- 2 days ago
A role for tourists to protect turtles in the Red Sea; saving young trees in Niger; Indian mothers fight forever chemicals and aquaponics boosts yields in Libya.
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AnimalsTranscript
00:05Here's a little riddle for you.
00:08I'm older than the dinosaurs.
00:12I carry my home on my back and I've crossed the oceans for millions of years.
00:20Now though, I need your help.
00:22What am I?
00:25I think I know the answer, Chris.
00:27Have you guessed it as well?
00:29Well, here's the clue.
00:30It swims back to the same beach where it was hatched to lay its own eggs.
00:36Do you get it?
00:37Do you have the answer?
00:38Do you know?
00:38Well, if you guessed turtle, then you guessed right.
00:41So turtles are among the many marine animals suffering as a result of our pollution.
00:48Now these turtles need us to all get our hands on deck.
01:02One good turtle photo can become much more than a holiday memory.
01:07In Egypt's Red Sea, it can become scientific data.
01:11That's the idea behind the work of the Turtle Watch Initiative, turning divers, snorkelers
01:19and sea lovers into citizen scientists.
01:22But before anyone enters the water, the lessons start on land.
01:26For these children, protecting turtles begins with learning how to enjoy the sea without disturbing
01:32the wildlife that calls it home.
01:34What we need to do if we see a marine turtle.
01:37We stop, we try not to get too close, of course, we don't touch and if the turtle is going
01:42up to breathe, we just stop, we don't rush to the surface and we just observe.
01:47Whoever has a camera or a GoPro can take a picture of the side of the heads.
01:52Along the coast of the Red Sea, the NGO Turtle Watch Egypt 2.0 brings marine scientists and
02:00everyday visitors together.
02:02Instead of keeping science in research centres, the initiative turns time in the sea into an
02:08opportunity to observe and document marine turtles.
02:13The main aim of Turtle Watch is to protect marine turtles and to do that we cannot do it alone.
02:18So the citizen science approach is crucial in our project because having the citizen scientists
02:24involved means that we have a lot of potential contributors every day.
02:30Like human fingerprints, each turtle's facial markings are unique.
02:35The photographs of these markings received by Turtle Watch are used to identify individual
02:41turtles.
02:42If participants document one that's never been seen before, they are invited to name it.
02:48And observation becomes a lasting connection.
02:54This is helping us have information on marine turtles' behaviour, growth rate and finally
03:00injury rate and recovery patterns.
03:03So we have to take care that we don't have, for example, too many boats in that specific
03:06place.
03:07Every sighting involves a careful process of reviewing photographs, matching facial markings
03:13and verifying observations before they enter the database.
03:18With only a small team based in Marsa Alam, the initiative depends on a growing network
03:24of volunteers contributing from across Egypt and beyond.
03:28Tulloji graduate Toka Adegmawi, who first joined Turtle Watch during a university internship.
03:35Since then, she has supported the project remotely from Cairo with photo identification, awareness
03:42campaigns and Arabic language outreach.
03:45The whole experience is suddenly finding yourself in Egypt, in the sea, surrounded by turtles,
03:52talking science.
03:53In Egypt, this isn't something you come across every day, especially if you are from Cairo.
03:58It sends you to the point where you think, I have to keep doing this, even remotely.
04:03And they were open to it.
04:11Egypt welcomed nearly 19 million visitors in 2025, with Marsa Alam among its busiest tourist
04:19destinations.
04:22While tourism supports millions of jobs in Egypt, it strains the fragile ecosystem of the Red
04:29Sea.
04:29There are five species of marine turtles which inhabit these waters.
04:33Both traffic, plastic pollution and coastal development threatens several of these species.
04:41Every verified turtle sighting helps build a clearer picture of how these waters are changing
04:47over time.
04:51If we don't protect the environment, in a few years we may lose the spot where we dive today.
04:57The turtle helps us understand the conditions of the sea.
05:00And if the turtles disappear, it's likely that many other marine species will disappear as
05:06well.
05:09Many people want to help but good intentions alone don't always produce reliable data.
05:14That's why a turtle watch created its marine turtle specialty diver course.
05:20The game isn't just to train better contributors, but to equip new instructors to pass that knowledge
05:27on.
05:27We optimize our time with the turtle in a way that we don't spend too much time with the
05:32turtle, but we get as many photos as possible.
05:34You've taken the left side of the face, then I put it on the left side of the camera?
05:38Yes.
05:39Okay.
05:40And if I take...
05:40So you put it on the opposite side as what you have taken.
05:43Yes.
05:44Okay.
05:45Underwater, much of the work happens slowly.
05:47Train divers and snorkelers.
05:50Learn to search, document and move carefully through a fragile ecosystem.
