captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for saturday, november 13: global climate talks go into overtime. and, on the road in maine. new challenges ahead, more than a year after covid shutdowns. and, the birds of acadia. next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl andhilip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter

foundation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zkerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a pvate corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening, and thank you for joining us.

this weekend, we are reporting from maine, a state we visited a year ago, as residents, business owners, and political leaders struggled to recover from covid pandemic shutdowns and prepared for the coming winter. vaccines were not available then. local theaters, restaurants, and many business owners were hoping for more help from the federal government. this year, vaccines are here. stores are open. but, there are new economic concerns, and covid is still a worry for many. we will also look at climate change here, and how scientists are enlisting citizens to help monitor rising sea levels. and, we will have a report on how a new state law may set new standards for who pays the costs of recycling product packaging. we'll begin our return to maine reporting right after the news summary. ( applause ) the united nations global climate summit came to an end

toy, as nations reached an agreement after making a compromise on coal. >> hearing no objections, it is so decided. ( gavel ) ( applause ) >> sreenivasan: delegas debated funding for climate damage and fossil fuel subsidies, among other sticking points. a divide between rich and poor nations widened, and many activists criticized the agement, saying it will do little to slow global warming. earlier in the day, the summit's president stressed the importance of the agreement. >> and this is the moment of truth for our planet. and it's a moment of truth for our children and our grandchildren. and you all know that the world is willing us on to be bold, to be ambitious. and so much rests on the decisions that we collectively take today. >> sreenivasan: representatives from nearly 200 nations gathered for a group photo late today. before the final vote, u.s. special presidential envoy for climate john kerry urged all countries to ratify the agreement.

>> obviously, we know the old adage of negotiation, you can't let the "perfect" be the enemy of the "good." and this is good. this is a powerful statement. >> sreenivasan: for more on the wrap-up and results of the two-week-long u.n. climate conference, i spoke earlier with newshour correspondent william brangham, who joined us from glasgow. >> as this conference winds down in glasgow, we've been hearing all the negotiators say that, while there are parts of this document they're not happy with, they believe the overall agreement is essential and they've signing on to it. the main goal here has been, as we've reiterated over and over again, can these nations cut their greenhouse gas emissions enough to stop the planet warming even more to a dangerous degree? and there are parts of this agreement that move in that direction. amazingly, in 26 conferences, this is the first one where fossil fuels are specifically mentioned in these documents. they also talk about the removal

of the subsidies, the half-a- trillion dollars that world governments give to oil and gas companies every single year. john kerry yesterday referred to that as the definition of insanity. this document talks about trying to phase those out as well. there's also greater talk about aid and doubling aid for the developing nations who are most hit by climate change. you will remember several years ago, wealthier nations promised $100 billion every year, starting in 2020. they have failed to deliver on that amount. critics claim that nothing in this agreement really moves that ball far enough. in fact, activists today held a mock funeral for cop26 in a cemetery here in glasgow, to protest what they argue is inaction on this issue, and on others. overall, it is important to remember that these agreements have no real binding mechanism. there's no enforcement here. these words are largely exhortations for these countries to "do better," to promise to

do more, to make plans for the fure. it's been an ongoing criticism that there is really no way to hold these countries, that failed to live up to what they sign onto, accountable. that is not changing. i mean, by any measure, this is the most discussed issue in diplomatic history. and yet, there is very little to show for that, in terms of results. in those 30 years, emissions have continued to go up; temperatures have continued to go up; and climate-driven disasters all over the world have continued to go up. that is the uncomfortable truth behind all of these climate conferences. >> sreenivasan: in sudan today, tens of thousands protested the military takeover the government. on thursday, military leaders announced the formation of a new ruling council, that excludes the civilian coalition which shared power since 2019. eyewitnesses reported security forces fired tear gas and bullets at the crowds, and a doctors group said at least

five people were killed. sudanese pro-democracy groups vowed to continue civil disobedience and protests against the military coup. france marked the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed dozens of people across paris and a nearby suburb today. islamic state extremists carried out the coordinated shootings and suicide bombings in 2015, at a concert hall, bars, restaurants, and a stadium, leaving 130 people dead and scores injured. vice president kamala harris, who was in paris for a four-day visit, ended her trip by paying tribute to the victims killed during the attacks. ceremonies were observed in and around paris, with the french prime minister and the city's mayor attending. they laid wreaths at the various sites, and stood in silence as the names of the victims were read aloud. late yesterday, a federal appeals court in new orleans continued to block a biden administration rule requiring

