courageous women are calling for democracy, freedom, and basic rights. in northern canada, we meet people being forced out of their homes by accelerating climate change. but first we head to syria, where onone influentiaial tribe wants to help shape the future of the war-ravaged cntntry. in syria, the e war is not yet over.

in theheorthwest, foforces loyl to presisident bashahar al-asd have mounted an atckck on th untry'y's st majororpposition strongholdld. ovover the yearsrs, reonal t ts haha also taken up arms, mainly agagainst lamimic ste mililitas. sometimes atat the side of ass, otr times athe s side his opponts.s. the e shmar is a aribal confederation based in northeast syria and iraq. it is one of the largest clans of the region. its syrian headquarters are in tell alo and its leader says tribes like his should play a key role in peace negotiations for the future of their country. reporter: when the weather allows, sheikh humaydi daham al-hadi gathers hihis closest allieses in a makeshift tent. he often s serves them m muttor lunch.h. it's an olold tradition,n, ande that thehe head of thehe smmar tribkeeps s ale. it's rooted in the times when the shammar lived a nomadic life crisisscrossing ththe arab wo.

until rerecently, the shammarr fought bititterly againsnst the islamimic state's fighters. as a rult, weapo are still commonplace here, even if nowadays they're only used for ort. the shammar are among the reregion'sost t poweul triribe with millions of members. and aloughgh thear in n sya is nonot over yet, a mease ofof cl now prevevails in the nonorthe. sheikh h humaydi hopes h he canp shape popost-war polititic sheikh humaydi: if you want to solve proboblems, the tribes ae important. 90% of people here belong to a tribe, whether they're arab, kurdish, or christian. we all share the same culture, because these local tribes all have the same traditions and customs. reporter: humaydi's palace is in tell alo, a small village in northern syria. this is where the shammar leader

meets petitionerers, allie a ad otother eikhs.s. together w with his advivisorse decides s on issues afaffectine shammamar's future.. he a also mediateses in dispus between members of the tri,, and d distbutes s aito the needy. tell alolo is a long w way from damascus. that a always affordrded the shammar r a certain auautonomn their r decision-makaking. the tribal leaders even t t as a substute f forentral governrnment. the sheikhkh's revenues s comem the region's oil fields dd tolllls leed on n trelers. they p pay for his m militia d supporort for tribalal members. humaydi'i's fighters halaltedh vancnce of the self-prproclaimd islamic state, just short of tell alo. a hastily erected wall of earth near the village is a reminder of how close the front line came. it was used for cover, and as a barrier against islac statee trucks pacacked with expxplosi. the mililitia is led b by humas

son bandar. they call ememselveshe al-sanadid forces, or forces of the brave. for a lolo time they fought alonidide the rds s agait their commonon enemy. i.s. wanteted absolute p powerr the region. the fighti w was fierce anand tk a a heavy toll.. bandndar: they sururrounded us.. one of our fighters sacrificicd his own n life to saveve us. reporter: his arabian rsrses are babandar pridede a joy, ananalso traditioion. they used to carry warriors into battle. toy,y, the tbe's's milia usese assat t weaps andd four-by-fos. thshammar ght haveought off the lamic ste, but pce is fragile. the so-called caliphate casts a long shadow. bandarar: it had beeeen obviour sosomeime thatat the i.s. . wd

face militardefeat. but it's's the i.s. idideologyt worries me. it's's takenoooot inhildrerens heheads, and won't't be so easo shshake f. reporter: roads and tracks here are still secured by checkpkpoints, wherere the al-sanadid c control vehicicl. women are ralyly seen thehe streets.s. this is a maman's world, a and n are restrictcted to workining ie fields and the household. the next morningn n the pala bens w with aise f for sheikh humamaydi. alalthough fighting contueues n someme par of sysyri the shahaar chief is looki to the ture. during t war, humaydi's mimilitia called the shots in e northeast. syrian president bashar al-assad's's troops had d been k to make ththemselves scacarce. that could e easily changege , and sheikh humaydi is okoking to cucut a al witith mascus..

