>> in the himalayas, we may be far from the effects of climate change. but the effects are all around us. there is 45% more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere just now when human civilization first developed. climate change is just one of the ways that our presence on earth is profoundly altering the planet. in this new series, we will be exploring how to counter some of the greatest threats to survival, including pollution,

loss of habitat, drought, and overconsumption. from the mountains of the himalayas to the australian outback and the hot springs of iceland, we will be looking at the impact of these global issues on the local level. we are bringing you small-town stories of adaptation and action. ♪ >> water covers two thirds of the surface of the earth. less than 3% is freshwater. most of that is frozen and glaciers at the polarized caps.

the supply is under threat from pollution, mismanament, and climate change. in just over a decade, it is estimated that the world will only have 16% of the world it -- water it needs. unless we work harder to conserve it. >> we have ce to ladakh in northern indiahere engineers have come up with some solutions to relieve water stress. >> and i am in jordan, where people have taken a water crisis into their own hands. ♪ >> millions of people rely on

glacial melt water for survival. due to climate change, these reservoirs are disappearing at an alarming rate. some scientists have predicted but they end of the century, must just the himalayas could be ice free. here in ladakh, which only gets 50 millimeters of annual rainfall, clay scherzer been a light source for centuries. due to climate change, 14% of the local glacier and area has been lost in the last 50 years. i'm here to visit an engineer who has come with a beautiful, extraordinary way of preseing glacial waters. using monuments made of ice. i meet a local environmental scientist. i understand that you are an expert about climate change and the of next on mapping communities? can you give us a sense of some of the challenges they are facing?

>> the main crisis is that you have a glacier. that is where the water is coming for residents. the decoration is receding at a very fast rate. there is no pressure water -- fresher water. you will see people fighting over water. that situation is getting worse by the day. >> almost one billion people are affected by shrinking glaciers throughout the himalayas. farmers are on the front line. these two farmers have been working here for more than 40

years. >> thank you so much. have you noticed any changes with the seasons or the levels of water? >> [speakingoreign language] >> [speaking foreign languag >> here in the region of ladakh, the population relies heavily on the indus river. buwith the situaon getting dramatically worse, a local

engineer has stepped up to the challenge of helping the villagers adapt to these changes. >> in january and february, no one needs water. the water flows into the ocean. where as in april and may, everybody needs water. and then there is an acute shortage of water. what this does is by using winter water, storing it in the form of ice, and it melts exactly when there is an acute shortage. then the spring problem is solved using winter water. and then you areet. >> at the environmental mountain school he founded in 1988, he has been refining and teaching

his eyes concept for the last two years. >> than the water falls down. in the next 50 years, the people who will be running this world are now in school. i want to engage them in these ways to be sensitive towards the environment and the mountains so the earth can be in safe hands. before we go, we will see a little demonstration. that is the mountain. and that bucket is the stream. from the lake orhe stremme, water comes in the pipe that is underground. there is pressure in the pipe. then it comes like this. you can see smaller dropts, which means water is exposed to the cold air, loses its heat,

and freezes. there is no moving parts, no electricity. that is gravity. just the beauty of it. [applause] thank you. >> we are heading up to the ice scoopers farther up in the mountains. peppers we have to make a quick stop. this is a vital part. it is like the skeleton. i will go and give them a hand. >> one, two... >> my contribution.

♪ >> wow! never seen anything like that before. [laughter] now i understand. it is a bonkers idea. it is quite crazy, really. the design is critical for its success. it must have a minimal surface area to provide maximum protection from the sun. it enables it to last long into spring, sometimes of to four months. if the same body him of ice was in a flat glacier, it would melt within days.

he has thrown down this rope and he is pulling from a piece by piece. and adding them to the pile. the water catches on to the thorns, making it easier for crystallization and the cold weather. what do you reckon is the volume of water there? >> 2 million liters. >> at the bottom of that tunnel is this large pipe. that is the one that is channeling the meltwater down from the glacier up on the mountain and coming down to the base of this type.

quite spooky, isn't it? his vision is not just about ice and one mountain village. that hundreds of them. protecting the entire himalayas and helping to irrigate fields and forests. 5000 trees were planted in 2015 and are irrigated each spring with the water harvested. he has already one global recognition for this project. >> what is the future for these guys? >> i see it going into different directions. lower and lower toward the people in the villages. higher and higher toward the highest part of the valley. where you can grow many of them. chains of them. our hope is we can get back what we lost. and adapt to changing climate.

