>> hello and welcome to "global 3000" ---- your weekly check on the global issues that move our planet. and here's what we have coming up for you today. dirty deals -- how corruption is poisoning the niger delta. running dry -- bolivia's commercial capital la paz is losing its vital glaciers to climate change and, global hit -- why people from seoul to new york are all dancing "gangnam style." when you look at satellite images of our planet, there are usually a few bright little

dots that catch the eye. what may look like the campfires of modern civilization are actually often the result of large scale waste of fossil fuels. gas burned off during oil production amounts to the annual gas consumption of germany and italy combined. russia and nigeria top the list of the waste offenders. nigeria comes second despite being eighth when it comes to extraction. production standards are at the root of the problem and nigeria's niger delta is suffering from serial offenses. for decades oil wells here have been leaking into the water and the ground. to date an estimated 2 billion liters. that's almost three times the deepwater horizon disaster off the coast of florida in 2010. but so far the few who profit from the situation have not been held accountable -- leaving the victims powerless.

a temperature of more than 400 degrees celsius -- in the middle of the jungle. and then a man pours oil on the fire. the thick clouds of smoke make it almost impossible to breathe. with the simplest technology a few young men are refining crude oil illegally. they tell us they sometimes produce several thousand liters of petrol a day. a simple hose pipe is meant to keep the facility from exploding. >> if we have better jobs, we will leave this one. you know, this is too dangerous for us. it's risky. about two or three times in this place, fire break out, and one of the guys working there, you can see his skin: he was caught in the fire, burned. >> they tap the crude oil secretly from the extensive pipeline system in the niger delta. life expectancy in the region is 40 -- ten years below the country's average. hundreds of these mini- refineries have sprung up in the past few months alone.

the police and military turn a blind eye. >> well, this is nigeria. with a little money you can get yourself out from that place. they know that we are suffering. we are doing this as a result of poverty caused by unemployment. and they know this fact, and that is why when we cry to them they release whoever they arrested from the community, with a little money to bill them. >> in port harcourt, the centre of the niger delta, managers and corrupt politicians divide the oil billions among themselves. very little of the money ever reaches the population. even the region's commissioner for energy talks about the corruption. >> some of them are lazy. that's all i can say about those officials. some of them are very lazy. they try to avoid work. when they say i'll come in by eight o'clock, they come at ten.

when they are supposed to close by four, they are closing by two. that's the only thing i know abut them. but i don't believe they're stealing money. it was their politicians. it's a different thing. >> oil seeps out of leaky pipes day and night -- nobody here is interested in international standards. corruption and ignorance have led to unparalleled destruction to the environment in the niger delta. for decades shell pumped oil here. the company is accused of not doing enough to stop the leaks. the situation in the fishing village of bodo is especially dramatic. several oil disasters have poisoned the water, and destroyed the livelihood of fishermen like akare linus. >> i'm very angry at the people responsible for all this here. there used to be enough fish for everyone. then, because of the oil, all my nets were damaged. besides, i can't use my boat anymore because of the oil pollution.

but what infuriates me is that there's hardly anything to catch here anymore, anyway. almost all the fish are dead. >> activist kentebe ebiaridor supports the villagers in their fight for compensation. he says the greatest scandal is that the people are still being left to deal with the oil pollution on their own. >> politicians have promised a better life for these people. politicians have promised that that they are going to improve the standard of living for the people. they have also promised that they're going to improve the education. but if you look at the community, you can see that the people virtually feed from hand to mouth. they are poor, and their livelihoods have been destroyed, their farmlands are gone, the water is gone. now tell me, how could they possibly survive? >> in the state of bayelsa -- two hours' drive from bodo -- the oil industry burns off toxic gases, although that's been forbidden for almost 30 years: the 250 different toxins can cause cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis and blood

disorders. the gas could also be recycled in an environmentally friendly way. but to do that the companies would have to invest money in new technologies. open gas flaring is cheaper, but more damaging to the world's climate and the local residents. they complain of coughing fits and pain, though scarcely anyone dares to speak out. >> look at me now. i have a lot of sickness: headache and all those things we receive from the smoke of the oil. they treat you like animals. when you see all the ways they use their cars and flash water upon you because you don't have like them. they are living in complete houses. we have toilets in the forests, while their toilet is very neat. their toilet is even more better than your room. >> back in port harcourt. time and again shell has promised to stop open flaring. but so far very little has happened. a manager tries to explain.

