In February a devastating flash flood in India's northern state of Uttarakhand killed at least 70 people and trapped workers in underground tunnels. We'll hear from locals who witnessed the horrific events, as well as Uttarakhand journalist Kavita Upadhyay about how the news spread among the community. Indian geologist Dr Kalachand Sain explains exactly what happened that caused the flood, and Dave Petley, professor of geography at the University of Sheffield explains how climate change played a role. Now, in the wake of the disaster, India's strategy to bring more clean energy to the country through hydroelectric dams is coming into focus, with fears the projects are affecting the delicate balance of the Himalayan ecology. Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, explains why the dams should not have been near Himalayan glaciers to begin with,and what could have been done better to warn those near the disaster. Sunita Narain, director of the Centre of Science and Environment in Delhi argues, however, that development is needed in the Himalayas but it needs to be done responsibly. And we close with Amitabh Pande, who warns that the Himalayas are a precious resource to India, and should be treated with care.(Picture: the entrance of Tapovan tunnel following a flash flood in Uttarakhand state, India. Picture credit: JALEES ANDRABI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Folge vom 30.03.2021Hydroelectric power in focus after disaster in India
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Folge vom 29.03.2021Palm oil politicsAn EU ban on the vegetable oil's use in biofuel has upset Indonesia and Malaysia. Meanwhile critics say it will only worsen the problem of tropical deforestation by palm oil farmers.Manuela Saragosa looks at this most divisive of commodities, and moves to ban it impact the smallholder farmers behind almost half of global production. Sustainability researcher Gernot Klepper of the Kiel Institute explains why he thinks the European position is irrational, while Indonesian palm trade journalist Bhimanto Suwastoyo says palm growers could simply switch to markets in India and China where buyers care much less about deforestation.Meanwhile Greenpeace's Grant Rosoman explains why the environmentalist group is so sceptical about existing certification schemes, while Tiur Rumondang of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil - the biggest such scheme - defends their work.Producers: Laurence Knight, Joshua Thorpe(Picture: A farmer carries palm oil fruit at a plantation in Malaysia; Credit: STR/AFP/GettyImages)
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Folge vom 27.03.2021Business Weekly: 27/03/2021As a giant container ship gets stuck in the Suez canal, we examine at the vital role the waterway plays in global shipping. We also hear from Chicago, where reparations are being made to black residents after years of segregation. African Americans have lost thousands in personal wealth due to the policy of redlining. Our chief environment correspondent investigates a leaked letter from China - suggesting it's preparing to embark on greener policies. And we’ll be talking space junk with astrophysicist Becky Smethurst.Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Szu Ping Chan.
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Folge vom 26.03.2021Nigeria's kidnapping industrySince December, more than 600 students have been abducted from schools in north-west Nigeria, highlighting a worrying development in the country's kidnap-for-ransom crisis. We'll hear from the father of a returned schoolgirl, about the agony of not knowing what's happened to them. But it's not just schoolgirls. Nigeria is subject to a full-blown kidnapping industry, as Ikemesit Effiong of SBM Intelligence explains. And as the government denies it is paying ransoms, and calls grow for the crisis to be brought under control, Bulama Bukarti of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change explains just why it's so hard to combat the kidnappers.Producer: Frey Lindsay(Picture credit: A woman whose 2 daughters were kidnapped by gunmen cries at her home in Zamfara State, northwest of Nigeria, February, 2021. Image Credit: KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)