>> hello and welcome to mastricht in the netherlands for our special chritmas edition of the "european journal." it was two years ago that the city was put on the map. the idea was to bring europe closer together and have one single currency for europe, but the current crisis has put all that into doubt, and everyone has their own views on the crisis. inside the church, which is why we came here to find out with the nuns have to say.

>> the system still rings the bills regularly, one of the few reminders of what life was once like here -- the sister still rings the bills regularly. two nuns still live here. they have resisted calls to leave for five years now. >> our former sisters who now lie in the cemetery painstakingly built this up. we do not see why it all their hard work should just be swept away. this is our home. >> on most days, the nuns make communion wafers for nearby churches. it is a lot of work, and they do almost everything themselves. there used to be 12 sisters sharing the load, but the two remaining still manage.

>> we earn our keep with our communion wafer bakery, our convent shop, and the nation's people make. we do not get a cent from the diocese or the order, so no one can say we are a drain on their pockets. >> still, the vatican authority responsible for the order decided to disband the convent. the sisters were told to move to other nunneries. now, their fate is in the hands of the head of the nuns in germany. >> sister maria redina is the only one from this community still left. the other sisters from poland. we believe life as we understand it is no longer possible here. >> the nuns are expected to live in modesty or in deep poverty, and the two in question want to

carry on doing so. they suspect another reason for their expulsion. >> i think it is more about the financial aspect. that maybe there is an investor who wants to buy it. >> in the local village, people speculate about who might be interested in buying the convent. the nuns have supporters here. >> the content has been with us for over 50 years, and it is part of our life. >> they feel their church has led them down and, like many, they think the church should do more to help the needy, especially in times of economic crisis. >> i believe the church is deliberately holding back because they have enough of their problems -- they have enough problems of their own to deal with.

>> the nuns are in tune with the times. through their protest, they want to show that life is not all about money in the church should not be, either. >> i mainly have this impression here in germany, which has church tax. this does not exist in other countries. there, the church lives from what it produces or what people put on the collection plate. the greater the role money plays, the less spiritual life is. in times like ours when there is so much poverty, it is important that people should behave more modestly. >> the nuns are willing to go to court for their cause. they say their solitary life is compatible with the order's

routes. >> some confidence had almost as terrible and and, yet blossomed again. >> the two nuns' christmas message rebate -- there is plenty of room at their in. >> a few steps away is the belgian border, where borders do not mean much in europe anymore. the university has students from all over europe. it was the maastricht treaty which first give the european union and the influence over education, but what we see in the crisis is that schools and universities are often the first to feel the brunt of the cutbacks, which is certainly what we saw in greece. the principal runs his school in northern athens with a firm hand. every morning before the school day starts, children are called

to attention, and there is a mandatory prayer. the prince of bel takes every opportunity to stress the importance of discipline and self-reliance. >> we have to maintain morale and show we have to -- we can provide the best education possible with the little money we have. >> the school has 350 pupils aged 11 to 15 and no shortage of problems. because of the spending cuts, there are not enough textbooks to go around. instead, the school is being encouraged to use computers and interactive software. >> the ministry has already informed us that from next year on, there will not be any more books. all we will get our -- are cd- rom's. that is a problem for low-income families. they can all afford a computer

for every child just so they can do their homework. >> until now, the school has simply made photocopies when there were not enough books to go around, but in this class, there are not even enough copies. their german teacher uses a projected to give everyone access to the only of available text book. it is far from ideal. >> everyone is doing the best job they can, and we are all hoping things will get better. >> that hope is shared by the couple who run the school snack bar, one of the children's favorite item on the menu is a greek cheese pastry. >> lately, a lot of children have been coming without money, saying their parents cannot afford the snacks any more. that never used to be the case in our school. >> of course i cannot say no.

i just give away the food. or the school helps out. the kids have gone to the principal, too, and he pays for them. we all try to help. >> budget cuts mean they cannot afford teachers, either. those who do get to save face pay cuts. >> because of the crisis, some teachers are working for half their previous pay. then, there are the public sector reforms. now, public servants can be dismissed. they receive 60% of their pay for a year. they are now unemployed. >> the greek government plans to cut up to 50,000 public sector jobs, many of them teachers. the education ministry is bracing itself for more protests, but officials say there's no alternative the spending cuts. the office solutions like

printing online versions of teaching materials. >> finland has half our population, but we have four times as many teachers as they do. there has been mismanagement. we have hired too many teachers that we do not need. >> but even ministry officials are not sure whether the spending targets can be reached. graffiti sprayed on the wall by school students during a recent strike reads "the plan will not succeed." the ministry official says he left it there as a reminder of their visit. the greeks are aware of their place in western cultural history. they want to defend that legacy, despite the pressure to cut corners. the principal takes time to meet with student representatives to discuss the current situation. the 14-year-old know this is about much more than just their school.

