so sorry, t c, d. c. the so called opioid crisis was triggered not by drug dealers, but by us pharmaceutical company per do. it's product oxycontin came on the market in 1996 and was aggressively advertised as a homeless pain killer. it was later revealed to be heavily addictive, even when taken as prescribed. several lawsuits have been filed against the family who own purdue. last year, 3 large pharmacy chains in the u. s. were ordered to pay $650000000.00 for failing to sufficiently control the distribution of the drugs. it's hard to see a way out, especially as drug cartels have long since discovered the lucrative market for themselves. with a ruthless killer on the streets of america, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroine in the us. someone dies of fentanyl

overdose every 7 minutes. where does the truck come from? so why is it so dangerous to search for answers leads us to the city of clear can in north west mexico. the notorious in a lower cartel have a strong hold on the trade in illicit drugs him. after months of research, one of its drug lords has agreed to talk to us on the way from the airport. our mexican producer receives a phone call or hello. there is an or on some of these people are a new don, god, we're not 0. but arnold window, your cross the bridge are a part of the bridge road or just it was, which is one of the like over and over the bridge in a hotel, we meet a man who says his name is juan. he immediately is his a warning firm,

o r philanthropy, as long as you stick to what we agreed and disguise our identities, our voices and faces that it's all good. if you don't spread misinformation, then there won't be any problems along one of these part of the cartels fentanyl production. the drug is the latest best seller responsible for the deadliest drug waive in american history. he says he'll give us access to one of the many safe houses where the cartel produces fentanyl. oh, we used to have a few big laboratories, huge industrial spaces where we produce the drugs. but we learned from our mistakes . a big lab is easy to find, for example, from the air. and if you're exposed, the damage is considerable. oh,

oh. kwan leaves we are told to wait at the hotel until he contacts us again. we get to call late at night when we are less likely to attract attention. the cartel has many enemies. get to my location and when you get there, don't stop. just keep driving and give me a call and i'll be guiding you. but follow jorge. and his assistant are making fentanyl using chemicals, illegally imported from china. the ingredients full sentinel are relatively easy to come by compared to other opioids. and only a small amount is needed to induce a high, it's easy to smuggle and the profit margins are huge. the cartel knows exactly how deadly the substance is. just 2 milligrams can be fatal or family accidentally inhaled some last week. oh, i fell into

a coma and spent 8 days in hospital. i only breathed it in once. oh, oh. oh, okay. in the u. s. one pill sells for between $5.00 and $10.00. in this house alone hold hi produces 50000 a day. mexican drug lords do whatever it takes to keep this $1000000000.00 industry going. ah, we have people who test each batch for us. we take the pills and tell us if they're good. there are drug addicts. they don't even get paid. they're happy because they get the gear for free on all the cartels reign of terror of public life here has brought the power of the mexican state to its knees. this was made clear in 2019, during the arrest of a video, guzman lopez, the son of the former cartel boss and most famous mexican drug, kingpin of all time i'll chopper, i

gun battles broke out between the police military and heavily armed cartel members in broad daylight full sources later released him to avoid further bloodshed. then, in january 2023 guzman lopez was re arrested and a similar wave of violence broke out killing 29 people. yet the heavily armed gangsters are by no means the cartels deadliest product. last year, around 70000 people died as a result of fentanyl abuse in the us alone. drug related deaths and the country are at a record high. the kensington neighbourhood of philadelphia is one of america's drug hotspots. the fentanyl crisis is plain to see here. matt had managed to win himself of the highly addictive drug, but recently relapsed. i was on suboxone. this is pay 7

moisten with my type of mind for him is it wasn't enough. they needed to be more and more and more and more. and eventually on. you know, i was kind of scared of doing fennel again because showing he were overdose. emergency 25 year old natasha has passed out and overdose. the police officers stand by just as helplessly as the government in the face of the biggest drug crisis and us history. i finally natasha regains consciousness. but he would rather she hadn't also before you come robin slow the growth awful. i've heard before. i'd murder listen of i o division learners in you let me go please. to the hello homer. 5 years ago sarah laurel, her social worker, was addicted to drugs too. when she finally managed to get clean,

she decided to dedicate her life to help the victims of drug abuse. she offers addicts, advice, and help them to get clean to that was much more pell and much more deadly. so what we saw a fennel is that it was ling laced into drugs other than opiates it was inc. okay. it was a methamphetamines, it was an crack if you know it, their drug market is a very competitive market. so people wanted to boost sales by making the high a little bit more intense. the number of drug related deaths has gone up by around 20 percent over the past year in the us. the crisis is going from bad to worse, and the fight against it appears to be hopeless on both sides of the board. maize, rice and wheat a some of the world's most important crops. but how will harvests fair?

