Turtles have inhabited our oceans for over 150 million years, ever since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Yet today, six out of seven living species are considered endangered. They usually live in tropical waters. However, since the late 2000s, one species – the loggerhead sea turtle – has been coming to lay its eggs in the south of France. Scientists believe that this unprecedented phenomenon could be linked to rising global temperatures. The Down to Earth team reports. 

From crop failures to shrinking lakes, Europe is increasingly suffering from a lack of water. According to the European Environment Agency, around 30 percent of the continent's population is already affected by shortages. Preventing water leaks has become a priority for many cities. In France, a special dog brigade has been trained to locate leaky pipes. As the dogs are able to detect chlorine, they can pinpoint leaks quickly and efficiently. Our team at Down to Earth reports.

Can man and wolves coexist? Several European countries are grappling with this question, as wolves naturally regain ground across the continent. Switzerland is the latest country that's having to adapt to their return. Wolves were first spotted there in 2012, with their numbers tripling to reach at least 300. Shepherds have since had to face growing attacks, but one NGO has made it its mission to reconcile sheep and wolves, offering a unique service to help. Our Down to Earth team reports.

Around the world, record-shattering temperatures are feeding demand for air conditioning. 135 million individual ACs are sold every year, a figure set to triple by 2050 according to the International Energy Agency. This rush to cool air could in turn become a major driver of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Paris, a little-known network of underground water pipes aims to cool down buildings, without resorting to polluting AC units. 

Organisers of the Paris Olympics have promised the event will be "historic for the climate". As part of its climate strategy, the committee established a goal of generating no more than half the planet-warming gases produced by previous Summer Games in London and Rio, pledging to slash emissions in three main categories: construction, transportation and operations. So how is Paris faring, compared to its predecessors? And can a planetary event like the Olympics ever be sustainable?

An Australian environmental activist has become the first person to run the entire length of the Seine River, a total of 848km from its source to the sea, in 30 days. Mina Guli set off on this epic journey last month to draw attention to efforts being made to clean up the Seine, and the need for all cities to restore rivers. The 53-year-old completed her Seine River Run challenge earlier in July, crossing the finishing line in the port city of Le Havre.   

Over the next eight years, scientists will study the DNA of 4,500 marine species found along France's coastline and overseas territories. The ATLASea programme aims to collect specimens of fish, mammals and algae whose genomes have never been sequenced before in order to draw up a genetic “map” of underwater life. Researchers hope the database will eventually contribute to the discovery of new molecules for use in medicine, agriculture and other fields.

There's less than a month to go before the Olympics kick off in Paris. It's a big event for athletes but also for chefs, who are getting ready to serve over 40,000 meals per day. As part of a pledge to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the Paris Games are set to make history by offering more vegetarian cuisine than any previous edition. The committee says the event's plant-based offering will help halve the carbon footprint of meals, compared to the Rio and London games. Our team at Down to...

Scientists are warning of the growing risk of tropical illnesses spreading due to global warming. As temperatures rise, many places are becoming more hospitable to Asian tiger mosquitoes, which are known to carry and transmit dengue fever, Chikungunya but also Zika. In France, record cases of dengue fever have been reported since the start of 2024. Most of them are in people who had travelled to French overseas territories. Authorities warn this could result in people getting infected in...

Around the world, food insecurity is on the rise, with the cost of living crisis cutting many households off from nutritious meals. In France's Bordeaux region, 400 people have begun experimenting with a unique food security programme, aiming to make locally-grown food accessible to everyone - regardless of income. Inspired by France's universal healthcare system, the programme could be the premise of a new branch of “social security” for food - with both social and environmental benefits.

Cheese lovers beware: the days of Camembert could be numbered. According to France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), a lack of microbial diversity risks driving the famed French soft cheese to the brink of extinction. Researchers say a single mould strain known as Penicillium camemberti, which is essential for the production of camembert, is now unable to reproduce. This has led to a collapse in its genetic make-up, threatening its survival and that of the iconic cheese along...

Asian hornets were first detected on French soil in 2004, and the invasive species has since spread rapidly across the country and the rest of Europe, including Germany, Spain and the UK. Asian hornets are known to be a major cause of high bee mortality, with entire colonies wiped out in as little as several days. Earlier this month, the French government launched a nationwide strategy to combat their proliferation. Beekeepers have also had to adapt in order to protect their hives. The Down...

April 22 marks Earth Day, and this year's theme is "Planet vs. Plastics". Over the past 60 years, around 7 billion tons of plastic have been produced, according to the UN. But only around 10 percent of it has been recycled. Initiatives are flourishing around the world to tackle the waste crisis, including new technology to improve recycling rates. French startup Carbios has developed an alternative method to mechanical recycling, using plastic-chewing enzymes to break down polyethylene, one...

As the Spanish region of Catalonia battles its worst drought on record, activists are beginning to question Barcelona's mass tourism model. Should Spain's most visited city be allowed to welcome even more tourists this summer amid a state of emergency? The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

Pumping industrial emissions into the depths of the Earth's crust – is it a silver bullet to pump the breaks on climate change? Norway says yes, as it prepares to launch the world’s first cross-border carbon storage facility. But will it cut global emissions? Or just greenwash and prolong the same old polluting practices?

The Paris metro is one of the oldest underground railway networks in the world. Every day, 4 million people in the French capital rely on its services. But could Parisians be unknowingly exposing themselves to toxic levels of air pollution? The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

In France's eastern Lorraine region, scientists have uncovered vast deposits of natural hydrogen, one of the cleanest fuels in nature. The discovery could be the biggest of its kind so far, spurring a global energy race for the fuel of the future. The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

Where life cannot be sustained, some plant species show astounding resilience against toxic contaminants. Could they help us clean up pollution? The Down to Earth team investigates. 

As the UN's annual climate summit gets underway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, one underlying question is set to top the agenda: can the world finally agree to ditch fossil fuels? Down to Earth takes a closer look.

One year on from the historic wildfires that decimated the woodlands of Gironde in south-western France, the bark beetle is adding insult to injury. Bark beetle larvae usually feed off the sap of dead trees, but after the fires left so many trees weakened, it's been a field day for the insect, which is now proliferating at an alarming rate. It's now a race against time to save what can be saved – to evacuate dead or infected trees from the area, in the hope of protecting their neighbours. The...

Last August, a massive rockfall in France's Maurienne valley brought traffic to a standstill between France and Italy. Nearly 16,000 cubic metres of rock suddenly tumbled down the mountain, damaging a highway and train tracks down below.

Their carbon-absorbing properties have made trees crucial climate allies. But for how long? As extreme climate conditions accelerate their decline, forests are losing their ability to act as carbon sinks by soaking up planet-warming gases. In France, some have even turned into a source of carbon. In this edition of Down to Earth, we meet with scientists as they try to piece together the sequence of factors contributing to the decline of French forests and carbon sequestration. 

As cities expand, demand for land continues to grow. But that same land provides vital services to humans, such as agriculture. Nature and urbanisation are two sides of the same coin. Can they ever be reconciled? Or is urban sprawl inevitable? The Down to Earth team takes a closer look at the situation in France.

They produce twice as much oxygen in the Mediterranean as the Amazon rainforest. They are often confused with algae. But seagrasses, known as "posidonia" in the Mediterranean, are plants that are crucial to our planet. Yet they are under threat. Scientists believe the Mediterranean has lost 14 percent of its seagrass meadows over the past 100 years. Tourism, boats dragging their anchors and pollution have driven the rapid decline of this ancient, carbon-absorbing plant.