>> in greece, maybe i will never become powerful and influential, but i really want things to change in people's heads, to change all the bureaucracy someone thought up. >> many teenagers are desperate for a brighter future. >> this is the chateau where two decades together, europe's leaders came to gather over a glass of wine in this seller to negotiate the maastricht treaty. you can see the signatures here. amongst all the detail of the maastricht treaty were plans for a european immigration policy, which was a policy that was really put to the test this year with the arab uprisings in north africa. when the refugees were coming across from the other side of the mediterranean, the truth was that nobody wants to take them. >> we meet him somewhat in a

room in paris. the 26-year-old tunisian was a male nurse in his homeland before the revolution there. his journey to the french capital started on his country is now lightly police coast line. >> it was still hard to cross from tunisia to italy. the crossing took ages. there were big waves the day we left. i was scared. i am not used to the sea. when we arrived, we were soaking wet, tired, and had not had anything to eat in almost three days. then he paid close to a year's wages for the voyage. he was taken to an emergency center, but no one monitored his movements. he said that young people do not

want to stay in italy, so they gave him travel documents and let him go. that was it. he made his way to relatives living in france, but his status here is anything but secure. that is why he has an appointment with an employee from education without borders, a network that helps illegal immigrants. she gives solomon tips on how to act if he is stopped by the police. >> do not ever carry your passport with you. if you are in possession of your passport, you could be extradited, and they could put you on the next plane home. >> he cannot expect any special treatment. the revolutionary fervor in the arab world has prompted fears in france of a new wave of refugees.

autocrats maintain strict border controls. sarkozy's government does not want new refugees and is planning to step up controls. poverty is the only thing waiting in tunisia. he earns so little as a nurse that he could not afford to start a family. he hopes that one day he will be as free as his friend who has a french passport. both men think it will take years for things to improve in geneva, so he believes he was right to leave. >> he took part in the demonstrations and the revolution. if he had stayed in tunisia, finding a job would have been hard. for him, leaving was a way of getting ahead, a way of demonstrating his discontent with the past and present situations.

>> still, he is thinking about returning. his entrepreneurial skills could help to build a new tunisia. sala has found work in a restaurant kitchen. he is concentrating on a burning and saving money. he lives in constant fear of being discovered, but finally agrees to accompany us. here, he looks over the city he has long dreamed about. >> the exhaustion and adversity of the crossing are forgotten. i'm fine now. if it is allah's will, i will return home soon. i say to my mother and father,

"see you soon." but i am fine. i am making my way here, thanks to god and my family. >> how long will he say? his emotions are mixed. he needs to be here to earn money, but he knows he is needed back home. >> we have heard that he is still living in paris and still living illegally. this is maastricht cathedral. the patron saint of protected his flock against such things as rheumatism and rap lakes. church leaders these days have slightly different issues to deal with. in germany, since the nuclear accident in japan earlier this year, germany has turned its back on nuclear power, but that means it has to look for alternative sources of fuel such as brown coal, and that is not a totally popular move. it is a priest in east germany

leading the fight against it. >> mathias is arriving at his church. every morning he likes channels -- lights candles for villages close to the polish border whose residents might have to move to make way for mines, a notion that, particularly for the elderly, is unbearable. >> people approaching the end of their lives would like their last resting place to be here. but there is no resting in peace here. they will be dug up again, no matter what. it is an unbearable fought for people. it gives them sleepless nights and denies them peace and security in old age.

>> this is not about the land, however. it is about what is underneath it. germany is the world's biggest producer of brown coal. as well as removing homes and people, the mines would also have devastating consequences for the local landscape. like the pastor, heeen living here for decades, and has joined the campaign. he is willing to fight until the bitter end. >> this is where i grew up, and i do not want to leave. just because they insist they won the cold here never meant that i would just pack my bags and go. if and when the diggers' appear outside my front door, then i would be willing to talk about it. otherwise, forget it. >> the energy giant behind the

mining plans. what really annoys him is the talk of big potential here in the wake of germany's nuclear face that decision. he sees it as a threat to his . just a few kilometers away, a vision, or for some, a nightmare, of what could become of it, and eyrie a lunar-like landscape. locals have launched their own personalized campaign to keep the diggers at bay. in the 19 years since open cast mining began in the region, some 30,000 people have been resettled. this tester is on his way to an anti-mining demonstration. there are regular protests here. >> people would be living 50 meters away from the pet -- pit.