inin march he went to talks wih the assad government. sheikh h humaydi: we'r're nt nenegotiating yeyet. the meetings w were aimed atat bringing about peacece, and putting an end t to the hatred between ethnicic groups, ligions,s,nd politicical partieies. it's our task to diffuse the hatred others s stirred up.. repopoer: he advdvises partieseo ntnt to maintain autonomy achieveved in the war to skk compmpromi with h thgovernmeme. sheieikh humaydi: : the first g we must do i is put an end to e destructn n and bloodshehed. life is re i impornt thahan death, o our souls morore impot thanan tho of the de. reporter: the shammar have survived the war. and sheikh humumaydi is hoping r a permanent peace.

host: over the past ntnths, peopople isudan'n's pital kharartoum have bebeen taking te streets, dememanding basicic rs d a shift to democracy. inin aprilthe e protts helelpe trigger the fall of president omar al-bashir. a military coup put an end to his 30-year dictatorship. now, many sudanese want the generals who toppled bashir to also surrender power. in their place they want a civilian government, and free elections. and there are signs of hope. over the next few years, a broadly civilian government is tasked with transitioning the country towards democracy. and many women want to play a le in this too. rerter: rifka leads the chants the 18-year-old student is part of sudan's revolutionary movement, one that features women heading the calls for change.

rifka: my aim is to become a politician or a minister in a new government. women need to have a voice. reporter: rifka, walaa, ola, and thousands of other women were instrumental in the developments that led to the ousting of dictator omar al-bashir. they were actively involved in the revolution from the outset with their banners and chants, first driving g the protests, d eventually leading them too. women have often outnumbered men at the demonstrations, in the process getting first-hand experience of the regime's brututal rule and the hatred f religious zealots. walaa: it's our right to have some area a to talk, to o showe world that we can do things. raida: this isn't a revolution against islam. they exploit islamam forheir own

purposes. we are not against islam. we are against people who distort islam's message to their own advantage. ola: i was arrested at a demonstration in khartoum. they took us away in police vans. i saw them beating the men, and torturing women who had been found with banners. they let me go because i didn't have one. reporter: those traumatic experiences were far from the exception. rifka herself has been arrested fiveve times, and d has been subjected to beatings and torture with electric shocks. but her ordeal served only to strengthen her resolve. she began picking up tear-gas grenades launched by the police and throwing them back, to protect othersrs around her. this video, posted online, made her famous.

rifka: i was at the front. some protesters died right next to me, but i wasn't afraid. throwing back the teargas grenades came naturally, even if i knew i could lose a hand or be blinded, and breathing was extremely painful. reporter: khartoum remains in a state of flux. first, the protesters instigated the removal of infamous dictator al-bashir from his palace. but now, they want to see the army generals who finally toppled him step down too. they're calling for freedom, peace, and equal opportunities for women. that is itself a revolution in a country where women have traditionally been denied a voice. nahid gabralla is a veteran in the field. she's been fighting for women's rights in jobs and educationon since the 1980's.

nahid:d: women from the start,e are the victims of the al-bashir regime. in all areas of sudan. public order law, family law, all laws relating to women's rights. all policies, suppression for women. they were directly affected by the economic crisis. reporter: now, finally, it really is her country too. rifka wears the colors of the nation's flag with pride, although the struggle is not over. rifka: equal rights for women really would be a dream. for now there's no equality, but there are many things that bring us together. as sudanese, we all have the same rights. reporter: peace and freedom for men and women -- a cause she and her fellow protestors will continue taking to the streets for with newfound confidence.

host: for decades, nasasa's satellites h have beenrarackig chchanges to thehe ice in te arctctic. and their findings are deeyy alarmingng. the arctic i icecap is m meltg anand a cononceing ratete over recent decades, thehe amot of older, thicicker ice in particicular has beeeen shrink. ththe area of opopen sea is expanding anand freezing-o-over later in the y year, withh devastating consequences for people and animals. residents of the canadian town of tuktoyaktuk on the arctic coast know that only too well. the ground is literally falling away beneath their feet. reporter: it's half past 9:00 in the morning before the sun finally appears on the horizon, here deep inside the arctic circle. we're on our way from the town of inuvik to tuktoyaktuk, one of the northernmost communities on the canadian mainland. this road was only built 1.5 years ago.o. it l links the small town on te