large companies to mandate covid-19 vaccines for employees. the fifth circuit court of appeals declined to lift its temporary stay, despite the biden administration's argument that stalling the rule “would likely cost dozens, or even hundreds of lives per day.” the occupational safety and health ainistration issued the rule earlier this month, requiring companies with 100 or more workers to require covid-19 vaccines by january 4 or require face masks and weekly tests. at least 27 states, along with private employers and religious organizations, have filed challenges against the rule. >> sreenivasan: for more national and international news, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: for the past year and a half, every city in america has struggled with the back-and-forth of pandemic life-- shutdowns, reopenings, partial shutdowns, partial reopenings. here in portland, maine, all of

that has contributed to an economy that is bustling on the one hand, struggling on the other. newshour weekend's christopher booker was here in 2020, and he came back recently to revisit some of the residents, government officials and business owners as they work on ways to move forward. >> reporter: last october, when we met mary alice soctt, the executive director of portland buy local, the outlook for the city's local and independent businesses did not look good. >> we surveyed members during the height of what would normally be the busy season, and about a third of them said they were considering permanently closing. >> reporter: considering closing because the summer of 2020 was not really summer at all. normally, it's the season that helps carry businesses through the slower winter months, but july and august of last year brought only a fraction of the normal traffic to portland's downtown businesses, and sales were down substantially. >> everything from restaurants to real estate have been really suffering. they've seen a decline in revenue, sometimes 80%, 90%. >> reporter: and that was before

the winter. but, as vaccines arrived in early 2021, so too did additional financial support for businesses. and late last spring, as in the rest of the country, covid restrictions in maine started to ease. and portland is a much different place than it was a year ago. >> we have had a really busy year, with some businesses saying that they're busier this year than they were in 2019. >> reporter: but busy doesn't mean easy. as in everywhere in america, portland's businesses are struggling to find workers. >> it is rough. a lot of businesses will tell you that they've had to change their hours, so close on certain days of the week, limit their service, maybe restaurants only doing dinner instead of lunch and dinner. and it's because mostly they can't find sff. >> reporter: and is that because people have left the city? are they doing other things? >> yeah. so, i talked to one manager recently, and she said that, you know, like many businesses, they had to lay off a number of people during the height of the lockdown. and they saw that the folks who they laid off ended up leaving portland.

they went back to school. they finished school. in some cases, they started a new career, or they're at home caring for small kids. and so, it's several problems that make this one labor shortage really difficult to solve. >> reporter: i have stood in many lines, waiting, because of the restaurant or the coffee shop is without workers. and i've overheard many people say, "you know, it's these stimulus checks, it's these work support checks that are keeping people away. we just have to pull those work support checks away." >> i have heard that complaint, and i think those are-- they're kind of done now, right? so, they're-- they're not continuing in the same way that they were. maine cut off the additional support a few months ago and instituted the requirement that people be actively looking for jobs. they reinstituted that several months ago, and we're still here. >> reporter: the worker shortage means some businesses have to be strategic with their operating hours. we visited with damian sansonetti last year at chaval, the restaurant he owns and operates with his wife, ilma lopez. like so many others, chaval was

primarily a take-out restaurant at that point. >> we're probably doing 50% to 60% less of our business than we were compared to a year ago. >> reporter: a year later, chaval is open five nights a week and employing 25 people, each new hire brining the restaurant closer to their 2019 staffing levels when they employed nearly 40 people. >> we want to eventually get back to sixth and seventh day. but, you know, we're taking the baby steps because we want to make sure everybody feels good, that we can work and do those things. >> reporter: are you actively looking for people to work? >> yeah, the business has been good, and we want to keep expanding the business and possibly going into more days open. and that's why 2021 was maybe a little bit harder than certain things about 2020 were. it's not like it was in 2019, but then again we weren't doing everything perfect then, either. so, this is our time to relook and look in the mirror. and how can we make certain things better for us, for our team, for our guests? >> reporter: the worker shorta

is not the only headwind. portland's businesses are also wrestling with the supply chain pressures plaguing the whole country. kelly fernald has owd and operated the outdoor retailer nomads for the past 18 years. while business is much better than it was last year, supply chain problems that run from production in asia to delivery here, have at times forced her to turn away customers. >> for each shipment that i've ordered that i've placed, i'm getting probably about 60% or 70% of what i ordered. it's nothing like i have ever experienced. >> reporter: and the situation is equally confounding for portland's city government. >> certainly things are different now than they were a year ago-- more optimistic, but still really challenged. >> reporter: kate snyder was elected mayor of portland in 2019. how are the city's receipts? parking revenues, all of the things that go to the city's coffers? >> so, some receipts have rebounded. on-street parking, doing okay. garage parking, not doing great. all of those workers that we relied on coming in to spend the

