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Motorbikers riding in heavy smog in New Delhi, India
Image: Hindustan Times/imago imagesImage: Hindustan Times/imago images

Pollution

Pollution can take many forms. But most agree that pollution is harmful for people and other life on Earth — whether dirty air, water or solid waste. What is more controversial is how to best prevent it and clean it up.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

The 77 Percent Magazine #249 Mining

Illegal mining — polluting Ghana's rivers and land

Ghana's youths rely on illegal mining for work, a practice that has polluted both land and water bodies.
SocietyDecember 23, 202402:46 min
DW Sendung Eco India | #310

Curbing air pollution in Kolkata, India

The city of Kolkata has been witnessing alarming winter air pollution levels. What is the government doing about it?
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 16, 202406:13 min
Waste pickers Salmaa and Usmaan Sheikh search for recyclable materials at a landfill site on the outskirts of Jammu, India, during a heatwave. Sheikh and his family are among the millions of people in India who earn their living by searching for and selling recyclable waste.

Plastic pollution: No end in sight to growing problem

Plastic waste is everywhere — production is growing rapidly, and with it the dangers for people and the environment.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 15, 20249 images
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

What future for climate commitment? —  Global Us

Big Money: the US oil boom; Trump's return: will it end green investments? Energy transition: hope in Uganda and Ladakh
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 13, 202426:04 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

How to help people and the planet | Eco India

From curbing air pollution in Kolkata to a coconut byproduct that's aiding the world's farmers.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 202426:04 min
A solitary oil well in the middle of an agricultural field

Cleaning up a toxic legacy, one oil well at a time

Countless abandoned US oil wells are leaking methane and other toxic gases. One NGO is working to cap these wells.
ClimateDecember 11, 202404:30 min
A photo of a saxual tree surrounded by desert

Bringing life back to Central Asia's desertified Aral Sea

The Aral's ecosystem was devastated during the Soviet era. Now ecologists are planting trees where water once lapped.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 10, 2024
Young activist Ketsia talks to rapper Shiii about climate change.

Congolese activist shifts climate views with collective acts

In Kinshasa, a young activist is working to change attitudes to waste and the climate crisis.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 202404:45 min
Living Planet 210318 Podcast Picture Teaser

Deep Dive: Bright lights, big, LED cities

Ecologists are worried about more cities switching to LEDs to save energy. Why?
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 202429:53 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

How to fight pollution

From waste management in Gurugram to tackling sulfur pollution, or saving Dal Lake – how ordinary people bring change.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 5, 202426:04 min
pregnant woman having her blood pressure taken at the doctor's

Toxic smog in Delhi puts India's unborn children at risk

Toxic air increases not only pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, it can also disrupt a baby's development.
HealthDecember 3, 202403:41 min
A woman wearning a blue uniform with a long blue skirt and blue headscarf sweeps the side of the road in Kigali. The pavement has no rubbish on it.

How Rwanda's capital became Africa's cleanest city

Mandatory community cleaning and cooperatives of women help keep the rubbish off Kigali's street.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 2, 202404:31 min
People march with a banner calling for a drastic reduction in plastic

Why plastic production is hard to stop

In suing ExxonMobil, California has highlighted the connection between fossil fuel companies and plastic waste.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 2, 2024
Peaple in wet suits carry a collection of plastic waste they collected on the beach

Plastic pollution ban fails, time needed says chair

Negotiators meeting in South Korea failed to sign a treaty curbing plastic waste after two years of discussions.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 1, 2024
DW Afrimaxx Sendungslogo

Modern African Lifestyle — Afrimaxx

The cleanest city in Africa, the African Beethoven and paving the way for equality with grapevines.
LifestyleNovember 29, 202426:03 min
South Korean climate activists march down a street in Busan with a large placard that reads: Drastic plastic reduction now!

