regional officials and ukraine stone bass regions say russian bombing has destroyed the last bridge providing an escape route from submitted. the next month, president lensky says, his troops could still turn things around if they're supplied with the weapons. standing watching g. w. news from berlin up next close up presents, gaining ground, working the land for our climate, and showing us how healthy soil sustains life on earth. thanks ruth. i'm the green you feel worried about the planet me to on the old hosting the on the green fence podcast and to me it's clear we need to change. join me for a deep dive into the green transformation for me, for you,

for the plans in the earth beneath our feet is the very foundation of life. it provides us and countless other creatures with nourishment, yet we're destroying it. we poison it, po concrete, over it, and exploit it. a 3rd of all fertile soil worldwide is already lost. building it back is a challenge for humanity. we have to think in terms of $30.00 to $40.00, maybe even 100 year would not java. but the potential is massive as soil is our best hope, the saving the planet. all the c o 2 in the atmosphere could be captured in our soil. even in the middle of the city, we can free up and restore. so we didn't have to seal all this ground and we should

be conscientious. but can we learn to bring the ground back to life rather than just trampling on it? ah syrian the greenhouse of austria, yoseph nagel, is the 10th generation of farmers to til these veils he's aware that his children will also have to live off this land. so he decided to radically transformed the way he farms for. yeah, we used to just work with a plow. yeah. now this is my machine. thus my new machine, he's machine is a cultivator. the prawns only come the surface of the earth. a plow on the other hand penetrates deeper. bringing sub soil to the top and disturbing soil life.

yoseph, nagel has switched from conventional agriculture to humans farming. that means not only planting grain right seed and turnips, but also building up humus. humans farming gives the soil more than it takes and requires new techniques. we had a law come on, we loosen and make the earth, we don't turn it anymore. hemlaw. currently, when i loosen it, i make sure i don't go to deal with the fish and that i work with the smallest possible quantities, iron sharon oven, the cultivator spears, worms, bacteria, and fungus. it works, crop residues into the soil and thus provides food for like in a compost heap. the microorganisms turn plant parts into valuable soil. in this sense, a human famine nourishes the soil rather than crops. conventional agriculture is different. crops consume nutrients from the earth. artificial fertilizer is added

as needed. and the soil is further damaged by regular ploughing mana cultures and pesticides. this is also what use if naga was taught and how he used to farm. until one day something happened which changed everything. that i had a serious accident which made me change my business pretty carefully. we are known for cub hope. say i survived cover that i had a lot of guardian angels dusky about him. he got me thinking and made me decide to change how i walk from here for tomorrow at man yoseph. nagel was almost killed by a tree while doing forestry work. he was in hospital severely injured for a long time and began to think about what he really wanted to leave his children. they would inherit dead soil if he continued to pharmacy happy. the farmer decided

that he survived his fields would get a new lease of life as well. he found help close to his farm, where 3 local communities joint forces to form the ecological region of kind off in austria. their aim is to rebuild humans. gara dunst is one of the plane is he and fellow campaigners share knowledge in the so called humorous academy that was not previously taught in agricultural colleges use of novel and other farmers. a learning how soil can be farmed to become more fertile by the year. and how earth worms of valuable team members deliver, go. earth wasn't created by god, but excavated by earth. worms, with enough earthworms don't disappear. they just get buried in rain, where vc, they the most stable, kind of humorous and homeless ah, garret, which has since been imitated. all over europe, people here say agriculture needs

a radical shift in mindset of your husband and it's the, i think in the last decade we mastered the art of extracting the maximum from the soil word back. then we didn't know that the, so it would get progressively weaker and that more and more humans would be lost from answering. and the problem is that the farmers experience is built on this down which degrade soil theat which worked for decades. that yet seemed to longer for aggression. a day at the humorous academy begins with theory classes and gives farmers had chance to share experiences. asked a noon suspense out in the field where they can see, feel, and smell. what makes me healthy and humorous rich soil mine lawyers in southern germany. a small town doing big things. here to the soil is to be revived. this colossal building in the middle of town is the former spinning plant. the industrial ruin is the size of 20 football fields. ro,

bad thought wants to change this. he's been mer since 2016, but the politicians from the christian social union grew up here and recalls the time when the spinning factory was still in use. happening that often good. i remember the smell, the 1st and i worked here in my school holidays between the age of 15 to 75. my job was to clear the shot. it's of that loft that had gathered during the year and as the artist, i guess i'm at home in its heyday, 3000 people worked at the spinning plant. pit went bankrupt during the economic crisis of 2008. since then, the old factory has been falling into disrepair and unnecessarily ceiling the soil but mayor robert bush and landscape architect van alcove, it's have a plan. alca, this is a specialist in unsealing ground and reviving soil that was locked on the concrete . he sees great potential, especially in smaller places like mine,

