Living Planet | Deutsche Welle

We hear of efforts to breathe life back into seabeds off the coast of Scotland, East African farmers cash in on the Global North’s avocado obsession — which has had dire consequences for the environment elsewhere in the world, and a professional frog nerd takes us through the bizarre and bountiful world of frog songs.

We examine how thinking outside the box can lead to changes big and small. 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Chibeze Ezekiel tells us how he led a successful grassroots campaign against Ghana's first coal-fired power plant. We find out how we can make sense of science through art. Female farmers discover the power of ancient seeds on Ibiza. And we delve into Germany's car-conundrum.

From shocks to industrial agriculture in the face of a dramatically changing climate in the US' Midwest, to a big bank funding rubber plantations in the Congo Basin, and lastly, the growth of the global denim market, we hear about some of the environmental costs of farming, finance and fashion, as well as attempts to reduce the industrial footprint — and whether those can be trusted.

Today on the show we ask some deep environmental questions: What rights does nature have? Should people be considered separate from the natural world? What IS wilderness? And: wild hungry animals on the search for food in Tel Aviv.

When communities face challenges they often find their own, homemade fixes. Community-run gardens around the world can be life-changing operations, and the bees that help pollinate them need our help. Meanwhile landscape restoration teams in South Africa are saving the ancient veld and recycling imported clothing has been a creative opportunity for one designer in Kenya.