>> flaring is a specific issue that we have aggressively been addressing, and we have various flare-out programs to reduce the flaring and ultimately to stop flaring altogether. the dates have often been shifted because we have had challenges with regards to funding some of these projects. >> last year shell posted profits of 31 billion dollars worldwide. for years these people have been demonstrating against the company, demanding that the damage finally be repaired. but according to the estimates of environmental organizations, that would cost several billion dollars. in afghanistan german and other nato troops are preparing to hand over security to afghan forces. the civilian population, too, is getting ready for life after the withdrawal of foreign soldiers. in the precarious region along the border with pakistan dairy farmers have started to form

co-operatives to help get their products to market. and western observers hope these new alliances will make communities stronger when it comes to dealing with outside threats. an afghan village on the border to pakistan: malik ahmed is a dairy farmer in a region of the country where insurgent troops are active. two years ago, malik set up a milk cooperative here. he says it strengthens his community's solidarity. >> we meet once a week. if that's not possible, we try every two weeks. we discuss problems and find solutions. through these meetings, hearts come together, and when hearts come together there's no room for bad people. then security comes automatically. >> the cooperative is one of fourteen in the eastern province of nangarhar. they all belong to the umbrella organization khatiz dairy union.

their founding was supported by the united nations. the organization is also helping to fund a new milk processing plant. in afghanistan such investments are vital in the war against terrorism. they provide jobs. people who are earning money don't need to fight. there are many women in the cooperatives: milk processing is one of the few jobs they're allowed to do in conservative afghanistan. the milk union sends women to train the villagers, giving courses on such subjects as improving hygiene. >> the women here occupy more powerful positions in their families and communities. they keep the profits on their milk -- after all, they did the work. and socially some things have also changed. they used not to be allowed to leave their houses. now they can move about much more freely.

>> more and more afghans want to form work cooperatives. this one is discussing new memberships. a large number of applicants are waiting for acceptance. >> cooperation has encouraged people. those who had no cows have bought some. they used to provide three liters of milk a day. now it's six. >> in two years, most foreign troops will have left afghanistan. by then thousands of farmers are expected to have formed cooperatives, in the hope it will help stabilize their country and make it safe. in terms of altitude, la paz is the highest major city in the world. it's already home to more than two million people and millions more are expected to join them in the coming years. that presents a difficult challenge for the authorities. the city is running out of water. time to explore all possible avenues to resolve this crisis.

these indigenous bolivians are carrying out a ceremony, giving home-distilled alcohol to the pachamama -- the mother earth goddess. only if she gives her blessing will things take a turn for the better. alfonso blanco from the nature conservancy works with the people up here. he and his team are fighting against the effects of climate change in the mountains. down in the valley, clean water could run out. >> this lake is very important for the city of la paz, because it supplies water to almost fifty percent of its residents. right now we're waiting for the rainy season. as you can see, the lake's water level is very low, because the season's just beginning.

>> we go higher up, to 4800 meters. this huge highland region in the hampaturi district is surrounded by six vast glaciers. and it provides clean water to people further down in the cities. >> the effect of climate change we're noticing most right now, and which the communities live with every day, is the lack of water. we're waiting for rain. this glacier is melting much more rapidly. that has a double effect. we have less snow and less rain. >> the large grasslands and peat bogs are crucial to a functioning ecosystem at these high altitudes. the waterlogged earth serves several purposes at once.

>> you see here how much water there is in a block of peat, and that explains its importance -- because peat stores water all year long. you can also easily see how much organic material it contains. that means it serves simultaneously to store organic co2 material, which is important in curbing climate change. peat is also a source of food for the camels, llamas and alpacas we've seen. it's also important both for the ecosystem and the population. >> antonio choque has lived up here for seventy years. he and his family earn their livelihood from raising livestock. it's their only option. >> i have 250 sheep and 18 llamas.

i have large llamas. i prefer them to the small ones. >> asked if he'd give up his sheep and swap them for llamas, he replies promptly, "for llamas i would." the environmental organization wants to convince bolivians to keep only this very hardy breed of llamas up here. unlike sheep, they don't tear up the soil when they graze. the grass grows back. and a llama sells for four times the price of a sheep. it's hoped that eventually all the herdsman will follow antonio choque's example. we go on to the neighboring valley in the zongo region, about 3000 meters lower, and meet members of the community -- in the middle of the only road. alfonso blanco has to shake lots of hands, and explain his ideas.

he also has to win the hearts of the valley-dwellers and listen to their needs. in that way he can convince the communities to contribute to protecting the ecosystem in the future. >> we've already made some progress with the nature conservancy and alfonso blanco. we've worked on sharing first- hand experiencewith the communities. in a second phase, we focused on topics such as socialization and projects providing apprenticeships. that way we could raise villagers' awareness of the subject. >> down in the high forest, the entire extent of a functioning biosystem becomes clear. we follow an old inca trail into the rainforest with scientists from the nature conservancy. the abundance of tree and plant species in the ecosystem of the lower mountain regions is especially under threat.

but it's just that diversity of species that makes it valuable. >> basically the more diversity of plants and organisms, the more stable the system is, and the more resistant to change, whether climatic or of some other type. when there are many different species in a system, it can compensate for changes in the climate. >> and the water reserves remain constant all year long in these altitudes as well. late in the afternoon there's good news from hampaturi. residents have approved the environmental agreement. alberto blanco explains the agreement to community members once again. after more than a year of work, a large step has been taken towards preserving the

ecosystem and the region's water supply. signed, sealed and delivered: it's hoped the agreement on financial and technical support will serve as a model for other highland communities. to celebrate the day, there's a traditional open-air meal under the andean sky -- everything mother earth, pachamama, can provide. and if you would like to comment on any of our reports, visit our website. there you'll also find our global questionnaire giving you the chance to tell us what globalization means for you. today we hear from paddy and james who share a flat in the beatle's home town -- liverpool.

