Planet Solutions Podcasts

Sustainable Cork Farming Under Threat in Portugal -- Climate Witness Series: Alaska II -- Talking to Bright Sparks About Energy Saving Lights -- Salmon Returning to Rhine River -- these stories and more in this edition of Living Planet.Tune in via the live-stream or download the program as a podcast. Send your comments and questions to features@dw-world.de.Innovation Threatens Traditional Portuguese Cork HarvestingThe cork industry is generally regarded as environmentally friendly but now it is under threat.The Cork Oak tree is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. The tree forms a thick, rough bark which can be harvested every 10 to 12 years as cork. The European cork industry produces 340,000 tonnes of cork a year. It is used as bottle stoppers for wine as well as in flooring and insulation. Yet this natural and renewable product is under threat, as the plastics industry makes inroads into the wine market. Living Planet found out more on a visit to Portugal, the largest producer of cork in the world. (Report: Sylvia Smith) Climate Witness Series: Alaska IIIn Living Planet's 'Climate Witness' series we hear first-hand testimonies about the consequences of climate change around the world.The Polar Regions are warming faster than anywhere else in the world as a result of climate change. The vast areas of ice and snow are diminishing and having a widespread effect on human settlements, marine ecosystems and the coastal climate. The habitats and hunting areas for bears in Alaska are also shrinking. This week we hear from Joseph Prouk, a 'bear guard' who stands watch while scientists conduct their research in Alaska. (Report: Irene Quaile)Even Brighter Ideas to Save Energy With Light BulbsScientists are working towards innovative designs for lighting which could save energy and reduce carbon emissions.Almost 20 per cent of all the energy produced in the world is used to power lights. So using energy saving bulbs could reduce the amount of energy we consume and also cut carbon dioxide emissions. Some experts say energy-saving bulbs do a much better job at providing light and more people are using them in their homes. Yet critics say these bulbs could work better and now researchers and companies are working on the next generation of improved energy-saving lights. (Report: Frank Grotelueschen / Rob Turner)Wild Salmon Return to the Rhine RiverFor the first time in 50 years, a wild salmon was caught in a tributary of the Rhine River near Basel.A fisherman has made the catch of a lifetime by reeling in the first wild salmon sighted in Switzerland in fifty years. Judging from the size of the salmon, which was pulled out of a tributary of the Rhine near Basel, it travelled all the way down the river into the Atlantic before returning upstream to spawn. Experts are amazed the fish made its way past the barriers that still impede salmon migrating to the upper Rhine despite a salmon reintroduction project. (Report: Kate Hairsine) read less