05:54This is so worth saving and protecting each and every day.
05:59And each and every body of us can actually do a small contribution, a small part of it.
06:04It's just a really good way and quite an easy way to get involved without obviously going
06:09through like formal university training or something like that.
06:13And it does make a difference as well.
06:15And sometimes routine observation reveals more than expected.
06:19During one training dive, the team spots a rare sighting.
06:24A mother dugong swimming alongside her calf.
06:27Within hours, the encounter is shared with researchers, instructors and conservation groups.
06:34What began as a routine dive becomes a meaningful contribution to conservation.
06:40The sea remains fragile, but documenting the marine world may be first step toward
06:45protecting it.
06:50As a mother, the next story really gets under my skin.
06:56Because we all try to protect our children and keep them safe.
06:59But how do you protect them from something you cannot see?
07:03PFAS are known as forever chemicals.
07:07Now they can be found in loads of everyday objects.
07:11From the Teflon pans we use to everyday shoes.
07:15And they even infiltrate our water, soil and food.
07:20But this story goes beyond fear.
07:23It is a story of resilience.
07:25Of mothers refusing to remain silent.
07:28Communities standing together and scientists working to solve the problem.
07:34These mothers are at a historic protest.
07:37Against a chemical plant that threatens their water, their health and their children's future.
07:43It spouts forever chemicals, also known as PFAS.
07:49It will pass from a mother's body to her children.
07:54Are we supposed to just stand by and watch our children suffer?
08:00This story of PFAS contamination is part of a global chemical crisis that began thousands of
08:07kilometers away in Italy.
08:15From Europe to Asia, this is an ongoing uprising of local communities led by mothers fighting a global problem.
08:24And there are solutions.
08:26But before we dive into that, let's get into the chemical core of the scandal, PFAS.
08:32PFAS are a group of over 10,000 chemicals with exceptionally strong carbon fluorine bonds.
08:39They hold together so well that they do difficult jobs.
08:42Like make clothes water resistant and Teflon cookware handle high heat.
08:46They are in literally everything from dental floss to fast food packaging and even medical devices.
08:52They can last forever.
08:56So the big problem arises when they are not treated properly.
08:59And spill into the environment.
09:02PFAS persist in rivers, groundwater and the soil.
09:06They enter animals and even our bodies through drinking water, food or even household dust.
09:13Most people worldwide have PFAS in their blood.
09:16Scientists are still working to understand the long-term impacts.
09:20But even low levels of PFAS have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, weakened immunity and developmental issues.
09:29These Italian mothers found this out the hard way and have been protesting for years.
09:35Their white t-shirts became their symbol.
09:37They show their children's names and the PFAS levels found in their blood.
09:47In 2017 we heard my daughter's blood contained levels of these substances that were among the highest ever recorded worldwide.
09:57The company, Mitaini Chemicals, lay just a few kilometers from their village and its effluents reached it.
10:04Giovanna and her husband didn't know this when they moved here 26 years ago, giving up their city jobs for
10:11what they believed to be a healthy, pollution-free countryside life for their five children.
10:20We realized that we had a bomb, that our children have a bomb inside their bodies that can explode at
10:27any time, and that, unfortunately, there was nothing we could do.
10:32The discharge of PFAS from the company contaminated the land here, all the way to the sea.
10:39The pollution was only publicly uncovered in 2013 when scientists tested the water.
10:45By then, an estimated 350,000 people in the region had been exposed, in some cases for years.
10:52The case triggered a major public health response, including mass blood testing.
10:58A study has since recorded 4,000 excess deaths in the area from diseases including kidney and testicular cancer and
11:05cardiovascular disease.
11:07There was also a causal link to the death of a Mitaini employee from prolonged exposure.
11:14Giovanna had to change life on her organic farm.
11:17She stopped growing fruits and vegetables and had to cull her animals.
11:21The ones that remain are now treated as pets.
11:24At first, she was scared, but then she wanted to take action.
11:31Giovanna and Michaela and many other mothers began organizing.
11:38Anger was the first strong emotion.
11:41But coming together as women, as mothers, has softened it.
11:50It's been transformed into a drive to understand the problem and to find solutions together.
12:01They held demonstrations, attended conferences, and eventually filed a lawsuit against the chemical company.
12:10With success.
12:11A court sentenced 11 former company executives to jail for serious environmental crimes.
12:18But then an investigation revealed that the pollution just moved across the globe.
12:23The machinery of the bankrupt Mitaini plant has been transferred to India.
12:29Michaela was able to contact people from the area, including Varun Sukraj.
12:34He comes from the village where Mitaini's machinery is now back in operation.
12:39Here, production continues under the name Lakshmi Organic Industries.
12:45The region hopes to become a new center of chemical production.
