♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> juju: tonight, exodus. making the deadliest migrant journey in the world. from africa to europe.igrant tens of thousands every year facing life-threatening conditions. >> there are some women and some young children on board. there's one baby certainly on board there. >> juju: our series looking at people on the move around the globe, reshaping the world as we

know it. >> it seems an emergency we need to address right now. >> you think it's an emergency? >> yes. >> juju: why are a record number of people attempting this treacherous voyage? >> why you would take that risk again to go back out onto those seas? plus robert downey jr. the iron man sharing his superfoods. the actor casting off the armor, tying on an apron. >> it's admirable. >> juju: fresh from his oscar nod for "oppenheimer." >> there's something about this year where i'm feeling a lot of joy. >> juju: how he says you can curb your carbon footprints bite by bite. and justin timberlake. ♪ if i get jealous ♪ >> juju: his sellish return to music. ah mornings! cough? congestion? i'm feeling better. all in one and done with new mucinex kickstart.

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covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by january 31st at coveredca.com. ♪ >> juju: thanks for joining is us. tonight our series "exodus" examines the deadliest migrant journey on the planet. last night we focused on the trek from south america through the treacherous darien gap towards the u.s. border. now we take you to senegal in africa where men, women, and children are driven by extreme poverty and the effects of climate change. many deciding that the possibility of a better life is

worth risking the one they have. here's abc's chief foreign correspondent ian pannell. >> reporter: smoke. ash. and water. a traditional senegalese cleansing ritual he hopes will keep him from harm's way. the 20-year-old, a tailor by trade, may be full of youthful brav bravado, but he's about to embark on the most dangerous migrant journey in the world. can you tell me why are you trying to go to spain? >> reporter: their plights

familiar are the risks are not. it's estimated that more than 6,000 migrants died last year along the same route he's about to take. it's 1:00 in the morning. we're heading now down to the water. hopefully to meet with the smuggler. under the midnight glow of a full moon, jibi and a handful of other men set sail from senegal's coast. their first stop, the volcanic canary islands, a stepping stone to mainland spain and europe. a tense hope drives them into perilous water, clutching a few personal belongings. and tags we've given them to track their voyage. jibi's one of an increasing number of senegalese who risk

their lives to escape extreme poverty and a country progressively suffering the impact of climate change. >> climate change affects our communities. 60% of the population live in the coastal area in senegal. the rise of the sea affected their activities, like fishing and also agriculture. >> reporter: senegal is one of the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, yet it's one of the greatest victims of climate change. like many other countries, it's fueling a growing migrant crisis. >> it is an emergency that we need to address right now. >> reporter: you think it's an emergency? >> yes. >> reporter: migration attempts soared to record heights last year. spain's interior ministry says more than 32,000 migrants reached the canary islands by boat last year between january 1st through november 5th, making the nearly 1,000-mile journey across dangerous seas. some people are critical of

people making a decision to put their children into these boats and sending them out across the seas. i always think that's the wrong question. it's not, how could you put your children in a boat? but, how bad would things have to be here for that to be the best possible option? here in the coastal town of mbour, nembene makes the daily trudge to the markets to buy fish for her neighborhood. it was once a thriving fishing community but bountiful catches have disappeared in recent years, many say in large part due to overfishing by foreign trawlers, others blaming rising ocean temperatures. today, mbene pays $8 for seven pieces of sea bass. 10 years ago, she says she could buy 70 pieces of fish for the

same price. it's made it almost impossible for her to support her family of 11. in july last year, mbene bodied a pirogue, a fishing boat, with her 16-year-old daughter, ada, and 80 other people from this beach, hoping to make it to spain. you've already tried to cross the sea. what happened? despite that harrowing experience, mbene wants to try

again with her 6-year-old in tow. when people listen to your story, it sounds terrifying. and they won't understand why you would take that risk again to go back out onto those seas. senegal is awash in pain and poverty. according to the world food program, more than one-third of the senegalese population lives below the poverty line. about 75% of families suffer from chronic poverty. it's a nearly impossible situation. stay and bear the weight of being unable to care for the ones you love the most.

or leave and risk your life. the issue of migration has become a cultural flashpoint in much of europe. >> migrant rights are human rights! >> what we've seen in europe is an attempt to decrease the arrival of migrants to the continent. >> we will soon begin closing down asylum hotels. >> while a number of people are trying to cross through the canary islands, there's also been attempt to go more recently through latin america, through brazil, ecuador, then go northward toward the united states. the fact that migrants from africa are now trying to cross to the u.s., to latin america, really shows that this is a global issue and that there needs to be this global solution. better organizing migration so that people don't have to risk their life. >> reporter: in senegal, departures by sea happen around

the clock. what's noticeable is that, although it is mainly men, you definitely see there are some women and some young children on board. there's one baby certainly on board there. there are a whole array of people who basically are desperate, ready to risk everything to leave senegal and try and make to it the so-called promised land. hassan kate knows the perils of journey. he's come face to face with death. the scars on your neck, this is not from the journey, is it? we spoke with him just 11 days after he returned home. the wounds from the journey, both on his body and in his mind, still fresh. the 29-year-old was part of the pirogue of 100 migrants that launched in july last year. but the seas and the winds turned against them. the fuel ran dry. the boat drifted hundreds of miles off-course.

with no land in sight, their food began to run out. >> reporter: out of the 100 migrants who attempted the journey, only 38 survived. they were finally rescued by a spanish fishing vessel after floating aimlessly for an incredible five weeks. would you do it again?

