Transporting food is bad for the climate – coolants used to keep fruit, vegetables and meat fresh on the road are worse than CO2 emissions. Now, a South African firm is making the trip from farm to store greener.Project goal: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the cold transport of produce in South Africa Implementation: To …

Have wildfires increased globally over recent years? And if so, is global warming to blame? Research has illuminated this, along with what wildfires do to us and our environment, and which areas are most vulnerable.Are wildfires increasing around the world? Unusually large wildfires ravaged Alaska and Indonesia in 2015. The following year, Canada, California and …

On our beautiful planet are swathes of nature battling for their survival – one of these are the coral reefs near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, where bleaching has wrought devastation.The Marshall Islands are a chain of volcanic atolls and coral islands numbering over 1,100 islands in total. That makes it an important area …

After quinoa, coconut water and kale, the new superfood craze is baobab, packed with vitamin C, calcium and antioxidants. But as the West falls for Africa’s “tree of life,” is it being overexploited?On the African continent, baobab, known as the “tree of life,” has been used in food, drinks and medicine for generations. All parts …

A new law has unleashed a wave of logging across Poland. Critics say the environment minister favors the interests of the logging industry over environmental protection.Early this year, an unassuming white van pulled up in front of the houses of Parliament in Warsaw, and, with a screech of tires, emptied a huge load of sawdust …

On this week’s eco@africa, we see how technology helps avoid human-lion conflict in Kenya, how animal epidemics are being tackled in Malawi, and what it’s like to live in an urban ‘treehouse’. All this and much more!This week’s eco@africa is once again packed with new green ideas and environmental news. We kick off the show …

Do something for the environment and your waistline, DW author Harald Franzen thought. So he traded his Vespa for a bicycle. Here is how it went.I have been commuting to work on a Vespa PX, a classic scooter first built in 1977, for about a year. The technology that propels this marvel of Italian post-war …

With temperatures rising due to climate change, making our cities greener might seem to be an obvious solution. But without knowing what, where and how to plant, we risk unexpected health impacts and reduced resilience.When the summer sun starts baking city sidewalks, people gravitate toward green oases in a quest that hasn’t changed much since …

Until recently, the Peruvian city Cusco stank. But thanks to a more modern sewage system, the Andean metropolis is now not only easier on the climate – it’s also easier on the nose. The system even creates biogas.Project goal: Installation of a modern wastewater system in Cusco, Peru Project size: The modernization saves 5,300 tons …

German researchers say food prices must rise substantially to take account of the environmental cost of industrial agriculture. Although discount supermarkets take the blame, they cater to consumers’ cheap tastes.Low-cost German supermarket chain Aldi recently opened its first bistro in Cologne’s modern Media Park, the home of some 250 companies. Built from repurposed shipping containers, …