1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Israel and the crisis in the Middle EastGerman coalition collapseUS election
A man holding gold nuggest in the Amazon
Image: Edmar Barros/AP/dpa/picture allianceImage: Edmar Barros/AP/dpa/picture alliance

Natural resources

Whether precious minerals like gold or fossil fuels like coal, the Earth yields a bounty - and often suffers for it.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Mapped Out DR Kongo

Why isn't the DR Congo the world's richest country?

The DR Congo could be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But its resources have brought misery and conflict.
SocietyOctober 28, 202415:39 min
A Russian flag with the emblem of Russia on it hangs on a monument to Russian instructors in Bangui, Central African Republic.

Wagner: What's Russia up to in the Central African Republic?

DW met Dimitri Sytyi, a key player of Russia's Wagner Group in Africa. Two experts provided an analysis of his comments.
PoliticsOctober 24, 202420:10 min
DW "Eco Africa" Sendungslogo mit Partnerlogos (Composite)

Eco Africa — The Environment Magazine

Threats to Gambia's blue economy, Tunisian olive farming in crisis and an eco hospital in Ghana.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 24, 202426:06 min
Videostill | Mozambique: 3 things you should know ahead of the elections

Mozambique: 3 things you should know ahead of the election

The Portuguese-speaking nation, which is fighting an Islamist insurgency, remains battered by years of civil war.
PoliticsOctober 7, 202401:59 min
DW Dokumentationen | Tibet

Tibet, the Dalai Lama and the struggle with China — Part 2

The 14th Dalai Lama is 89 years old. The question of who will succeed him has sparked a power struggle between India and
PoliticsOctober 4, 202442:34 min
Das stille Verschwinden - Teil 1

Tibet, the Dalai Lama and the power struggle with China

The question of succession of the Dalai Lama has become part of a power struggle between China and India.
PoliticsSeptember 27, 202442:34 min
A river flows in Kabugao, Philippines

Philippines: Hydropower plans threaten Indigenous people

The Philippines' plans to build hydropower plants has raised alarm among Indigenous communities.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 13, 202402:41 min
Banquet setup at resort in Sardinia, Italy

How Sardinia became a model for sustainable tourism

The Italian island of Sardinia has figured out how to make mass tourism work for both the industry and local community.
BusinessSeptember 11, 202407:53 min
Collapsed and abandoned houses in the village of Gornje Nedeljice that the company Rio Tinto bought from the locals

Serbian farmers battle mining giant Rio Tinto over lithium

Serbian farmers in the Jadar River valley are afraid that a lithium mine could ruin their livelihoods.
BusinessSeptember 9, 202403:41 min
Four buckets contain different materials for re-use and waste prevention in Heidelberg, Germany.

Urban mining: Reusing old materials for new constructions

Sustainable demolitions show it’s possible to recycle construction materials.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 30, 202404:59 min
Piles of illegally logged timber in Ghana's Ashanti region.

How an app is combatting illegal deforestation in Ghana

NGOs in Ghana are combating deforestation by monitoring logging with an app and raising grassroots awareness.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 23, 202404:40 min
Leopard tank firing in Donetsk, Ukraine

Ukraine's war is a battle for trillions in resources

Ukraine has huge deposits of lithium, a key mineral for expanding fields like electric car batteries.
ConflictsJuly 4, 202401:41 min
An asteroid burns up in the Earth's atmosphere over Berlin in January 2024

Asteroids and comets: What's the difference?

We watch comets with wonder when they fly by Earth, but track asteroids with fear. Here's how to tell them apart.
ScienceJune 27, 2024
Videostill | Liquid Tree in Belgrad

Serbia seeks to beat air pollution with 'liquid trees'

Serbian scientists are helping to purify the air in cities with what they call liquid trees, made up of microalgae.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 25, 202402:22 min
Eco Hospital staff and patient walking with ducks in Ghana

Ghana’s Eco Hospital helps patients heal

The Eco Hospital in Wa in northwestern Ghana uses the healing power of nature to treat patients.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 2, 202402:27 min
An excavator and backhoe spread sand on a beach against a blue sky

The hidden environmental cost of mining sand

Sand is needed to rebuild northern German beaches after winter storms. But sourcing that sand can cause other problems.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 25, 2024
Vorschaubild | Water system

Would you drink water just flushed down your toilet?

Can you imagine drinking the water you just flushed down your toilet? It might be a solution for water-scarce regions.
SocietyMarch 22, 202401:17 min
A van exiting the Ballarat Gold Mine

Australia: 1 dead, 29 rescued after gold mine collapse

One miner was airlifted to the hospital in a serious condition while the body of another was recovered on Thursday.
CatastropheMarch 13, 2024
A Baloch man points to where the Iranian army carried out an airstrike against alleged separatists in Pakistan

Balochistan strikes explained: Resources and radicalization

Tit-for-tat attacks between Iran and Pakistan are linked to separatists fighting for independence of the region.
ConflictsJanuary 21, 2024
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (center) on stage at the German-Nigerian Business Forum 2023 in Berlin

German-Nigerian Business Forum seeks to woo investors

The summit sent a clear message: Africa's most populous nation is open for business.
BusinessNovember 22, 2023
A foreman looks on as a bulldozer works on the slippery road

Lithium mining in Africa reveals dark side of green energy

The new rush for lithium in Africa risks fueling corruption and harming the environment, investigations have shown.
BusinessNovember 16, 2023
A sculpture made of plastic waste. Plastic rubbish flows out of a giant tap suspended in the air.

Waves of waste: The harsh truth about ocean plastic

Some of the world's most motivated janitors are trying to clean up vast fields of plastic waste. But is it worth it?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 13, 2023
Adult gentoo penguin leaping into tide pool at Port Lockroy, Antarctica

Antarctica: What's the big deal over resource exploitation?

