouse on wheels to 300 farms each year. Neil and Gabe head to the Jansen homestead and connect with two calves about to be slaughtered. They're going to learn firsthand where meat comes from.
Germany's meat industry slaughters over 750 million animals per year, with dire consequences for the environment. After Neil and Gabe's requests to visit meat packing plants are blocked, they talk to both a former food inspector as well as an animal rights activist with a nationwide network of whistleblowers to get the inside story. Their message? Germany's meat industry is out of control.
British social psychologist Steve Reicher believes that all social change happens through the collective. Human beings all over the planet endured a serious infringement of their private rights when governments made the decision to lock down amid the COVID-19 crisis. For the most part, there was consensus that this tough decision was correct. But how was that consensus established?
Why can’t we just change? Germany's leading philosopher Peter Sloterdijk believes that question is at the heart of the climate change conundrum. When the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world, the response by governments was immediate. So there is proof that sweeping change on a global scale is possible. Does this provide the precedent for us to avert the looming climate catastrophe?
A world without growth is what Germany’s leading and most radical degrowth proponent Niko Paech sees as the only option after COVID-19. Is the coronavirus crisis helping us realize what really matters in life? Find out in the latest edition of DW's environment podcast "On the Green Fence."
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed how vulnerable our globalized world is. California native Derrick Jensen talks about why he would welcome a return of the stone age. The founder of Deep Green Resistance explains why some radical eco-activists would like to see the collapse of civilization to restore the balance of nature - and what he’s prepared to do to achieve that end.
Indian environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev explains in this podcast why our interconnectedness with wildlife is central, even though the exact origin of the coronavirus remains disputed. It's brought our world to a virtual standstill - and there are dozens of other pathogens waiting in line for their turn in the viral limelight. Is the Holocene striking back?
Germany’s leading transformation researcher Maja Göpel explains in this podcast episode how to change our world for the better of all. The coronavirus crisis has proved to us that radical change is possible in a short period of time. But can we harness this awareness to bring about systemic change in a bid to avert the looming climate catastrophe?
When Neil and Gabe start exploring why Germany's insect population has suffered a 75% decline in recent decades, they meet organic farmers, entymologists and lots of mosquitoes, and discover that even tiny things can make a big difference to the health of the planet.
Germany generates 9 million tons of unnecessary food waste per year, Neil and Gabe visit a supermarket to gauge their role in the overall tally. They also team up with two dumpster diving sisters. But the actual root of the food waste problem runs a lot deeper, as they discover when they talk with a leading food economist.
How would you feel if the water you've been drinking from your tap for years was tainted with a dangerous toxin? Neil and Gabe visit the Bavarian town of Altötting to hear from locals whose blood is filled with PFOA, a persistent chemical that is linked to cancer. How can we minimize the damage we do to our environment given our reliance on industrial chemical production?
Decades after having been wiped off the face of the German landscape, wolves are back. The return of the legendary predator — which enjoys legal protection in Germany — has triggered fierce public debate and stirred emotions up and down the country. Neil and Gabe head to the southern region of the Black Forest to explore the place of wildlife in a world we think we’ve tamed.
Would you give up having kids to help save the planet? In this episode Neil and Gabe talk about kids and the climate crisis, attend a Fridays for Future rally in Cologne and visit a German high school class to find out which sacrificies teenagers are prepared to make for the environment.