as temperatures increase, research suggests that the mays harvests in hotter areas could fall by more than 20 percent. and the world meteorological organisation fears that even before 2030, the average temperature on earth would have risen by 1.5 degrees celsius. that will need to crook damaging heavy rains and droughts as an urgent need for more resistant plant species. a genetically modified plants, a viable solution, or could they pose a new threat? we started improving plants by cross breeding. the best variety is the 1st records of human, selecting ancient grass and wheat date back 10000 years. since then, we've multiplied corn, wheat, rice, and so yields by several times and read them to something which would probably be hard to identify for one of the early settlers back then. for example, do you know what this is? today?

it looks like this doesn't seem like a close relative does it. in the past, decades yields have skyrocketed to feed an ever increasing population. we did not stop at just multiplying yields. our excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and the ongoing conversion of sense of ecosystems to crop land have degraded 40 percent of fertile soils globally. what's more, the climate crisis is forecast to reduce harvests. the problem is we actually need to produce more, but without using moreland and more resources is a 50 percent gap between the food produce today. and what we need in 2050 just, just to feed people adequately. if everyone became a vegetarian, we could produce enough sustainably, but that doesn't look like it'll happen any time soon. if we just stick at the current yield rate, sale is great is can power sample on the back and move on. and then the only way

that we would meet those needs is to expand the agriculture frontier even further. which means sort of good bye to the remaining natural ecosystems. scientists are designing climate resilience, super crops that might produce higher yields and need fewer resources to grow. they want to see about the process by changing the plants. genetic code with genome editing, such as with rice, drought was major news. it is brutal down there, drought emergency unprecedented droughts, add heat waves, have put, brought a scarcity into sharp focus. that's a problem for rice of thirsty crop used to be soaked. a new breed might help in the future. this variety, i are 64 is mostly grown in the global south, but it's eaten worldwide. scientists tweaked it's genes to make it more drought resistant. the new rice uses up to 40 percent less water in some weeks, while the conventional varieties did not survive

a week without water in 40 degree heat, half of the gene edited plants did. scientists did this by instructing a naturally occurring gene in the plant to be more powerful. this gene helps reduce the number and size of the plans pores which are responsible for gas and water exchange. fewer and smaller pores meant the plant saved water yields increased or remain the same. the method they used here is called crisper cas 9, also known as genetic scissors or genome editing. it is fundamentally different to traditional genetic modifications or g m technologies. it relies actually on natural processes, but it makes the mutation process much lesser and most g m products contain a synthetic gene or a gene from another organism inserted into the plant or animal of interest insect resistant cotton. and mean, for example, grown widely around the world contain a gene originally found in bacteria. instead of using foreign dna,

gene editing makes changes in the characteristics of any organism using the information present in its own genetic code. using special enzymes, working like scissors, we can delete, swap or repeat genes present in the plants dna. it will take many dozens of generation until you have only this one gene transferred by crossing and then often will not be very viable because the would just take too long. so the it gene am editing is really super powerful because it can go and the single gene change it and boil up. it takes 7 to 15 years to get across bread plant with the desired trait, with gene editing just a couple of months plus a few years of testing. globally, gene editing research is speeding up from only a couple of patterns filed in 2011 to about 2000 patents in 2019 by private companies and public researchers. the us, china,

and multi nationals are investing heavily in the technology which is expected to develop into a multi $1000000000.00 market by the end of the decade. it's risky, especially as many new crop varieties are still in the research phase. and little data and few risk assessments exist weekend have been have to see what happens in nature. it's all uncertain. and it will be really experimentation, act ah, we're will be far ahead of assign, sometimes we'll have to catch up some experts point to cases of off target genetic changes or cases of deleting much more generic information than intended. additionally, genes involved in increasing yields and some type of drought could decrease yields in wet years. and as there is a large number of genes involved, turning one or 2 genes on or off is mostly not enough here. the less optimized the crop, the easier it is to improve. that's why experts see most potential in quickly developing