12:50Varun began raising awareness in the village.
12:53He told people that when regulation tightens in one place, often production doesn't disappear, it relocates.
13:00It's landing on those with the least power to resist.
13:03A video Michaela made went viral among the community here.
13:15We had no idea about PFAS.
13:18When we saw the Italian protests on YouTube and understood the situation there, we researched it.
13:25That's when we realized how toxic this substance being produced really is.
13:33People began organizing.
13:35In April, 3,000 took to the streets to protest.
13:39Their slogan, Mothers of Konkan Refused to Accept PFAS, was inspired by Mama No PFAS in Italy.
13:49Their message is clear.
13:51India cannot host industrial practices rejected elsewhere.
13:54Some have been protesting for over 75 days straight.
14:02I believe this company must be shut down.
14:05And we will not stay quiet until it is.
14:08This mother of Konkan says no to PFAS.
14:13In India, there is currently no regulatory framework that bans or governs the production of PFAS.
14:19A gap that has allowed the issue to remain largely invisible in public discourse so far.
14:25But back in Europe, there are scientists working on a different part of this problem.
14:31The Zurich-based start-up Oxile has found a way to not just detect and measure PFAS in waste water,
14:37but also destroy the chemicals.
14:40Founder Faye Mushtaq grew up in India.
14:44That always formed a part of my life where we could never take water for granted.
14:48And it also led to a mission in my life where I wanted to do something about water when I
14:53grew up.
14:54My journey into PFAS started much later in life.
14:57It started when I came to Switzerland.
14:59And I realized, even in a country like Switzerland, where the water looks so clean,
15:04we have all these invisible chemicals.
15:06We have PFAS, we have pesticides, pharmaceuticals in water, which should not be in there.
15:11Oxile built a mobile container that can be driven to industrial sites where PFAS are produced,
15:18allowing the chemicals to be eliminated at source before they reach the environment.
15:23Inside the container, water that has been contaminated is pumped into this canister.
15:29UV lights and a special cocktail of chemicals are then added to the water,
15:34which breaks down the strong chemical bonds.
15:37What comes out are harmless end products like water, carbon dioxide and fluoride.
15:43The cleaned up water can then be safely released into nature.
15:49This technology can typically treat a few thousand litres of water per hour,
15:54depending on the level of PFAS concentration and how much energy is used during the process.
16:00This technology that we have is specifically designed so that anyone can afford that.
16:05Where we have different levers we can tune, we can give them a very quick treatment
16:10because they can afford to pay for high energy and bigger space is the issue, like in Europe.
16:15Or we can also do a much slower treatment with low energy.
16:18This is one part of the solution that can be deployed globally.
16:23But for it to be adopted, awareness and regulatory support are essential to bring it to scale.
16:29They are still only dealing with PFAS already in the environment.
16:32But the protests have brought change.
16:42After the protests this year, PFAS was mentioned on the floor of the Indian Parliament for the first time ever.
16:53Varun spoke among others at the European Parliament about the proliferation of PFAS to other regions.
17:01Michaela and Giovanni showed up in solidarity.
17:10Currently, the EU is considering a broad ban on PFAS production, use and sale, with limited exemptions.
17:19Companies would then face stricter reporting rules, tighter emission limits and clear phase-out deadlines.
17:26And that would be a big first step forward in the fight against these tough, forever chemicals in our water,
17:33soil and bodies.
17:40There is a silent killer in Lagos that nobody is talking about.
17:44It is everywhere around you, even as you speak.
17:47What if I told you there is a way to handle it and still move about with your hustle?
17:52Dumping the fuel engine and going for an electric bike is not just saving you money.
17:55It is giving us cleaner air to breathe in Lagos.
17:58Egbo, you didn't say no joke.
18:0070% of the choking smoke with the sea for Lagos comes from vehicle emissions.
18:04Think again, O.
18:05We are talking over 11,000 lives lost every year just from breathing polluted air.
18:09That's not a flex.
18:10No exhaust film means cleaner lungs.
18:12You are not just protecting the environment.
18:14You are protecting you.
18:16Imagine in Lagos where you can actually hear yourself think.
18:19No heat between your legs.
18:21No scars from hot exhaust.
18:23Just fresh air.
18:24Are you ready to move without the noise and the fumes?
18:27Let's go!
18:29Farming without soy sounds futuristic, but aquaponics is actually pretty simple.
18:35First used by the Aztecs hundreds of years ago.
18:38It's a system where fish and plants grow together.
18:42Actually, it's bacteria that do the heavy lifting.
18:45The fish produce poop and bacteria turn it into food for the plants.
18:49Without the bacteria, neither fish nor plant could survive.
18:53Around 70% of global fresh water use goes to agriculture.