loyce the album there, shark, a negative one indiscreetly places rely industry one also here back when i was growing. i know and thought about the environment, but so large areas were concrete. it over enormous when it's i think there's a big potential to actively change the on sky like here in the vice president can dinner on savannah. the will to change things in mind. loyce is strong. many of the old factory holes, as well as the concrete flooring to be gotten rid of so that in just a few weeks, rain can fall on the soil again. can now and right here is where we will 1st tear open the concrete. and then we will cultivate the soil beneath wonder or on the spot. there will be a connecting path to the park. if i be, the rest will be a great area there. if we don't know what the ground is like under, you know, because the building has stood on it for over 100. the noise isn't ah, the plans for the town centre are represented by these model. the past can easily

be lifted out and replaced with the future. the plan is to have appointments, gastronomy and offices, partly in the old holes, and plenty of green spaces, hammered and pike, nearly half the park with the leg to fight for the buildings have gone, said the water can get back into the i guess of it. the service water will have a positive effect on the micro climate equal health and water will be able to drain again autumn. so this means the new town center will be able to better withstand climate change. and the living soil will extract c o 2 from the atmosphere. it's a concept that should attract public funding. the idyllic beauty of these countryside is deceptive. here and run a book to india. the ground is still contaminated from the g d i years when uranium was mine here using rather reckless methods to these die, the area poses

a threat to human health and the environment. microbiologist, erica, kuta and geologist, thorsten schaffer want to eliminate that danger and revive the soil so that it's healthy or even useful. again, vis. spending a week on the site together with students and researchers from the university of vienna. they're investigating water, soil, and plants here. what have 40 years of uranium mining done to the land? in 1949, europe's largest uranium reserves were found here. they were exploited for the soviet atomic industry. workers extract of the or from the mine unprotected acids

were used in the uranium extraction which released highly toxic heavy metals. thousands of people died of lung diseases such as silicosis or of cancer. the toxic burden still weighs heavy to day. but thanks to biology, even this contaminated soil could be made useful for cultivation. again, this takes the right bacteria, fungus and plants working together. they can't remove the heavy metals, but they can capture them in mineral form or bind them to the roots allied it mesh today i want the heavy metals to stay in the i not be washed out with the ground water, so they have to be captured if hesky leaked viet captured here, means holding the toxins so that they can no longer get into the water leaves or would they effectively become immobile. the solution could help to remediate contaminated soil, not only in the side, but in many places around the world. thus,

as he had, he has walked fleshy necklace, here is a test failed. a small one is of attack. that the idea is transferable to the former uranium mine. he and i and to all other full man mining lands on shaft, not all areas impacted by mining, where currently nothing is growing. good afternoon to next. my organic trex research is cannot give a precise figure as to how much land area is affected. but we know that it's many thousands of square kilometers world wide. yet the growing demand for rural materials, including for lithium, cobalt and nickel, used in batteries and cell phones means more and more areas are becoming dangerous and unusable for agriculture. 6 months ago the students put special bacteria into the earth and as i now they want to know whether they have multiplied and started to capture the toxins. bend of helium equal okay, so there are a lot of micro organism mess up the to breathing. then there's

a lot of activity in the soil than it's healthy soil. now, borden, if there isn't much breathing going on, that's a sign that the conditions are poor. one who possibly due to the heavy metals am i taught and not many microorganisms can live and breathe that up. when con, while erica cooter is investigating the development on the ground with the students, thorsten schaffer checks out what has been happening over ground from up in the air . the drone has special senses to ascertain how the trees are growing. in the beginning only all the trees would grow here, but in the meantime, birch and willows can also be planted. the timber will later be sold to cover part of the re mediation costs. thorsten schafer is more than happy with the development and then it's just the bicycle. it's not on the book for when i drive out to horrible. now cause or i'm out in this new landscape with my family

done with this guns. i feel proud talking bas installed stuff this here shows that landscape can be given a new purpose. norion's van that we can give something back to society let after we're game come me, but it will take generations for the ground to recover completely haven't finished . however, we're not talking about 10 years here. yeah. maintenance ownership that we have to think in terms of 30 to 40 off would not maybe even 100 years of until we can leave this system to its own devices and current on his transcripts to valentine lou steel. it's a chance not only for ron, a book, but a solution which could revive lost ground world wide o back in austria,

where the farmers in stillia are out in the field. oh, no. ah. the 1st practical lesson of the human academy touching the crumbling, needing and feeling the soil. but also what we see here is exactly what we want. the soil is falling apart. it's loose and crumbling. this rate, if you could criminally the, i bought this so it brings a range of benefits high. now with your firstly there is no erosion read and secondly, it is much easier to far it yet. it's just not as labor intensive opened again. and thirdly, there's a guaranteed harvest because the earth is much better at absorbing and storing the water name and that such patient come shoeless rich soil can absorb up to 150 liters of water in one hour as a comparison, 200 liters in 2 days lead to the r valley flood catastrophe in 2021. but building