day at work are coming back here, and they're not five days a we. so, different things like cruise ship revenues, they're not coming. so, city revenues are fluctuating. again, we're seeing some rebounds, some not. >> reporter: the american rescue plan, or arpa, passed last spring has helped portland with some of the lost revenue. >> in our current budget, we used arpa funding to help bridge the gap for municipal revenues that we did not see coming in. so, we used about $8.5 million in order to help us balance our budget. so, the fact that we needed to use federal money to plug local revenue gaps is telling, and i think we'll see that again next year and maybe even the year after. >> reporter: so, as the mayor, do you consider portland to be in a period of recovery? are we still in the middle of all of this? >> i would say both. i would say we're definitely recovering, and we deal day-to-day deal with challenges

that have resulted from covid and all of the myriad impacts of this pandemic. >> reporter: and then, there are portland's most covid-challenged businesses, like the state theatre. when we met general manager lauren wayne in 2020, the outlook was grim. >> we had to lay off most of our-- if not all of our part- time staff and our seasonal staff. and that was-- that was really hard. >> reporter: how many people? >> that was about 170 people. and some of these people have been with us-- sorry-- since we reopened in 2010. so, it was really difficult, and it's still very difficult. we have no hope in opening this year. i mean, what business can survive generating zero revenue for over a year? i don't know any business or industry that can. so, if we do not see some kind of targeted federal legislation

to this industry in particular, it will be massive closures across the whole country. and in portland, maine, in particular, that's going to hurt really bad. gust. concerts in july andend and then, on august 31, after being closed for 535 days, the state theatre opened its drs again with melissa etheridge taking the stage. >> welcome back to the state theatre! ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: what did that feel like for you? >> o man, i don't know. it went from, like, crying and laughing and hysterically... ( laughs ) like, i look like, i don't know, i had an issue. it was awesome! ( laughs ) >> reporter: did y think you would make it a year ago? >> i did. i-- i was fairly confident we would because there was not really another option. and honestly, without the s.b.o.g. money, that would have been almost impossible. >> reporter: tonight, a month

and half since it reopened, the band spoon is taking the stage. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we're still not seeing 100%, you know, ticket holders show up at a show. we're having 20%, 25%, 30% less scan rates, which is really a struggle for a small, independent venue because it's not only the ticket sales-- which, you know, a majority of those are going to the artists-- your ancillaries and concessions and your food and beverage, which are really integral to this business, and those are down. so, i don't foresee those, you know, normalizing for quite some time. the pandemic's not over. doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon. so, we just are trying to adapt to that right now. >> reporter: how far out are you planning? what are-- do you have shows booked through the winter? >> yeah, i mean, listen, we-- i'm planning and booking shows the same way as i did. the only different-- well, there's a lot of differences, but the main difference is really you're-- you're taking it instead of one month at a time, you're literally taking it one show at a time because you never

know if it's going to play off. and then, the day of the show, when the band's setting up, it's like the sigh of relief. we're like, it's happening! >> reporter: if we come back in a year, where do you think you are, and where do you hope you are? >> i hope i'm right up there, drinking a beer at a show. i feel like i would love to see us back at 2019, pre-pandemic levels where it's-- you're never going to have to worry about a show cancellation unless an artist is like, you know, there's a winter storm and they can't make it. you're never going to have staff shortages. you know, 100% of your ticket holders of your show-- to your show, which, you know, rarely ever happens, but 95% would be really good. and just, you know, everybody being a little less-- less stressed about if the show's going to happen. >> reporter: do you think you'll be there? >> i think we will. i think we're actually really close to getting there. >> ♪ now, where did you get for so long? ♪ i been learning my scene i been watching my friends move away

♪ i summon my love back to me >> sreenivasan: maine is known as "vacationland." the nickname is even on the state's license plates. few places in the state attract more visitors than scenic acadia national park on maine's coast. by time of year, many of the seasonal businesses have closed, and the tourists have thinned out. but that does not mean there is not a lot to see, including some stunning backdrops and plenty of birds, if you know where to look and lien. how many species of birds do you think you've seen in this area? >> it's probably in the high 60s. >> sreenivasan: in just this area? >> in just this area, like, on a four-hour walk, on a two-mile loop. so, we're going at, like, half a mile an hour. >> sreenivasan: wow! on a seasonably wet and chilly day earlier this week, field biologist rich macdonald took us on a tour of some of his

favorite places to look for birds in acadia national park. so, when you listen, you can hear different birds? are you hearing any right now? >> yeah. so, i would say most of my bird watching is actually bird listening. and so, i'm hearing the chirping of a black-capped chickadee. he was over here doing this little ditty. let's just listen for a moment, see if i hear anything else. there's a really faint-- off in this direction-- really faint, high-pitched kind of ( vocalization ). it's hard to hear with the rain pattering on the ground and-- and our jackets, but... >> sreenivasan: yeah. >> ...that's a golden-crowned kinglet. >> sreenivasan: ( laughs ) >> it's a little-- little bird. >> sreenivasan: macdonald has been birding for most of his life and leads tours in acadia and, before the pandemic, all over the world. he's also a big proponent of birding locally. >> anywhere you go, you'll find birds. >> sreenivasan: to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the migratory bird treaty act which protected birds migrating in the united states, macdonald spent 2018 cataloging as many birds as he could see in his home county