old varieties that haven't been part of industrial production so far, such as millet ein corn, wheat, or manioc, which already have stronger defenses against climate related challenges. but where breeding is still in it's infancy, ah, so i don't want to take anything at the table. the challenge is so significant. i don't wanna take crisper technology don't. i don't want to take shift in diets. i don't want to take restoration or reducing. it's all of these things. you genetically edited crops are labeled g m and therefore heavily regulated. but there is increasing discussion about whether the g m label is still appropriate or of genome editing should be considered a new breeding method instead of classic genetic manipulation in the us, china and many latin american countries. genome edited crops don't need to be labeled or controlled as g m. and the sector plans to bring several crops to the

fields in the coming years. as highly advanced as genome editing methods may be conventional breeding will remain as important. neither will be able to make up for the huge burden we currently put on our ecosystems. but they'll probably filled the food gap in the future. several african countries have experienced a, bola outbreaks. in recent years, thousands of people have died from the infectious disease which likely spread from meat sold at market. cove at 19 is also said to have jumped from animals to humans in a similar way. guerrillas can also contract corona virus in the republic of the congo res, such as a, taking a closer look. it is 5 o'clock in the morning and robbie booker is already tracking through the congolese jungle. early mornings are the best time for the young environmental scientists to search full and study the gorillas. after a one hour trek, he spots some. under strict precautions,

he tries to observe them study their behavior. kumasi prohibited according to mask, is to avoid contamination than an able and contamination with the gorilla with corona virus. it's important that we protect the animals against the season because, and we know that when the disease migrates from humans to animals and then possibly back to humans, it gets very complicated and alone. that would have been a conflict of the north of congo. brazza vall is home to the western lowland gorillas, thousands live here. nowhere else in the world. can you find such a density of guerrillas? how dangerous as covert 19 for them? that's a question, robbie barker and his research group often debate, but they simply don't have an answer yet. after a silver back, i'd seriously sick with cove it in the u. s. su, they've been very careful. they keep at least 25 meters away from the gorillas and everyone here is vaccinated. in the early, 2, thousands

a bowler killed almost 5000 guerrillas. that disease was most likely transmitted by bats, possibly from eating the same fruits. that's why rubber cocker and a group of students from the university of russellville, are also resetting the areas massive back population equivalent on the phone. it's very important to follow up on that pathogens because there's a local community that eats bats in room and scientifically. we know that there's a risk of transferring disease from bad to humans, the shop saki alone in the capital browser. well, there are several high risk places for the spillover of diseases from animals to humans. bush meat markets, while selling endangered species like ariellas and chimpanzees, is illegal many other varieties of bush me. it can be bought here for thorn be masika brewer crawford. oak. these are markets that can be considered breeding grounds for diseases in those markets. viruses can be easily transferred from

animals to human insight along it pre up and we're not someone contracts the disease, it quickly spreads to others to prevent future disease outbreaks among the guerrillas . the scientists have increased surveillance, creating an early warning system. the research base is the core of the congo conservation company. his research has financed by eco tourism, but they want to keep the number of tourists low. we don't want to push on the gory as to much and or so we don't want to have a, a kind of factory and like a lot of people coming in coming in, coming in. we wanted to keep bits or as was come as possible to be a bull. oh, to manage that lives of park. and we've the consumption aspects. we don't want to most tourism here in the meantime, robbie because getting ready for his next track to the gorillas, he has a few more weeks for his research here before returning to the capital to write his

master's thesis longs on his paws. cuz the reason i think i'll never get tired of seeing the gorillas fit for me, it's a dream of. it's a dream to be here, to be able to go and see them as a dream. i can spend all day long watching them before me. well, that's the life i want to live life experience rather, the cock, once more congolese, to appreciate the environment and study natural sciences in his master's course, they are currently only for students. according to the world bank, around 40 percent of columbia's population lives in poverty. that's the result of decades of civil war. and now many people are also suffering the economic consequences of the corona virus pandemic. many colombians are desperate to leave their home country and make a new life in the u. s. and yet, dreams can also come true in columbia as our next story shows.