>> hi. welcome to liverpool, england. i'm paddy. come in and see our living room. i came to liverpool at 18 years old as a student and lived in different houses around liverpool. and eventually, from money left by my family i could make a deposit for a house and bought this one. so i live here in the moment with myself and two other doctors, james and steve, and our cat -- ernesto. just follow me in. it's actually a poster by a local artist, who took thousands of photos and than put

them all together to make one view of the whole city. so you can see the whole city of liverpool in one view. it's really nice. supposedly they're a quite traditional english thing, i think, stained glass. i suppose it really does brighten up the room. the art is banksy, a british graffiti artist, who does comedy graffiti on walls and buildings around the u.k. my brother got it me for christmas. i think it's fairly funny. i'm really sorry guys, but you're going to have to leave. the football is on -- so it's time to get out of the house. see you. >> the only other thing that can unite people like football -- is music. and one current global phenomenon is proof enough of

that. the "gangnam style" has even captivated chinese artist ai wei wei -- his personal interpretation of the song was quickly banned by national authorities though ---- it was deemed too critical of the regime. the pop--artist behind the song, psy, has written internet history with his "gangnam style," scoring the most like clicks ever for a pop video. and the earth is still grooving to his beat. making faces, taking pictures, somehow whiling away the time. these fans have been waiting for two hours to see psy -- south korea's new superstar. >> i love the way he looks -- and the way he dances. >> time to get warmed up to dance along -- the concert in seoul's olympic stadium is about to begin. and here he is, backstage: psy, or park jae sang, as he's really called.

>> you know, as i told you, i've done this for twelve years in my country, so i'm not nervous. so, we're going to say the word "chuktcha," which means "let's die." >> before the big show, a quick oxygen fix: psy will be entertaining his fans for almost four hours. the rapper with the sunglasses and glitzy outfit has landed the hit of the year: "gangnam style." put briefly, its essence is: dress classy, dance cheesy. thousands of shrieking koreans cheer him on. >> the weather was so hot in summer and the economy was so bad, so what i wanted to do was just make fun with music.

that was all. so i made a song, i made a dance move, i made a music video, just for fun. >> dancing gangnam-style is like riding on a horse -- without the horse. loony but incredibly cool. the song was released in south korea in july. shortly afterward it broke a world record. to date, the video has received 620 million clicks online -- more than any video clip before. this is where "gangnam style" comes from: gangnam is a little like the beverly hills of seoul: trendy, rich, beautiful, creative -- the engine driving all that's modern in korea. and sometimes so wonderfully superficial. we meet kim zakka, a music journalist. he's watched psy's rise with enthusiasm. like psy, he, too was born in gangnam. >> let's say seoul is a fried egg. then gangnam is the yolk, and the white surrounding it is the rest of seoul.

the city's wealth, all the trends, fashion and music -- everything that ever sweeps the country always begins here in gangnam. >> gangnam is chic: the district also symbolizes south korea's swift rise from the third world to the first. its prefab apartments look like east german housing estates, but they're the most expensive in korea: 3 million euros for a hundred square meters -- just because they're in gangnam. to understand gangnam better, you have to go onto the roofs of seoul. the han river flows through the city. gangnam simply means "south of the river." 30 years ago, these were untilled fields owned by poor farmers. in the boom years of the 1970s and 80s, they sold their land and became rich overnight. >> the new wealth brought shopping centers, luxury boutiques and glamour. gangnam shot up in 10 or 20 years. it didn't grow naturally like cities in the west or japan. gangnam style is a byproduct of

that skyrocketing growth. it's the style of the nouveau riche: flashy and tacky. expensive cars, dog parlors, beauty salons. plenty of glitz, some of it on borrowed money. many from outside gangnam can only laugh -- those with old money and those who've remained poor. >> there's a love-hate relationship with gangnam. many think it's stylish, but then they're put off because somehow there's so little behind it. psy is so successful because he makes fun of it. >> psy celebrates gangnam style while sending it up. on a tv show he recently said, "i'm not handsome, i'm not tall, i'm not muscular, i'm not skinny. but i'm here." and he certainly is successful. >> i compare ladies at the certain culture called gangnam,

which is normal at the daytime and going crazy at the night time, so i want every classy lady getting cheesy, especially to me. >> and then it starts again. psy, the artist the world is just discovering, has already produced six albums in south korea and has been adored by his fans for years -- because of his music and his endless humor. dress up and dance like a fool -- that's how to conquer the world. maybe psy will soon capture the hearts of germans as well. after all, there's a bit of gangnam everywhere. and that's all for this week -- thanks for watching. until next time. bye bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--