of hancock, maine, which includes the park. macdonald published a book about his year of intense birding called, "little big year: chasing acadia's birds." >> in the course of the year, i saw 268 species of birds, and most of them were things you would expect to see. but some were uncommon, or some were even downright rare-- rare for this area, not necessarily rare on the planet. and i think maybe the biggest message was that you don't have to get all these exotic locations-- which is really fun to do... >> sreenivasan: yeah. >> but we saw a lot of really good birds here. these guys are not migratory. >> sreenivasan: but for macdonald, it doesn't have to be a rare bird. he says that he gets a lot of pleasure out of seeing common ones. most people, they look at that cluster, and they say, "oh, just seagulls." >> yeah. >> sreenivasan: what do you see? >> and so, i look at it-- right off the bat, i see two particularly large gulls... >> sreenivasan: yeah? >> ...that have white heads and white underneath and black backs. and those are called great black-backed gull. >> sreenivasan: okay. >> it's the largest gull in the world. >> sreenivasan: oh, wow! >> and then, so, i look at my binoculars, i can see at least three juvenile great black-back gulls. >> sreenivasan: so, not even a

seagull is boring. >> no, i-- i think seagulls are fascinating. seagulls are fascinating. people talk about chickadees are so common-- "oh, it's just another chickadee." i'm like, "but the chickadees are really cool! >> sreenivasan: ( laughs ) >> let me tell you about, you know, any number of stories about a chickadee." but, yeah, every bird is-- is interesting and uniquen their own way, if you look for it. >> sreenivasan: macdonald is in the midst of another year-long birding project right now, one inspired by the realization of just how environmentally taxing his last annual project was. >> at the end of the year, i drove 6,390 miles, and i was really kind of disturbed by how much i drove locally birding in one year. >> sreenivasan: hmm. >> i swore that i was going to do it differently another time, and i would do it as a zero carbon birding, which i'm doing that this year. so, i'm only counting birds this year when i-- when i leave my house under my own power: by bike, walking, carrying my kayak the quarter-mile down to northeast creek and paddling into the ocean. so, you'll see a lot of different birds that way and-- and show you that you can see almost as many birds under your own power as you can driving. sreenivasan: with a little

less than two months left in the year, macdonald has already seen more than 250 species. to go with the zero carbon theme, he's incorporating research on climate change into the project, which will also be his next book. as in almost every corner of the earth, global warming is being felt here, changing the food habitat and ranges of birds. >> people come here and always ask me, "we want to see puffins. where do we go to see puffins?" but we're seeing puffins starting to struggle because we're at the southern end of their range, and puffins for forever have been feeding the young a small, little kind of almost eel-like fish called a sa lance. that's kind of a big part of their diet, and the young can just swallow it down. because of the warming gulf of maine-- and the gulf of maine is warming faster than almost any other saltwater body on the planet, so we're finding fewer sand lances and we're finding more fish that are similar length but are fatter, called butterfish. and the puffins, adults, are feeding the young butterfish, and we're finding the young puffins are often choking on

these fat butter fish. so, we're seeing reduced numbers of puffins fledging in this area. again, we're at the southern edge of our habitat range, so we expect to see some fluctuation-- puffins expanding further south or further north. but this is a real problem, and that's, you know, purely due to global warming. >> sreenivasan: his tour business took a big hit during the pandemic in 2020, but macdonald says that tourists have come back in force this year. acadia has had a record number of visitors, part of a pandemic-related trend of people wanting to get outdoors. >> it's kind of exciting in that we're getting more people into the park who are going to hopefully love the park and appreciate it and want to become stakeholders in conserving natural lands. i'm taking a lot of people out that are really unfamiliar with the natural world, and they're so excited to learn about it. and that's great! >> sreenivasan: that's all for this special edition of pbs

newshour weekend, from maine. for the latest news updates visit, www.pbs.org/newshour. i'm hari sreenivasan. thanks for watching. stay healthy, and have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter foundation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities.

barbara hope zuckerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group: retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by: consumer cellular. and by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching pbs.

- i remember one time i arrived there and every station in the kitchen, there were maybe six violinists. i was like oh, this is too much. this is so patrick. you think he's nuts but it works so well. - the inn at little washington is one of the most wonderful restaurants and hotels in the world period. - he just fluffs the drape here, or he flips the ravioli over there. there's just all these little minute details that i only see chef do. - cooking is a performance. i never anticipated any kind of political storm. it just happened that way. the inn was a disruptor. - [narrator] this program was made possible in part by