Old ships, powered by the wind, are sailing small amounts of cargo around the world again to help cut pollution. Some of them were built more than 100 years ago.
The shipping industry moves 80% of traded goods around the planet. But the diesel engines that propel modern cargo ships through the oceans burn the dirtiest type of fuel. Nick Holland speaks to sailors and brokers who, for the sake of the environment, are breathing new life into these vintage vessels.
And he hears how new types of sails could get monster-sized modern cargo ships using the wind as well.
Producer / Reporter: Nick Holland
NachrichtenGesundheit, Wellness & Beauty
People Fixing The World Folgen
Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.A weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them.Presenter Myra Anubi speaks to reporters, experts and innovators to investigate how effective different solutions are, share their successes and inspire listeners with what is possible.
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Folge vom 26.05.2020The ancient technology getting a second wind
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Folge vom 19.05.2020Electricity that grows on treesScientists in Italy have discovered that trees generate an electrical charge every time the wind blows strongly enough to make their leaves touch one another.The researchers, from the Italian Institute of Technology, have managed to harvest enough energy this way to power 150 LED lights from a single leaf.We meet them, and others, who are trying to make use of untapped, natural sources energy. We hear from a project trying to produce electricity from the interaction of fresh and salt water where rivers meet the sea.And we talk to a geologist in Iceland, who’s helped dig nearly 5km beneath the surface of the Earth. At that depth, the temperature can be about 600C - the idea is to mine the heat and turn it into energy. Producer/Reporter: Daniel Gordon Picture: Getty Images
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Folge vom 12.05.2020The breath of lifeA clever invention is saving the lives of hundreds of children. Pneumonia kills about 1.4 million children under five every year. Treatment with concentrated oxygen could save many of them, but the machines that make it need a reliable source of electricity. Some hospitals have frequent power cuts, though, which can be fatal. So scientists in Australia and Uganda came up with an innovative way to produce oxygen by separating it from the rest of the air, using a vacuum created by running water. Then they designed special bags that can store and deliver oxygen – even when the electricity cuts out. Their systems have provided oxygen for hundreds of sick children in Uganda. People Fixing the World hears the story of these remarkable inventions. Produced and presented by Ruth EvansPicture credit: Peter Casamento
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Folge vom 05.05.2020A Sporting ChanceWe all know that sport is great for our health - and if you’re talented it can bring you great riches. But this week we look at how sport is changing lives and giving hope to young people leading the toughest lives. In Cape Town, South Africa, a British surfer noticed how kids from poor townships hardly ever went to the beach. So he started giving them free surfing lessons. Now hundreds go along each week to get “surfing therapy”. Not only is surfing giving them a buzz, it's helping to improve their life chances. In Afghanistan we meet the people who have brought skateboarding to the streets. As well as being an exciting challenge, it’s giving girls in particular a safe place to do sport and changing their outlook on life. And in one of the more deprived parts of London we find out how horse riding - a sport normally associated with the elite - is now inspiring young people from all backgrounds. Reporter/Producer: Richard Kenny