up humans needs time and effort. we have you, how can it? it took us generations to deplete the humans. so we can expect everything to be repaired in one or 2 years. we need to understand that getting the soil back to good condition is a project for generation based on total took on the most important rule is to always have something growing by the crops or inter implants that's not only good for battling erosion did with ortho least that i'm or it means mass growth through the root excretions. ok, so you work with louse rather. woo hoo! it's effectively a carbon pump from the air to the soil, to hold the font aloft. important plants absorb carbon dioxide and store the carbon in the earth, which is good for the climate and for soil life. the working day on the field is over but not for gara dunst. humorous use both his job and his vocation ever since

he 1st experimented with compost in his grandmother's garden at the age of 13. to day the 63 year old make soil to him the world climate report of 20 o 7 was both a wake up call and an opportunity ran factual key at random position ranking. so we was shocked that the climate could change so much and we said we have to do something. the idea was to make one region c, o 2 new drove by no time yet. the keys, the right cultivation of the soil ah speeds to miss consists of 50 percent carbon for the seo tao in our atmosphere could be captured in our soil and period blatt's soil is a giant stora of carbon but only a fraction of its potential is used it could absorb all the c o 2 emissions caused by humans to reach this target. the carbon in the soil would have to rise annually

by 0.4 percent. frances government is aiming for this with its full po, 1000 initiative. in 2015, many nations including germany committed to these goals at the cop climate summit in paris at least on paper. one problem is a lack of expertise and of funding as this transformation is costly in kind off, they didn't want to wait for subsidies ah, venting to off to. so we searched for a way to fund our project, and it only makes sense if many farmers join an to make a difference to climate change it taking kima langley doesn't go to school. they came up with a system in which anyone in kind of who builds up humus on their field, gets a certificate. every certified ton of carbon in the soil is worth a cash premium. the system benefits both the climate and farmers

in mine lowest. i also need money to re nature the earth. the community applied for funding from the federal government for the demolition redesign and re nature of the form of spinning factory. the local buddhist hug member in soil now supported the application. after a long wait, she has news from berlin in bavaria. i think around 15 communities have received the funding and i am pleased that you are one of them, which is also thanks to your good contact chap. naturally. i remember when robert became mayor here in my life, this was one of the main projects he wanted to push the d and it's a phenomenal project in breakfast and foster consciousness my life. at last the diggers can get to work. 14 hector is of this former industrial complex, an area twice as large as berlin's potsdam plots are to be broken up. the vegetated soil will not only offer

a living space for plants and animals. it will be good for people to. he can cool the ground by up to 8 degrees in summer, absorb heavy rain and improve air quality. regaining ground in mind, loyce ever since mer robert bush learned about the wide reaching effect. this can have the project has been a top priority for him. these days he sees his hometown with fresh eyes spotting opportunity on every corner. with every measure big or small, i ask myself whether the soil needs to be sealed or whether concrete can be removed . when i look around now or onto the street, i see areas that could be unsealed and printer. this mindset would be useful across germany. every day, 50 to hector's, the equivalent of 72 football fields of earth gets buried under asphalt or concrete . even though the german government's climate protection plan set,

the maximum to 30 hacked is robert bush. his latest project is an area which had been earmarked for industry. but then the local council canceled the plan after seeing the potential of the repurposed form, a spinning factory events in. if you had asked me 15 years ago, i would have told you it great to use this land of construction to seal the soil surface on the concrete and i development abbas spending mill site showed us. you can unseal a concrete it area and revive it. test, it was the process, and now i say ammonia wants to pictures it and i'm convinced we don't have to seal all land services. we have to monitor the use of our land and restrict it and, and we can bring you live to the old more just as we're trying to do. and our towel, sentato re purposing existing buildings instead of concrete thing as a free space. giving unused spaces back to nature. these steps are effective for combating urban sprawl. not just in mind. loyce. here in the

west pomeranian village of doro, bluff shanella, is breathing new life into the ground. 25 years ago, the trained gardener left berlin to come out here where land was still affordable. but the soil was in a bad state. the sharpness that i took over ailing soil rapes it had been grown here every 3rd year. rape seat is christopher morris and christopher's plants always bring soil disease to the earth. it was really noticeable, the fact then there was some plans i simply couldn't grow his own amman phone. healthy soil needs diversified crop rotation. different crops have different effects on the soil. for example, pulses such as veins, concentrate nitrogen in the soil, and nitrogen acts like fertilizer. one of schnell has methods is so called area rotting, which adds nutrients similar to cow dung. buses. we mo, it all down, chop it up at a plant, ferment, and then work that into the soil. then the basic idea comes from prairie landscapes