shores of f the arctic ocean wh the econonomic centers in the south. it's nearly 3500 kilometers from here to edmonton, the nearest major city. conditions are harsh for this remote community. and despite the new road, they're now getting even tougher. local resident sandy adam says the lives of the locals have changed dramatically in recent years. there used to be three rows of houses standing here in front of his house. but they've all been washed away. this summer, his own house will likely meet the same fate, when the winter ice melts and the frozen arctic ocean becomes a raging sea. sandy: my house, probably going to rot my foundations. you know, they're only wood. a little bit of water in it and

it'll get rotten. reporter: it's a problem that's affectining everyone h here one shoreses of the arctctic ocean. sandy adam says the temperatures are rising, the winters are starting later, and the summers earlier. the family now need to move from the house they've always lived in. sarah: i have no choice. i'm thinking about my children, my grandchildren, so we have to move my house. it's going to be hard to get used to, but we have to. we're going to get all in the water soon. reporter: but it's not just the erosion that's threatening their future. going out to the edge of the town, we're given a unique insight into a fascinating world, six meters below ground. sandy adam's son jeffrey takes us to the local ice house.e. for decas, meat s s been stored herere in these r roomn the permafrost. jeffrey: it was all made by picks and shovels. it's all ice. reporter: for thousands of

years, s solid ice hasas formee founundation on which everythig here stands. to remain stable, permafrost requirires an averagage year-rd tempmperature ofof bow minus oe degree celsius. if the average temperature rises bebeyond that, the ice meltsts. thatat would transnsform vat swathes ofof land here i in norn canada into a huhuge swampwiwih rerepercussions s for the ente planet.. we take e a flight ovever te reregion, joining a resesearchm from the g german aerospspae center.. the scientists are directing radar beams at the eararth, usg four different frequencies that penetrate to various depths. ralf horn and his colllleagues e conducting experiments to see how the permafrost on our planet is changnging. the canadian arctic is the

perfect environment for their work. ralf: this floating landscape has all the differerent facetsf permafrost. this is exactly the place we want to be with this equipment. reporter: the test setup is a global first and is designed to give us a better u understandig the changnges taking place in permafrost regions. a huge risk for humanity lies dormant in these areas. that's because permafrost soils hold more ththan twice as s mh carbrbon as the eaearth's atmose dodoes. so it's onlyly the ice thahats preventing vast amounts of greenhouse gases being released into the air. a short while later, back down on the ground in the wilderness of ice and snow, the scientists dig up a radar reflector that provided a reference point for the measurements taken from the plane.

there's a bitter wind blowing. working in an arctic storm is not something the german scientists do every day. ralf: it certaininly makes a change f from the offifice. it keeps u us on our toes. if i had to do this all the e te itit would be totough. but t as it is, itit's fine. at least i i'll sleep wewell tonighght. reporter: they take samples of the snow as a reference guide for their radar measurements. they want to know exactly what's happening. after all, there's a lot att stake. irena: you have a lot of organic material stored here in the ground, so if the permafrost thaws, vast amounts of gases would be released into the atmosphere. we're talking about mainly methane and co2, which would speed up the process of climate change even more. reporter: around 50 kilometers further west, canadian scientists are also taking samples.

they're measuring the thickness of the ice on the frozen mckenzie river. a local hunter and trapper has come out with them to provide protection should any wild animals pose a threat. life here has changed in recent years. miles: a lot of us are confused. animals are confused. the grizzly bears are waking up and getting out of their dens. it's only the 19th of march, and that's a month early. now it's warming up we havavall these other insects coming uwe nevesaw before. before reporter: the ice is just 60 centimeters thick. miles says that's nowhere near enenough for thihis time of y. mileles: since i w was a kid the was thicke seven to ght feet. my dad used to put me down with my ankles, going down a shaving

hole, i used to fill up a pail and he would pull it up with a string, toss it, and he chiseled some more and i'd go down, he holds me down and i fill up the pail like this, and then he pulls it out. it must have been eight feet before we hit water back then. reporter: eight feet, or nearly 2.5 meters, compared with just 60 centimeters today. that's a huge change that's occurred in just a few decades. one thing is clear -- disaster is looming, and the process has long been underway. even though the dazzling beauty of the canadian arctic could easily lull you into a false sense of security.y. host: now we head from canada to siberia in russia, home to lake baikal. the vast basin is 600 kilometers long and up to 80 kilometers wide. at around 25 million years old, it's also considered the world's oldest lake. and it's the deepest, 1642