>> we just lost a son over the hill and is getting cold. quickly. but we have plans. they have brought some prayer flags to tie up on top of these and we will get a sense tomorrow morning how effective they are at creating these amazing structures. the water in the pipe is released overnight when temperatures release -20 or -30 degrees. slowly buildg up these structures until they reach heights of 60 or 70 feet. it is likeil rigs. like you struck oil. but you struck water, eh? the next morning, i returned to see the changes that have happened overnight.

oh, wow. oh man, look at that. i want to climb off the but i don't think that is a good idea. if i get stuck, i will make a nice addition to this sculpture. bearing in mind, the whole reason they are doing this is to try to conserve that winter meltwater. it is a kind of water battery. they charge it up in the winter and then they melted in the spring. >> we are losing our glaciers almost through no fault of ours. life would not have been possible in this desert had it not been for those glaciers.

it was fossilized water from tens of thousands of years ago. we are able to survive. if they are gone, we will be gone. and it will be a real desert with no life. people in big cities, if they live simply, then people in the mountains, with simply live. sooner or later, they could come to their own doorstep. we should be sensitive to see the first signs. and mend our ways. ♪ >> around the world, urces of fresh water are dwindlg and drought is spreading. goldman sachs has called water the petroleum of the next century. new dams built in india have been seen by pakistan as a threat to national security.

and water has become a weapon of war and iraq. by 2025, two thirds of the world's population. conflict with water could be closer than you think. >> jordan is one of the driest countries in the world. with less water per capita than anywhere else on earth. climate change is but the already strained water supply under threat. with the count recent suffering from its worst drought in 900 years, it is only estimated to have enough water reserves for 2 million people. and it has a population of over

6 million. with faulty pipes and plumbing adding to the crisis, i'm here to visit a scheme that is putting women at the frontline of combating this issue. water is severely rationed in jordan. i meet this water expert, at a place where people come to buy more water. this is where people come when they run out of water? >> yes. >> so are they going to sell the water to people are is it for them? >> [speaking foreign language] >> this means some families hav

asked to bring water. >> this is well below the threshold. it is due to drop further in the coming years. so this is normal? people run out of water? >> yes. in jordan, we've run out of water everyday. >> why is the situation so bad? >> you cannot live without water. >> according to one study, the kingdom's supply of fresh water is on track to be exhausted as early as 2050. around 50% of the water distributed to houses across the country is lost through illegal tapping and faulty pipes. the practical solution to these issues has been developed and collaboration with the jordanian government.

it is known as the water wise women's initiative. this course teaches women water saving techniques and plumbing skills. >> they are taught what is happening if there's a faulty tap. all the parts of the tap need to come out and order so they can go back in order. so the plumber can check them one by one. >> astonishingly, the total loss to leakage annually is at least 76 billion liters. enough to satisfy the needs of 2.6 million people. >> i am reattaching the inlet into the tap. i have to make sure it is very secure. that is tight enough. good. [applause] thank you very much. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> women are specifically being trained because in traditional middle eastern culture, a husband must be there if a plumber is going to visit. if a woman can fix it herself, it will save time and vital water. this initiative is making a big difference. some of the qualified water wise women have a job fixing the plumbing of a local mosque. i have been invited to join. there is a little piece of metal broken and the taps and they are contaminating the water. they have to make sure every drop of contaminated waters out of the tank before they resubmit the fresh water. w long have you been a plumber? >> since october of 2015. i love it because it is helpful. you can say something very important.

>> welcome back. >> the imam of the mosque is checking that everything is done. i don't think he would know. with the water tank on the roof signed off. it is time to head inside to comple the job. we are in the ablution room where people wash before they fade. the ladies are going to show me how to attach these so that they do not waste as much water. aughter] it is very embarrassing. when you go to people's houses, do you find men who don't like that a female plumber has come to their home? what do you say? >> if we can do it or not, just

give us a chance. we are confident with us. >> ok, let's say. wow, it works. i have not done it very well. it is leaking from the top. i think i need to stop now and that the professionals take over. the work the water wise women are doing is more important now considering the impact in syria. around 2 million refugees are being hosted in the country, increasing the rate of groundwater depletion. just 15 miles from here is a refugee camp. it is huge. like a little city. there are 80,000 syrian refugees living here.

that is putting it incredible strain on jordan's water supply. getting water to the people living here is a massive logistical operation. it is carefully controlled. with no private network, 58 trucks like this one distribute water daily to 12,000 tanks in the camp. but when the water runs out, that is it. >> from technical point of view, we have not recharge this effectively. so it is like we are withdrawing every day but depositing very little. >> ensuring the syrians manage their water rations is vital. this is one of the camps water promoters. educating the refugees on how to best conserve their water. >> they need an awareness to improve the usage of the water. >> these awareness sessions to

help refugees cope with limited supplies are held here daily. >> [speaking foreign language] >> this is women here. why is that? >> they are the face of the faly. >> learning the best way to manage their water rations is vital for these women. >> [speaking forgn lanage] >> it is great. it is really good, the work they are doing here. trying to reinforce the message of how important water is and how we need to conserve it. one refugee who has been on the water wise women's course.

she is now one of the initiatives must successful women. she sets up her own business and employs five other fale plumber's. >> [speaking foreign language] >> water education is essential. >> [speaking foreign language] ♪ it is clear that water

shortages across the globe are driving people to find creative and sustainable solutions. new designs such as this structure in ethiopia. other devices are looking to the power of the sun to help with water issues in countries like ecuador and ghana. still the underlying causes are just, water scarcity will continue to spread. it is innovations like these that provide hope that we can adapt in the meantime. /ñ/ñ/ñ/ñomomomomom/ñ/ñ/ñx2ccñcñc

♪ host: welcome to "global 3000." as fit as a fiddle, what's loma linda's secret when it comes to longevity? power from the deep, could our oceans satiate our future energy needs? ♪ and, drought in kenya. when it comes to fighting climate change, enter creativity!