>> reporter: once the capital of senegal, st. louis is the oldest colonial city on the west african coast and played a historic part in the country's development. now it's under siege, threatened by rising sea levels. this area here used to be houses. in fact, the sea has continued to rise and intrude so much that this is all that's left of the local schoolhouse. in many ways, senegal is on the front line of climate change, and if you want to know why so many people are leaving, well, this is why. on the dry and dusty interior, the u.n. built this camp to be a temporary refuge for hundreds displaced from the coast.

with nowhere else to go, many of these families ended up staying for months, even years. what are the main problems with these buildings here? >> reporter: mamadu is chief of this camp and also a climate refugee. this satellite imagery shows his village's coastline rapidly eroding year after year. experts say the town itself is on the verge of disappearing. what was the situation like back there for you?

>> reporter: while this camp is a lifeline, it's hard to see any future here. it's insanely hot. there's no electricity and no jobs to be had. mamadu's own brother and cousin, like many others, have already left for spain. as for jibi who embarked on that perilous journey by moonlight, his boat didn't make it to the canary islands. it was intercepted by the coast guard. he plans to try again in the spring once the weather and the seas get better. since we last spoke with her in september, mbene has remarried and isn't planning to try to cross again, nor you. across africa, the toxic mix of war, want, and now climate change means the migrant crisis seems set to only grow. an endless supply of desperation means thousands more will continue to take the deadliest

journey of all in search of the promised land. >> juju: our thanks to ian. the full special "exodus: global migration" streams tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. eastern on "abc news live." when we come back, robert downey jr. from superhero to superfoody. f k with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue for some... and stop joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin;

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♪ >> juju: welcome back. in 2020, robert downey jr. called himself a one-man carbon footprint nightmare colossus and vowed to change. he says now he can help us do the same.

downey sat down with abc's kayna whitworth. >> i felt overwhelmed by the -- for lack of a better word, climate crisis. it's really just, you know -- this is our home planet. we've got to look after it. >> reporter: for over a decade, robert downey jr.'s iron man has been on a mission to save the planet. but his latest venture doesn't require a super suit. >> the choices you make with what your meals are can really affect the longevity of our planet. >> reporter: the award-winning actor teaming up with acclaimed author and climate advocate thomas kostigen for "cool food," a guide to help leaders reduce pollution by choosing low or negative carbon footprint foods bite by bite. >> the idea as doing something as simple as a book, something you can just flip open and go,

hey, this is great. almonds, pretty good. cashews, better. mangos are great. then when i met the supermarket, making choices on set, grabbing snacks for the kids, i'm inserting this kind of data into our meal plans. >> reporter: i think a lot of americans share the sentiment that the climate crisis is daunting and sometimes can feel a little bit helpless. and you have taken a way to do something every time you eat? >> yeah. >> reporter: to do something better for the climate? >> there's three things you need to survive. you need water, air, and food. only one of those things has a variety that you can make a choice on. and that's food. >> reporter: downey, a hollywood staple, rose to fame in the 1980s and '90s. films like "weird science." and his oscar-nominated role in "chaplain." he became one of the highest-grossing actors after playing marvel's tony stark. and just this week was nominated for another oscar for his role in "oppenheimer."

>> i can't believe it. but here we are. >> reporter: you're doing all of this amid a really busy time for you, professionally, and a really exciting time, might i say. congratulations. >> thank you. yeah, this "oppenheimer" experience has been amazing. but it has really kind of brought me back to first principles. >> i think he's being really humble, because his creativity is being shown and so well deserved. now being celebrated. >> reporter: woven into the pages of environmental and culinary tales are some personal stories from robert's days on set. you reference the blueberries scene. >> yeah. >> reporter: then how you look at that now. >> right. yeah. it was some avengers film. >> in a few hours i'll know every dirty secret s.h.i.e.l.d. has tried to hide. blueberries? >> strawberries would have been

a better message. >> reporter: for readers as busy as downey, fast facts. >> fast fact, dates are among the best fruit you can eat for the climate with half the carbon footprint of an apple. >> wow, not only is my family going to love this it's also going to be good for environment. more to come? there's a teaser. >> i think if people dig this, we might keep going. >> juju: our thanks to kayna. the book, "cool foods," is on sale now. when we come back, it's been more than five years since justin timberlake released music as a solo artist. his selfish return. ♪ everything that's on my mind ♪ ♪ and i don't let it out taking my place girl i got too much pride ♪ i prep without pills. with apretude, a prescription medicine used to reduce the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies, apretude was proven superior

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♪ >> juju: finally tonight, new music from justin timberlake. ♪ so if i get jealous i can't help it ♪ ♪ i want every bit of you i guess i'm selfish ♪ >> juju: it's been a half dozen years since he's released an album. today justin timberlake dropped a big tease called "selfish." the video is playful, fun, featuring justin ducking and crawling through a miniature office space before showing off some dance moves on a dark stage. "selfish" is the first single from "everything i thought it was" due mid-march. mark your calendars. that's "nightline." watch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right