DW Transtel | 064977
English
30 mins / ep

Episode 1 -5 (NEW) 2026

The global economy is growing and with it, our reliance on natural resources. The irregular distribution of these across our planet leads to market crises and conflicts, many of them armed. Fossil fuels still secure our energy supply, but reserves are finite and consuming them is the primary driver of the climate crisis. Moreover, the renewable technologies needed to decelerate this process also rely on raw materials: rare-earth elements are crucial for wind turbines and solar modules, as well as mobile devices and our fragile digital infrastructure. Other resources such as soil and water can regenerate, but only if they are used sustainably. Researchers and engineers are searching for better ways to extract and use our natural resources. Extraction Exposed highlights the economic, technical, social and geopolitical aspects of our global dependence on these precious raw materials.

01 The Myth of Clean Natural Gas (2026) NEW
02 Whom Does Water Belong to? (2026) NEW
03 Salt – The Underappreciated Resource (2026) NEW
04 The Race for Africa’s Raw Materials (2026) NEW
05 Race for the Seabed (2026) NEW