Global Ideas

To fly or not to fly? The environmental cost of air travel

Though air travel is more popular than ever, the vast majority of people in the world have never been on a plane. As that dynamic slowly changes, the environment stands to suffer. Is flying less the only solution?

Women on the Solomon Islands are protecting critically endangered sea turtles

Women in boats raising their paddles in the air

On the Solomon Islands, rats and poachers are the two major threats to critically endangered sea turtles. A group of local women have joined forces to help save the animals from extinction.

Spreading the climate-gospel: The rise of 'green churches'

From sermons about climate justice to carbon-neutral church halls and eco-friendly initiatives like recycling candles, a growing number of churches are going green.

Brazil's indigenous communities resist Bolsonaro

Two people with traditional face paint, headdresses, and jewellery

The Amazon rainforest is under threat, and so are the indigenous tribes that call it home. As violence escalates in Brazil, activists have vowed to protect their land and way of life.

Mudflats: The world's great coastal protectors

A satellite image of land, islands and mudflats

The rising levels of our global seas poses serious threats to low-lying coastal communities. Nature itself can go some way to offering a solution.

Animated explainers

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Video explainer: A plant's best friend — the importance of pollinators

What do insects, hummingbirds and lemurs all have in common? They pollinate plants!

Video explainer: A plant's best friend — the importance of pollinators

Shady dealing in endangered wildlife

Could soil save our climate?

Is 'superfood' really all that super?

Green cities, better climate

Global Ideas Startbild Infofilm über Food Waste (DW)

Why one third of our food goes to waste

Why do oceans turn acidic?

What is a forest and what is it for?

Conservation

Two men on horses and cattle in the background

What's the beef with Brazil's destructive cattle ranches?

In Brazil, some are trying to stop Amazon destruction with greener cattle ranching.

Mali mayors take climate classes to fend off desertification

Will Germany's vanishing Hallig islands survive rising seas?

Scotland restores its peatlands to keep carbon in the ground

Maldives: Fighting corruption and construction in a tropical paradise

Environmental issues in images

What have insects ever done for us?

Planet of the insects

From pretty butterflies to pesky mosquitoes — insects are among the most diverse and dominant groups on earth. Nearly 1 million species are known to exist and there are likely many more to be discovered. According to a UN biodiversity study, up to 40% of insects species are threatened with extinction in some parts of the world. Many people do not realize that their loss would be keenly felt.
What have insects ever done for us?

Skilled pollinators

Crops, such as wheat, are wind pollinated, but many other food crops depend on insects for pollination. Their disappearance would come at great cost to farmers. Some $235 billion of yearly global food production relies on pollinators. In some farms in China, workers are hand-pollinating apple and pear trees because of the lack of bees. Such labor-intensive work pushes up food prices.
What have insects ever done for us?

Poorer plates

Pollinator disappearance also means we'd lack much of the fruit and vegetables we eat — and we wouldn't be enjoying beloved treats like chocolate and coffee. Apart from food, pollinators also contribute to the fibers, such as cotton, from which we make our clothes, as well as to plants on which certain medicines are based.
What have insects ever done for us?

Nature's cleanup crew

Many insects, like the dung beetle pictured here, decompose dead plant matter, carrion and feces that would otherwise be left to decay in our environment. Basically, the world would be a smellier and less hygienic place without them.
What have insects ever done for us?

A meal for other creatures

Insects are the main source of food for many other animals, including amphibians, reptiles, certain mammals, and birds. And as insects disappear, there could be declines in the species that feed on them too. Ornithologists believe sharp declines in bird species in the UK, for instance, are at least partly linked to a drop in insect numbers.
What have insects ever done for us?

Difficulties adapting

Climate change is also affecting insects that are slow to adapt. Bumblebees for instance are suited to cool and wet climates and may find it difficult in warmer weather. But insects that are pests are already spreading to new habitats. The European corn borer (pictured), which can destroy corn harvests, is among them. That means farmers use more pesticides that kill pollinating insects.
What have insects ever done for us?

No place for pollinators

Intensive farming is one of the major factors behind insect declines in Europe. Fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides are all driving the decline, as are monocultures — the practise of growing of a single crop or plant. That takes refuge and habitat, like diverse flowering meadows, away from insects.
What have insects ever done for us?

A home for insects

Experts say a more insect-friendly farming policy that relies less on pesticides and monocultures would boost their numbers. But planting blooming flowers in gardens and urban areas would also provide food and habitat for bumblebees and butterflies. Another option is building more "insect hotels," (pictured) for solitary critters, like leafcutter bees, which like to nest in tunnels.

Author: Jennifer Collins