Plastics pollution treaty still elusive at UN summit

Negotiators at a UN summit in Busan, South Korea, still haven't reached a deal to curb plastic pollution.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 29, 202402:48 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Can nature and progress coexist? | Eco India

Disappearing shores, drought, and overtourism: how innovation and resilience are helping communities fight back.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 28, 202426:04 min
A protester wears a breathing mask connected to a container filled with plants on his back in New Delhi

Indians slowly choking under clouds of air pollution

Air pollution is bringing death and disease to India — it will also have consequences for future generations.
HealthNovember 28, 2024
Women walk on a road near India Gate as the sky is enveloped with smog in November 2024

How can Delhi finally end chronic air pollution?

The air quality in India's capital is among the worst in the world. There are solutions, but political will is needed.
ClimateNovember 28, 2024
A man covers his face with a cloth to protect himself from air pollution in Delhi, India

Air pollution linked to 1.5 million deaths per year — study

A new Lancet study has linked heart and respiratory illnesses to polllution from forest fires and agricultural burning.
ClimateNovember 28, 2024
Eco India Show #311

The vision of a more walkable Delhi

An initiative in Delhi redesigns streets and intersections to make the capital more walkable.
Cars and TransportationNovember 26, 202405:38 min
People on boats collect recyclable plastics from the heavily polluted Citarum River at Batujajar in Bandung, West Java

Can a global treaty clean up plastic waste?

The final round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty will look to rapidly cut surging plastic pollution.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 25, 2024
The tops of high-rise buildings in Karachi, Pakistan, just visible amid smog

Asia's chronic pollution has high health costs

Exposure to air pollution from childhood increases the risk of poor health and can cause strokes and lead to cancer.
ScienceNovember 24, 2024
Indien | Nebel

Toxic smog persists over India's north

In India, capital New Delhi continues to choke under toxic smog as air quality remains at hazardous levels.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 23, 202402:20 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo)

Eco India: Making our environment a safer one

A more walkable Delhi and a more diverse method of farming.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 22, 202426:04 min
In the foreground of the picture a pile of (plastic) garbage that has just been fished out of the sea by two egyptian fishermen.

Mediterranean Sea — how Egyptian fishers tackle pollution

An NGO in Egypt is helping to clean up the Mediterranean with the help of local fishers.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 19, 202404:26 min
A view of Delhi's war memorial, India Gate (L), shrouded in smog. The faint sun can be seen in the upper right corner of the image.

India: Schools shut, construction halts as smog chokes Delhi

Indian authorities appear unable to effectively address the root of the smog, leaving residents increasingly frustrated.
ClimateNovember 19, 202402:20 min
Several men ride through the city center of Lagos on neon green city bikes.

How Lagos is driving environmental change

In Nigeria's commercial capital, a string of initiatives have been launched to curb congestion and pollution.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 18, 202406:27 min
Jama Masjid, a mosque in Delhi, surrounded by smog

India: Delhi smog hits highest level this year

The Supreme Court has criticized the government's slow response as levels of microparticles exceded recommended limits.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 18, 2024
Smog in Lahore / Pakistan

Pakistan: Health emergency declared over record smog

A dense smog engulfs Pakistan’s Lahore and Punjab region, as hospitals report nearly 70,000 daily respiratory cases.
ClimateNovember 16, 202402:46 min
Living Planet 210318 Podcast Picture Teaser

The toxic legacy of WWII shipwrecks

Scientists fear WWII shipwrecks are close to collapse — and that a spike in catastrophic oil spills may be imminent.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 15, 202429:11 min
Men walk on a street in New Delhi through the smog.