meters deep, in fact. it contains a fifth of our planet's fresh surface water, more than 23,000 cubic kilometers worth. it also has a unique eco-system of around 2600 animal and plant species, including the world's only freshwater seals. and it's unusually clear -- one reason why it's under threat. reporter: lake baikaisis waking up from itits winter slulumber. the ice is slowly receding, and revealing a blot on the landscape. the lake's sensitive wetlands have been cut through by gigant pipipelinditchehes. theyey're part of f constructn workrk for a new w water bottg plant that will sosource driing wawater lake e baikal. 80% % will go toto export, maino chchina. blogigist vitaly ryryav

explains whas planne vily: wateis pumpethroughh e pipepe e e ideaehind d e fafacty is to take water fr t the dths ofof the lake. but get t tre, they have to aversese.5 kilomerers of shallows. reporter: those are the areas which worry the biologist. for years he's been seeing the number of birds here on the southern shore decline. this algae also tells him that the lake's in bad shape. vitalyly: lake baikakal contain% ofof the world's freshwater. there's nowhere else likike i. lake baiaikal is the planet's well, , and that's h how we'vet to t treat it.

the shores have to be kept clean, no rubbish, and they shouldn'n't be built up.p. otherwise we'll lose this natural wonder. reporter: rjabzev and the people of kultuk have been battling against the water plant for months. it belongs to a chinese businessman. a million people signed aa petitition againstst it. they've mananaged to get construction suspended, at least for w. but a final decision has yet to be made. vitaly: the fact that the plant belongs to a chinese company sparked massive protests, in particular among those who signed the petition. there's never been so many signatures collected here. it's siberians protesting againsnst the chinesese expann thatat's currentlyly underway. reporter: rjrjabzev meets s actt stanislalav fillipov.. he collected the sigtutures an w he w wan public c osecutors to investigate the planned ctctory.

stanisislav: we've n not lost . wewe want the wewetlands declaa protecteararea. repoer: lakeaikal don't only aract chise sinesspele. ery yearver a million tourists c come here, inin sue and in w winter. and most of esese foreig visitors c come om chihina. >> a friend of mine had d been here bore.e. and he tolold me thaththis isa ace lilikearadise.e. > there's a f famous song i n chchines in chchin we heard this songhehen we were children. we know baikal l lake by tss songng. ♪ reporter: listvyanka ilalake babaikal's main n tourist destinatation. in the summemer season, ththous of chinese come here eve d day. and growining mber of f tels

are chinese-owowned. one is being built right outside a guest house owned by andrei sukhanov. construcuction has beeeen tetemporarily hahaltedfter t e protests. but suchanov still has to climb his steps for a view of the lake. andrei: i moveveto lake baikal especial so i cod enenjoy the view of the e lake every m mor. now theyey've blocked d my ene view. rereporter: the days, ss guguesthouse i is usually emptn winter. hehe says there'e's tooh competitioion from the n new ho. but they weren't here before and w ththeyre. if we wanto hahave theherere, ththen we should b build a vile justst for them sosomewhere eln lake baikal,l, bause thehe are so many of them. reporter: locals in lake baikal feel overwhelmed.

and they claim the chinese don't behave the way visitors should. the planned bottling facactorys stoking the anti-chinese sentiment in kulultuk. but stanislav filippov andhehe otrs f feel ju as s mu betrtrayed by theieir politian, d ththeir lse prpromes. stanislalav: people hehere dot believe e the'll be e new job. the chinese e will bring t thein people.. reportrter: filippovov says ongd ing g has erged d --he bottling plant disputeasas shown kultuk's c citizens that t then achieveve a lot whenen they ik togethther. lake baikal, a vital freshwater reserve and a tourist hotspot. but business poses a growing threat to wildlife and local

we're back next week. in the meantime, please send us your thoughts and comments. drop us a line to global3000@dw.com. and you'll find us on facebook, dw women. bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

narrrator: to o keep big cities afloat, great wawater demandnds require g greater watater solut. water protectors combat climate change and the illegal wetland development floodiding towns in argentina. in n mexico c city, citizens use innovative education models and techchnologies to address the city's water issues.