when the music starts to play, diego feels join every fiber of his body. the dreary world around him disappears and he transforms from a poor young man into a proud ballet dancer, as using the pin. yeah, it's always been my dream and i'm working hard to achieve my goal of upward road. i'm always training. biando is joy hender in underwater. it's always been his dream to become a ballet dancer. and there's only one place where his dream can become a reality. the day starts early for dig a lopez in the hills of columbia's capital home to the cities more impoverished residence. diego lopez's family is so poor that they only have enough money for their daily sustenance. being a successful ballet dancer has always seemed out of reach for diego.

c digure pro i tried taking drugs. i didn't have a job. education wasn't an option. i didn't have any life goals. i had no idea what to do with myself, diane, he found it. go ahead and get him lena. his aimlessness is now a thing of the past. the 21 year old young man travels more than 2 hours a day to a place where others share his passion for dance. the festival art foundation in the heart of bogota is diego new home, where he spends 8 hours a day with his new family. in just 2 years time, he has improved significantly to become the foundations, most promising dancer, according to foundations director marley hernandez. he's not the same strange kid who 1st showed up at their doorstep. i know that, but as in our, in our nar, wendy eggers showed up here with these little capital with away he looked, i thought, oh my god,

diego was already too old, thin and meek. then the transformation began in his poise, grace, power, and endurance, quickly developed, along with an unshakable self confidence that he didn't have when he 1st arrived. all the students here come from poor families. marleni hernandez used her own money to start the foundation to help them. she is always on the lookout for new sponsors because she can't rely on the state for help. that is gone. elma, who plays a paypal with a lot of the spirit who are working hard to make their dreams come true, but up would we be. they are driven to succeed so that they can survive wireless. they have the same rights and deserve the same opportunity that is intell. ah, they have to work hard to better themselves. it requires brutal discipline, and they have to make difficult maneuvers look easy. they're also developing

leadership skills and learning how to work as a team. male group members in particular, have to fight back against preconceptions that men don't do ballet. when a problem is elisha muma, when i told my mother she immediately asked me if i was gay. i said no, then she asked me if i wanted to be gay, and i said, no, i don't. okay, no. even diego mother was against him dancing at 1st. she's the family's mean breadwinner, and diego helps her on the weekends. her daughter suffers from epilepsy and another son is homeless. then there's diego with his dream of being a ballet dancer open cps. he got the help on that. yes. at 1st i was against him. i told him it's a waste of time and that he should go to work and earn money. i lazy, fat, black, diego puts love into everything he does the, even if he's just earning a few cents by selling coffee and a hot meal. he hopes his mom will be able to leave the life of

a street vendor behind the dilemma. today. i want to be able to tell my mother that she doesn't have to work any more that she doesn't need to worry because i'll take care of her. i want to inspire others to achieve their dreams. julia looked on the 30th at the foundation. diego is not only working hard and belly issues. he's also developing his english skills. these are essential for an international career. everything they learn here, prepares them for the future. diego dream could soon come true. the foundation has already produced several international success stories in diego have completely turned his life around from that of a poor boy with no life goals to a confident and talented dancer. i was only the richest man in the world because i would, i love working and that so from us at global 3000

this week, do send us your comments right to global 3000 at d, w dot com or visit us on facebook. see next time ah, with with joy ride through fascinating worlds, into uncharted deb, our guides know their way around with

a strictly scientific trip to some pretty wacky places. curiosity is required to borrow today. next on d. w. ah . many push. so now in the world right now, the climate change hot stores. this is my plastic waste from just one week. how much was going to really get we still have time to go. i'm going on with his subscriber along with imagine that you're eating a hamburger. and as you're biting into this juicy burger,

your dining companion says to you, actually that hamburger is not made from kaos. it's made from golden retrievers. should meet. 2 2 2 2 2 2 in meeting cultures around the world, people learn to classify a small handful of animals as edible and all the rest they classify as disgusting. a dock you series about our complex relationship with animals. the great debate this week on d. w. a dead body is a built for flight today. that's all the only creatures with feathers. so they descended from dinosaurs, a few of which had for this to so birds were the 1st to use their feathers to fly and they developed.