India's capital chokes as air pollution soars

Toxic smog has blanketed India's capital, Delhi, with air pollution levels exceeding safe limits by more than 50 times.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 15, 202401:56 min
Pedestrians walk along a road engulfed in thick smog in Lahore on November 11

Life in Lahore, the world's most polluted city

Residents, a doctor, and a disaster expert tell DW how the extremely hazardous air is affecting daily life in Lahore.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 14, 202402:02 min
Buildings amid smog

Toxic smog engulfs northern India, Pakistan

Pakistan's Lahore remained the world's most polluted city while visibility in parts of northern India fell to zero.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 14, 2024
A man covers his face with a scarf to avoid smog as he walks along a road in Multan, Pakistan

Air pollution in Pakistan reaches record levels

The Punjab government has introduced emergency measures, including prolonged school closures and compulsory face masks.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 12, 20247 images
Tuk-tuk, bicycle, motorbike, buses and car seen through haze of smoke in Punjab on Nov 11, 2024.

Pakistan's Punjab imposes activity bans amid intense smog

Punjab authorities have banned most outdoor activities and told some shops to shut early as smog-induced illnesses soar.
SocietyNovember 11, 2024
A view of the Thessaloniki subway tunnel, with two trains on parallel tracks

Long wait over as Thessaloniki gets first subway

After decades of delays, Greece's second-largest city will see its very first subway line on November 30.
Cars and TransportationNovember 7, 202403:33 min
People wear masks as they ride bicycles through smog in Lahore, Pakistan

Pakistan shuts schools in Lahore over record pollution

The city's air quality has breached levels considered "dangerous," prompting the government to take emergency measures.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 3, 2024
Workers in Malaysia open the doors of a plastics waste shipment

Malaysia struggles to halt European plastic waste imports

Malaysia is one of Europe's top dumping grounds for plastic waste. Will the EU's upcoming export ban make a difference?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 3, 2024
man with a face mask on his morning run in New Delhi

India's capital Delhi battles 'eyes-watering' pollution

India's capital topped pollution charts a day after fireworks were set off to celebrate Diwali.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 2, 202401:39 min
A man wears a face mask as he jogs in the early morning smog in New Delhi

India's New Delhi cloaked in smog after Diwali celebrations

Revelers in the Indian capital flouted a fireworks ban to celebrate Diwali, pushing air quality to dangerous levels.
HealthNovember 1, 2024
USA | Elon Musk auf einer Wahlkampf-Veranstaltung von Donald Trump

Elon Musk's AI model stirs pollution controversy in Memphis

Elon Musk’s xAI faces backlash over pollution concerns in Memphis as its new data center is powered with gas turbines.
BusinessOctober 30, 202408:13 min
A photo of central New Delhi covered in a smoggy haze

India: Diwali fireworks renew air pollution debate in Delhi

Every year, Delhi celebrates the festival of Diwali by lighting fireworks, sending the thick smog to toxic levels.
ClimateOctober 29, 2024
Doku-Bilder | PFAS - Gift für die Ewigkeit? Wie abhängig sind wir?

PFAS — poisoned for eternity?

Coated pans, waterproof clothing and refrigerants for air conditioning systems all contain PFAS.
HealthOctober 24, 202442:34 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
A bronze-winged jacana looks for food surrounded by blooming white water lily flowers

UN biodiversity talks: Is the world at a tipping point?

Species are vanishing at an alarming rate, threatening human food supply, health and security.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 21, 2024
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr holding the German Africa Prize next to German Bundestag President Bärbel Bas

Sierra Leone: Eco-friendly mayor wins German Africa Prize

The German Africa Foundation honors Freetown's mayor for her outstanding commitment to urban development.
PoliticsOctober 16, 2024
A road sign marks the entrance to the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London

How London's push to curb cars and cut pollution is going

London introduced new rules to make traffic friendlier for cyclists and pedestrians in a bid to improve air quality.
Cars and TransportationOctober 11, 202404:36 min
DW Eco India 11.10.24

India: Chennai initiative promotes recycling

A women-led initiative is encouraging the public to properly collect, separate and recycle their waste.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 11, 202407:30 min
DW Dokumentationen | Klima ahoi

Climate ahoy — how ships can become cleaner

Soot, particle pollution and heavy fuel oil: freighters and cruise liners are real climate killers.
SocietyOctober 6, 202426:04 min