BBC News
By Rebecca Morelle
Bumping around in the back of a truck, we descend underground.
Just the headlights guide our way into the gloomy tunnels ahead.
We’re heading into South Crofty mine in Cornwall, where copper and tin have been excavated for hundreds of years. This tunnel, we believe, is Elizabethan, so it dates back to the 1500s,” says Richard Williams, CEO of Cornish Metals, as we enter one of the oldest parts of the site.
But access is limited. Much of the mine flooded after South Crofty shut in 1998.
image captionCornish Metals wants to open up South Crofty again
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Last modified on Fri 21 May 2021 07.23 EDT
The main exhibition room at the Natural History Museum in London is cathedral-like, with Hope the blue whale suspended mid-air like a demigod. Filled with specimens collected by explorers, this remarkable place teaches us about the evolution of life on our planet.
There is a âgreat unlockingâ happening in this building, home to one of the worldâs largest natural history collections. Insects on pins and old minerals that have been sitting in mahogany display cases for hundreds of years are being re-examined, digitised and brought into the 21st century.
In the bowels of the museum â empty due to Covid-19 â scientists are working to protect the planet for the future, as well as preserving its past.
Last modified on Mon 4 Jan 2021 13.03 EST
The battle to stave off Earth’s looming climate crisis is driving engineers to develop hosts of new green technologies. Wind and solar plants are set to replace coal and gas power stations, while electric cars oust petrol and diesel vehicles from our roads. Slowly our dependance on fossil fuels is set to diminish and so ease global heating.
But scientists warn there will be an environmental price to pay for this drive to create a world powered by green technology. Prospecting for the materials to construct these devices, then mining them, could have very serious ecological consequences and major impacts on biodiversity, they say.