Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the Globe

Play Now -->

DATE : Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2009-11-05 16:30:00
length : 14578382
Link to the Show / Show Notes

This week on Living Planet takes a look at the devastating aftermath of an oil spill in Lebanon, an auto race where the goal is efficiency over speed, the pros and cons of eco-friendly, earthquake-proof housing in Italy and gets the lowdown on carbon capture and sequestration.
Years later, devastating oil spill continues to ravage Lebanon

The United Nations has named November 6 as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

One of the first targets in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah was an oil storage facility at a power plant in the coastal city of Jieh, Lebanon, located 30 kilometers south of Beirut. The bombing caused between 12,000 and 15,000 tons of oil to be released into the environment, polluting two-thirds of the country's coastline.

It was one of the worst environmental catastrophes in the eastern Mediterranean. The oil spill ceased to be a major headline long ago, even though it continues to cause damage to this day.

Report: Mona Naggar/Matt Zuvela

Hundreds of research labs and universities have come up with their own version of a solar-powered car. However, few of them bothered to consider a design that could actually be put to use by the average driver.

There have been two important races taking place in Australia this week. One is known as "the race that stops the nation" - a horse race called the Melbourne Cup. The other is the Global Green Challenge - a 3,000 kilometer (1,864 mile) car race from the most northern tip of Australia, right through the Outback, to the southern coastal city of Adelaide.

But it's not a race that's only about the fastest car, the loudest engine or the best driver. It's the largest solar and eco-car race in the world, and its aim is to showcase the latest advances in hybrid, electric, solar, low emission, and alternative energy vehicles. Entrants from across the globe make the trek Down Under, to give the world a sneak peek into the environmentally sustainable cars of the future.

Report: Catherine Graue

Rome has erected eco-friendly, earthquake-proof apartments for the citizens of Abruzzo. But is it a housing solution, an environmental solution or just an eyesore?

More than six months after a devastating earthquake hit Italy's central Abruzzo region residents are slowly being moved out of tent villages and into new homes. One positive initiative to emerge from the rubble is the creation of the largest photovoltaic village in Europe with some 35,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels being placed on the roofs of earthquake proof apartment blocks. Every week Italian authorities hand over 300 new apartments. By the end of January, 16,000 people will be calling these low-energy structures home. But not everyone is pleased to see them go up.

Report: Stephanie Raison

There are a lot of questions when it comes to the environment, climate change, endangered species and sustainability and Living Planet aims to answer some of them. Once a month we take an eco question and pose it to environmental scientists and experts.

This week's question is about carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS. It's a touchy subject in many places around the world, but what is CCS and what are the methods and technologies for capturing carbon? And what do we do with it once it's collected?

Living Planet has some answers.

Report: Ellice Mol

Play in your Iphone