is on which a wide diversity of vegetation grows you and which are grazed by ruminant animal is amusing, up, covered at both fun ruminants. faces are full of micro organisms that have passed through its ribbon with one of its stomachs posits this mid recall, gunderson but instead of from a cows room in here, the microorganisms develop in a bucket. they developing wild herbs the garden are gathered locally of year them every leave essentially has different bacterial coaches. we're trying to multiply these by adding sugar cane molasses of and a bit of salt, so that especially the lactic acid bacteria multiplying miss o'bar tanza from me. and those are the ones found in the cows digestive tract in its room, in a po for calm. so we are imitating the cows intestines in here, or dom your turner in

canada, this is what makes the ground fertile and the end and as the nose, moth shanella sprays the herbal dung on the interim plans which are then mow down and worked into the surface a simple but effective method is been so gushed to delta gamma i studied god and it was a sheer motto. but what i'm doing here is uncovered in gardening, degrees as of soil. science and fertilization were 2 separate subjects back vantage aga, no one understood that they actually belonged together. how does this but slowly, especially on the practical side of things, what we're doing here is becoming more and more present of this mir and met some, tim overseer mahan, a holistic approach, where the gardener nourishes the soil rather than the plants. the 56 year old has not yet reached his goal, but he's very pleased about one thing that the thing is looked at by the plants, the health of my plants that say it is the end of august and there are no effort on these broadband blood flow as

a palm harbor. that's really because these bains and completely nourished form of the soil 1st indic on the uncanny or subordinate my laws. all of shanella supplies took restaurants all over germany, with his vegetables from doro, including berlin. sometimes the gardener even delivers his properties personally, for example, to a berlin restaurant which has just been awarded with the newly introduced green michelin style, the gardener, and the sheriff. matter to trade fair share, florida sees many reasons to buy vegetables from olaf shanella of info, or it's definitely due to the quality of the product. it was just unbeatable items and that i drew for all the suppliers. we work with sir oscar. we are very selective on targets. i want to work with great people who enjoy what they do is mark massey, martin, or as we look for sustainable. and regenerative products shall be typed on. these

build something up, but instead of destroying artist or mission that was could put mot ah, st. like a in stereo, austria. this dedication is tangible. they build up good soil which leads to healthy, produce, and benefits. the climate. the farmers cannot manage this without support. so the eco region is connecting them with private in jewels and businesses. one of the network is, is johann book maya effect. if the company's paid for the foreigners to pump c o 2 out of the atmosphere into the ground, something most companies cannot do themselves on the market. so it's money from society by a companies, but it gets diverted into sustainability and ecologically friendly agriculture, angelina. these must 1st be verified, a job for florrie, unfortunate equipped with measuring tools and a top secret map. he examines yoseph novels,

pumpkin fields. the farmer does not know where for she is taking his samples. these calculating how much carbon the soil has retained since the last measurement ah, then we take at least 25 samples from these failed. the sample is then mixed homogenized and taken to the laboratory for testing homes le boycott. the results will determine the farmers cash premium. it's a big day for use if nagel, as he's finding out to what extent his hard work will pay off. johan book maya has the results i yoke, and he had a fair. i said, be nice to see, you know, then i get a nozzle has been building up humus on his field since 2016. his products have definitely improved, as the farmer demonstrates with his pumpkin seed. will

a regional specialty benefit disliked when i tilted sequin to star? i can see that there is no red all brown coloring her ot auto. it really has a green color and it could ruin a shabby app in to so his essence of paid off for the harvest. but what about in terms of carbon is that how much has na, gold captured from the atmosphere and stored in his fields. finally, y'all can book my ashes, the figures were missing, aton, and sailed. so i how many tons of c o 2 has a father managed to capture in this earth and set his case? he captured 152 times federal funding which will certify theater. at the moment farmers get 30 euros per ton of seo to lancaster. i think i had a quote on it so its bye. oh, that makes full 1500 urines use of nozzle is more than happy with his premium. and with his contribution to climate protection. he full farmers in germany cultivated

their fields to build up humans as novel does. it would compensate for all of the c o 2 emissions of the german transport sector, working the soil for our climate and regaining ground. the eco region of kind of shows that this is possible and rewarding. ah ah, people and trucks injured one trying to flee the city center. more and more refugees are being turned away. order. families played on syria for the credit on its way located in this trade. people fleeing extreme drought.

ross getting 200 people, his son from the juicy around the world. more than 300000000 people are seeking refuge as to why? because no one should have to flee. make up your own mind. d. w. made for mines. with this week on world stories. daily war time life in the dawn bus region, young russians and exile in georgia. but we begin near the ukrainian capital of kia .