With abundant fish and krill, and potential energy reserves, why is it so important to protect the South Pole?
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 20, 2023
A worker is seen at Krivoi Rog steelworks

Russia plundering Ukraine's natural resources

Russia is keen to exploit Ukraine's highly valuable natural resources, such as iron ore and coal.
ConflictsAugust 28, 2023
A view of the Rehden Geest Moor, a swampy piece of land covered with vegetation, with an orange sun low on the horizon

Farmers revolt against EU's historic nature restoration law

Farmers fear they will lose out after the EU passes a bill to promote biodiversity and sustainable land and soil use.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 12, 2023
A file image showing two zama zamas working inside an abandoned mine shaft in South Africa

South Africa: 31 dead in methane blast at disused gold mine

The victims are believed to be "zama zamas," or illegal miners, from the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
CatastropheJune 23, 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stands ahead of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek at an election rally in 2022

Australia's Labor government clears first new coal mine

The decision to approve a new coal mine — albeit a small scaled one — comes a year after getting elected.
ClimateMay 12, 2023
A bird's-eye view of lithium mines at the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia

Germany falls behind in the global race for lithium

Berlin is a global laggard in the fight for lithium, something Chancellor Scholz will address on his South America trip.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 28, 2023
An woman walks with an umbrella through snowy Tehran in January 2023

Iran faces gas shortage despite vast reserves

Waste and political blockades mean Iranians aren't benefitting from the country's enormous gas reserves.
BusinessJanuary 14, 2023
Kleines Wiesenvögelchen sucht nach Nektar

Why is it so important to protect nature and biodiversity?

As delegates meet in Montreal, DW looks at what's at risk when ecosystems are lost and animals and plants go extinct.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 8, 2022
Eco Africa-Sendung

A controversial crude oil pipeline

Environmental activists are not convinced a new oil pipeline set to cross Uganda and Tanzania will bring prosperity.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 13, 202209:39 min
A view of homes and fields and trees from above, as the sun sets or rises

Facing climate change in a small German village

The Russian threats don't worry the residents of Feldheim. Heat and electricity here come from wind and biogas plants.
ClimateSeptember 3, 202202:34 min
Workers inspect an open cast at Arcadia Lithium mine on January 11, 2022 in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe.

China beats competition to secure Zimbabwe lithium source

Chinese firms at the center of the EV battery market are rushing to invest in Zimbabwe's lithium mines.
BusinessJuly 11, 2022
Konsum, Deutsch, Grafikerklärer, Made deutsch

Consumption and consumerism

What are the upsides and downsides of our consumer lifestyle?
BusinessJune 7, 202202:30 min
Südafrika | Suche nach Diamanten

Will Africa ever benefit from its natural resources?

Across the continent, precious stones are mined daily but this has not translated into wealth.
SocietyMay 31, 202219:59 min
Symbolbild | Wasseroberfläche

In focus: The geopolitics of water

Without water there is no life. Due to climate change, water is becoming a precious and contested commodity.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 21, 2022
Focus on Europe Magazine

Greenland: Fight over natural resources

Receding ice in Greenland due to climate change has made access to natural resources easier.
SocietyDecember 13, 202105:24 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo)

Eco India — The Environment Magazine

Wherever you find natural resources, you find people. But this access can be a boon and a curse.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 14, 202126:01 min
Taliban Foreign Minster Amir Khan Muttaqi

What do different governments think of the Taliban?

The Taliban wish to address the UN General Assembly. But will other nations recognize, let alone engage with them?
PoliticsSeptember 25, 2021
Wang Yi and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar

China seeks stability in Afghanistan

China has welcomed the end of "anarchy" in Afghanistan, offering humanitarian aid while taking a wait-and-see approach.
PoliticsSeptember 13, 2021
A view of Earth from the Space Shuttle Discovery shows late afternoon sun on the Andes Mountains

Earth Overshoot Day nears record high

Humanity has exceeded its yearly allotment of the world's biological assets. What can be done to ease the burden?
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 29, 2021
A copper and cobalt mine in Zambia

UN: Resource-rich countries face commodity trap

Developing nations must use revenues to boost productivity and technology to escape the "resource curse," the UN said.
TradeJuly 7, 2021
DW's Eco India

Eco India — The Environment Magazine

This week on Eco India: Protecting the many oceans is essential for the preservation of life on Earth.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 18, 202126:00 min
animal in Europe grass

Mining Europe's lithium

Mining lithium in Spain would give Europe power for electric devices, but it could destroy a forest.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 21, 202106:48 min
Made in Germany - Kreislaufwirtschaft (Englisch)

What is a circular economy?

It reduces waste by repairing and recycling goods and extracting maximum value from our resources.
BusinessApril 13, 202102:18 min
A fishing trawler in a fjord

The fight over Greenland's natural resources

Greenland's seismic electoral shift shows the struggle to balance economic growth and environmental protection.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 9, 2021
DW Made in Germany

Made in Germany - Galactic prospects - economic boom in outer space?

Corporations are hoping to cash in on the business of space exploration.   
BusinessApril 6, 202126:06 min
To the Point Sendung deutsch und englisch

Who'll win the race for the Arctic's riches?

Who will win the race for control of the Arctic's huge reserves of valuable natural resources?
PoliticsMarch 18, 202126:06 min
To the Point Sendung deutsch und englisch

Polar power play: Who'll win the race for the Arctic's riches?

Who will win the race for control of the Arctic's huge reserves of valuable natural resources?
PoliticsMarch 18, 202126:01 min
MADE Disruption Design

Made in Germany - Water: A scarce resource

No life without water. Do we have to rethink our habits and the water business?
BusinessMarch 9, 202126:05 min