18:58But aquaponics uses up to 90% less water than soy-based farming because the water is recycled again and
19:05again.
19:06And because the plant roots seeds directly nutrients, crops like lettuce can grow in just 28 days instead of 60
19:13to 100 days as they wood in soil.
19:16Aquaponics can produce two to four times more food in the same area than soy-based agriculture.
19:23And no soy also means no weeds.
19:26Let's go to Libya and see how they do it there.
19:31This is not your typical farm.
19:34The roots of the crops don't grow in soil.
19:36They get their nutrients from the water of a giant fish tank.
19:41At harvest time, the lettuce seeds are just lifted out on their floating plant beds.
19:46This is aquaponics, where fish and vegetable farming work side by side.
19:54At our farm, Hydro Harvest, we grow all kinds of leafy greens.
19:57Lettuce, arugula, mint, basil, kale.
20:02We use a deep water culture system, meaning the plants grow in nutrient-rich water.
20:10Abdullah Alfandi's farm lies just outside Libya's capital, Tripoli.
20:15Human-induced climate change has hit this North African country hard, causing searing heatwaves and droughts.
20:23For Libya's 1.5 million farmers, such as Mohammed al-Zawawi, it's an existential threat.
20:30Al-Zawawi grows chard and pomegranates, but watering them is a growing problem.
20:35Like most farmers in this parched country, he relies on water supplies from the reservoirs of Libya's great man-made
20:43river project
20:44that funnels water from an aquifer under the Sahara.
20:48But the network has been damaged in the country's armed conflict.
20:52Mohammed is worried about his future.
20:57I've lost a lot of crops.
20:59I used to fill four trucks with produce.
21:02Now I can barely fill one, and even that's a push.
21:07I still try to sell what I can on the market, but we've had no governmental support.
21:12We have a long coastline on the Mediterranean.
21:16I really hope the authorities will invest in desalination, so farms like mine can irrigate with seawater.
21:27At Abdullah Alfandi's aquaponics farm, the water also comes from a reservoir but is used far more efficiently.
21:35It circulates between the fish tanks and the plants.
21:39The tilapia provide nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus through their excretions.
21:45And the plants help filter the clean water.
21:48In this closed loop system, palms keep the water well oxygenated.
21:56And there's another benefit.
21:58Regular Libyan farms often use pesticides with little regulation.
22:03Residues on the harvest can cause a range of health issues, as well as harming the environment.
22:09Abdullah's closed system gets by without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
22:14and produces organic fish and vegetables with minimal water loss, making it a sustainable option for desert countries like Libya.
22:23As environmental scientists, we strongly support this kind of eco-farming.
22:30It avoids the need for chemical fertilizers.
22:34And even some of the poorly regulated organic ones you find on the market.
22:42Abdullah Alfandi was just 24 when he launched his aquaponics farm in 2023.
22:47Despite the large initial outlay and technical challenges,
22:51he got his project off the ground with a 20,000 euro grant on the EU's Libya startup program.
23:01He's now built up a loyal customer base for his organic produce, like this cafe in Tripoli.
23:07But for him, this is just the beginning.
23:10He wants to help improve food security in Libya and inspire others to follow his lead.
23:20Awareness is still lacking.
23:24And most people in Libya don't have much money to spend.
23:30But I believe change is coming.
23:35We are already seeing signs of progress.
23:40And when things shift, we want to be ready to lead a better market.
23:50Mohamed Al-Zawawi is also looking into water-efficient farming systems.
23:54He's realized you can get bigger yields in smaller spaces with multiple harvests per year.
24:03With more information and research becoming available,
24:06I'm seriously thinking about moving away from traditional farming
24:10to save water and reduce waste.
24:14I've already started using drip irrigation.
24:18And I'm exploring hydroponics as a more efficient, more sustainable option.
24:23And the consumption in water is the best possible.
24:27Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Fandi is constantly refining his system
24:31and has added azola to the growing cycle.
24:34The plant, also known as mosquito fern, covers the surface of the water,
24:39reducing evaporation and keeping mosquitoes from laying eggs.
24:44It's also packed with protein and makes perfect food for his fish.
24:49Organic aquaponics could play a big part in future agriculture in Libya.
24:54Where innovation isn't just smart, it's essential.
24:59Well, and that's it for this time.
25:01This week's show was about the power we have to make a difference.
25:06Many of us want to give back to our communities
25:08and make a positive impact on the places that we live.
25:12Sometimes all it takes is finding the right opportunity
25:15or joining others who are already making a difference.
25:19Or even just having the courage to start something yourself.
25:24The power to create change is in our hands.
25:28Exactly.
25:29I would love to hear about anything that you're up to.
25:33Get in touch and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter too.
25:37See you next time.
26:05See you next time.
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