It sounds like a distant planet in a dystopian sci-fi movie, and the place itself does not disappoint. For the second of our special reports with Channel 4 News the Ecologist’s Jim Wickens & Channel 4’s Paul Mason went undercover inside the next potential flashpoint between Russia and the west Welcome to Transnistria, a tiny strip […]
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Peasants’ revolt – Romania at war with itself over fracking
Fracking has sparked protests in Britain, but these look subdued compared with a campaign in Romania by peasant farmers, who are fighting their own government. In the first of our new collaborations with Channel 4 News Jim Wickens and Paraic O’Brien report They are the unlikeliest of eco-protesters, a lifetime of hardship engraved on their faces. […]
Special report: India’s coal inferno
India’s planned power expansion depends overwhelmingly on coal, with over a hundred huge new generation units planned by 2030. Sarah Stirk reports on the nightmare the dash for coal is bringing to once peaceful rural communities. Main photo: Sarah Stirk/EFU Champa’s eyes are surrounded by dark circles and her face is thin and drawn. It […]
Revealed: controversial herbicide found in bread and cereal bars
Jordans cereal bars and Warburtons bread have been found to contain traces of glyphosate – a weedkiller that campaigners say poses a potential risk to human health. Andrew Wasley reports They are the proud sponsors of Channel 4’s River Cottage series and widely recognised for their commitment to the environment, promoting ‘conservation grade’ farming where growers must […]
Sussex ‘up for sale’ for oil and gas drilling, documents reveal
Documents reveal Celtique Energie has been privately touting “dedicated fracking” to its investors for oil and gas drilling in Sussex whilst publicly describing the prospects of fracking as “hypothetical”. Andrew Wasley reports The British company behind controversial plans to drill for oil and gas in the Sussex countryside has been accused of operating in a”Machiavellian”manner […]
Is this the real cost of glyphosate & GM animal feed?
Much of our meat and dairy produce is made from animals raised on GM feeds. But alarming new claims suggest that the GM diet is impacting on animal health – prompting fears over food safety for consumers . Andrew Wasley reports At first glance the frozen bundles could be mistaken for conventional joints of meat. But as […]
Farmers against fracking challenge Romania’s dash for gas
The unspoilt pastoral landscape of Transylvania is the latest battlefield in the war against aggressive fossil energy extraction. Jim Wickens reports on the farming communities fighting back against multinational energy companies. “Do you think they’re about to have sex?”, one of the group whispers. I’m in Transylvania, crouched in the bushes with a bunch of […]
How ‘ag gag’ laws target those exposing horrors of factory farming
Faced with threats, gagging laws and even violence, journalists and activists investigating the secrets of the global food industry tread a dangerous path. Andrew Wasley reports The call came early in the end. Around seven. We were on, our contact said. Tonight was the night. We’d been waiting most of the day after last night’s […]
Dolphins speared, butchered and used for shark bait – video
In a major investigation undercover reporters from the Ecologist Film Unit exposed the brutal hunting and killing of dolphins for use as shark bait off Peru’s Pacific coast. Experts interviewed as part of the investigation claim it is the first time that the Peruvian dolphin hunt – by far the biggest such hunt in the world – has […]
Undercover on the world’s ‘largest dolphin hunt’
Jim Wickens reports on the brutal killing of dolphins for use as shark bait off Peru’s Pacific coast The car glided swiftly out of Lima, skimming past brightly-lit barrios before plunging into the darkness of the desert road. We were heading for a midnight rendezvous with a shark fishing boat. The owner of the rough and […]
Ecologist Film Unit 