Posted on November 23, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
The rubbish in the sea goes on a merry-go-round
Natural EnvironmentsEvery hour, 675 tonnes of rubbish end up in the world’s oceans, environmentalists estimate. About half of this is plastic. The bad thing about it is that the plastic does not simply rot like plants or paper. It can float in the water for centuries. The result can already be observed in the Northeast Pacific:
Posted on November 23, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
The tough battle for water
Natural EnvironmentsLong queues of people crowd in front of the wells in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. Water is particularly scarce in the townships of the city of millions. Time and again there are fierce battles over the scarce commodity. The nearly three million inhabitants of Harare need twice as much water as is available. Only wealthy citizens
Posted on November 23, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
The first man on the moon
Natural EnvironmentsTense waiting in the control centre. A series of warnings from the on-board computer almost led to the mission being aborted, and now this: the planned landing site is littered with small craters and boulders. Commander Neil Armstrong reaches for the control stick and tries to land the lunar module by hand. But fuel is
Posted on November 23, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
China shoots off rain clouds
Natural EnvironmentsIt should be a perfect spectacle: The Summer Olympics in Beijing. The construction of the stadium alone, which is also called the “Bird’s Nest” because of its shape, took five years and cost the equivalent of 315 million euros. Of course, the perfect Olympics also require the weather to play along: No rain shower or
Posted on November 23, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
Chinese firecracker against evil monster
Natural EnvironmentsThe noise is supposed to drive away the monster of the year, Nian – for this reason, the Chinese welcomed the New Year with a bombastic fireworks display on the night of 23 January. The New Year in China is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated for a fortnight with many
Posted on November 22, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)
Chaos in the airspace over Europe
Natural EnvironmentsFollowing the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull on 20 March 2010, air traffic has been suspended in large parts of Europe. The eruption of the Icelandic glacial volcano had thrown a huge ash cloud kilometres high into the atmosphere. The volcanic eruption led to the longest-ever traffic ban in European airspace from 15 April 2010. Tens of