>> open cast mining is not just damaging to the immediate area. three women from developing countries are attending this protest. their countries are affected by the carbon dioxide produced here. the power plants attached to the existing mines generate 24 million tons of the greenhouse gas every year. locals say renewable energies are the future. when they wanted to mount solar panels on the roofs of the church rectory, local authorities refused permission, but the same buildings would not enjoy a protected status if the mining plans get the green light. locals are determined to keep hope alive. the environmentally unfriendly brown coal is supposed to be a thing of the past, but the pastor suspects the energy company is looking to add to make up for lost profits from germany's nuclear phase-out --

looking to it to make up for lost profits from germany's nuclear phase out. >> it would mean putting a stop to coal mining as soon as possible. for that, we do not need more open cast mines or new power plants. >> a definitive decision has yet to be made on the fate of the villages. if the diggers and directors to move in, it will not be for another 10 years. >> we should not really be bothering you with talk of the financial crisis at this time of year. it is supposed to be a happy time of year. certainly at the maastricht christmas market, it is far from doom and gloom, as you can see. there are plenty of places in

europe where you can get away from talk of the markets. a tiny multis island where there are only four people living there, as you can imagine, that i -- as you can imagine, it is pretty quiet. >> the tiny island measures 3.5 square kilometers. it is only linked by a passenger ferry that runs year-round. he has been going for 10 years, but he would not actually live there. at first glance, it does not seem that remote. during the summer, there is even a hotel opened. a major tourist attraction is the inland area of the island,

the domain of the jack of all trades, who has learned to be independent. his workshop is his castle. he designs, makes, and repairs everything on his own. he has become a specialist in customized vehicles. >> you can buy a vote here. take it piece on pieces. it is too heavy. then i will build it here. >> his latest invention is this hovercraft, assembled from scrap from a newspaper printing plant. >> you can go on audit. you have a very smooth flight. >> he sees himself flying over the waves. but his working day is not just about machines and gadgets.

he also has to take care of the island's roads. he goes on patrol daily, and he has an eagle eye. not much happens without him being involved. in the old pumping station, he keeps the water supply going for himself and the three relatives who also live here. >> about 64 or 65 feet from the surface. if there are problems, i will have to go down there to fix everything. >> he always gets by. he has the blessing of father should appear decrease has been coming here once a week for 50 years to celebrate mass.

time for a cup of coffee made by his cousin. she is pushing 70 and does the housekeeping here. the priest is often their only link to the outside world. >> he brings everything for us. magazine, food, everything. he is a real father for us. >> the 72-year-old clergyman shares the fascination with engines. he travels to mass in an original first edition land rover almost as old as the driver himself. when the population still numbered around 100, the church was actually two small. they have been priests and servers that mass for 50 years now.

>> after my time, i do not know what is going to happen. i was a little bit sad of that because i like to -- camino stay alive. then he has no errors but refuses to give up hope. maybe another jack of all trades will come along someday. >> we are from the -- from the laid-back life to the wonderful christmas music of maastricht, 20 years after the treaty was signed, it has to be said that the european union is a something of a crossroads. we will be watching how it develops. to everyone wherever you are in the world, a very happy christmas. ♪

[drum & synth fanfare] (jane joyce) earth's temperature climbed about one degree fahrenheit during the last century, and is sure to climb more in this century. as it does, our natural environment will change dramatically. plants and animals will be forced to adapt, move, or go extinct. already, the distribution and life cycles of plants, animals and fish, are shifting in response to changes in earth's climate.

in the north sea, warming water has driven commercially important fish such as cod, farther north to colder and deeper waters. in turn, more exotic, warmer-water fish have pushed into the range being vacated. the northward shift of the boundary coincides with a rise in temperature of nearly 2 degrees in north sea waters between 1977 and 2001. if the trend continues, atlantic cod will no longer be able to live in the north sea by 2080. the heavy pressure our industrialized society puts on earth drives climate change. whole ecosystems are modified, forcing species to fight for survival in different surroundings. if we understand the rapid changes our activities force the natural world to respond to, we'll learn to make better decisions today that will determine earth's climate tomorrow, and in turn, nature's services on which all of us depend.