>> hello and welcome to "focus on europe," a europe that is facing huge and unprecedented challenges. one of which is heat. wildfires are, of course, typical for the season in dry southern parts of the continent. but this time round, large areas of central and even northern europe are also bearing the brunt of the conflagration. meanwhile farmers in spain's , southern region of andalusia are also wringing their hands in despair.

they too need a lot of water if they're going to prevent crops like strawberries, vegetables and salads from going to ruin on their large plantations. but, digging wells to give themselves access to ground water is illegal and also has a negative knock-on effect on wetlands like the donaana nature reserve. >> life is about to get harder for this spoonbill heron. environmentalists felipe fuentelsaz and juan rome are concerned about the existence of hundreds of thousands of such waterbirds in the wetlands of doñana, in the south of spain. because water levels are falling. >> it's a catastrophe for biodiversity. this is a protected zone. doñana has been as good as dry for two years now. it's a wetland area with no water because it's wasted, and sometimes by breaking the law.

>> doñana national park, a unesco world heritage site, is surrounded by farmers, who use groundwater to irrigate their strawberry, blackberry and raspberry plantations. the red parts on felipe's map shows all the plantations that have cropped up in the area since the 1980s, without a license. >> over 1000 illegal wells have been drilled in the middle of the forest without permission. and the authorities we negligent. nobody stopped the uncontrolled growth. >> juan wants to show us the illegal wells. he understands the situation of the farmers, who've been waiting for years to be connected to an irrigation system, in which water is transported to the region from distant rivers. but he thinks it's wrong for

them tdrill wellif they don't have permission. >> a war for water, a scarce resource, has broken out. it's about who gets more. that's the problem. >> we come across a wildfire. a consequence of drought and record-breaking heat. there's an illegal well right here. >> it was built by circumventing the law, without papers. right next to a dry riverbed, that is public property. >> many of these fields were planted without permission, with farmers simply turning forest or meadows into plantations. we wanted to speak to some growers, but nobody wanted to speak to us. even those with licenses refused to appear on camera. but manuel delgado, spokesman of the doñana farmers association, agreed to talk with us.

>> we risk getting a bad reputation if consumers are led to believe that all fruit is grown illegally. this isn't true. >> the conservative people's party in spain has announced an amnesty for illegal cultivation, which is fuelling more tension. >> these farmers should be punished and the land should be cleared. but the opposite is happening. they're being rewarded. after 18 years of illegal farming, they're going to get a permit?!! >> now that the people's party was recently elected to the andalusian regional parliament with an absolute majority, juan is worried that it will implement what it has promised. >> the party that's now going to govern here in andalusia has

promised to legalize everything. that's why the authorities are waiting and not prosecuting those who've broken the law. that would just create a big fuss because expectations are so high. >> manuel andres gonzales is a deputy for the people's party in andalusia. he doesn't understand the criticism, and says that his party wants the amnesty to ensure that all plantations are connected in future to an irrigation system. >> thiway we'll hieve two goa. we will regulatin and we ll ensure that nmore groundwater is withdrawn when the spanish government finally does its duty and builds irrigation channels. >> for juan romero, all of this is a power struggle for political and economic interests, at the cost of nature. >> they want to grow and grow until the doñana nature reserve

disappears completely. we can see it. instead of wetland, there's a steppe, a desert. ♪ >> now, the european commission has intervened and has given spain an ultimatum. there will be big fines if the nature reserve continues to be destroyed, and water-intensive agriculture grows. this might be the last chance for this bird. ♪ >> one man who knows a thing or two about the horrors of war is australian war photographer warren richardson. he regularly joins ukrainians up at the front line in their conflict with russia. recently, for instance, he captured some of the fighting in the fiercely embattled southern city of nikopol. so, why do fighters and why do civilians, trust him? probably because he takes the

same risks as they do. [tho bell tolling] >> the death knells keep ringing out in nikopol, in southeastern ukraine. today, these people are bidding farewell to seriy krasnykh, who died at the front. his son was given the day off to stand by his mother's side during this difficult experience. a lot of people have been mourning in nikopol, and war photographer warren richardson takes pictures of them. he's been photraphing people mourning here for weeks. we met the australian at a parking lot by the nikopol train station. while air raid sirens kept blaring, he showed us the course of the nearby frontline. >> nikopol is here. there is a nuclear power station here. the russians control this whole entire area. so they're completely in

control of here right now. [siren wailing] [chatter] >> and the situation can change at any time, so there are few moments when the sirens go silent. >> for that. >> it blows your head off. >> that is an everyday situation, so for me, getting on the trains with the people that are fleeing, you know, you're around women and children that are completely unaware or, you know, they don't know what's going to happen next. >> when warren takes photographs, he immerses himself in people's lives. he tells their stories and the horrors they've experienced, so that their sacrifices are not in vain. > but sometimes the reality is too brutal, and the images unbearable. >> i got a phone call from my agency saying, "we don't wanna publish the pictures. great work, but we can't publish them. that's not where we're at."

>> warren wants to know what this war is doing to the people fighting it. so he's sought answers among churchgoers, like from father merkuriy's ukrainian orthodox congregation. [chanting] the clergyman is steadfast in his support of the ukrainian soldiers, and keeps in constant contact with the front, where, he's convinced, they're fighting for all of europe. he feels his country has been betrayed by their brothers in faith on the ground. >> the russian orthodox church is like a tumor ravaging our nation's body. in many towns, they welcome the occupiers with bread and salt. and there have been priests who wanted to talk their whole congregations into surrendering, or painted crosses on the russian tanks. >> we accompanied warren to the russian orthodox clergyman

father nikolaus. and we wanted to know, where does he stand in this difficult situation? >> as a religious person, i put all my hope in god's mercy, may he bring us peace. but of course, i believe in the defenders, the ukrainian army. they have a great duty -- to protect their homeland. >> he seemed terribly kind-hearted. but he was done talking politics. if his church was pursuing its own agenda behind closed doors. , we couldn't find out. warren doesn't pass judgment with his images. his aim is to understand all sides of the conflict, and he would also show the russian side, he says. in nikopol, it's little stories that described the big picture, women, just as they are, who left their homes in donbas. they're paying the price for the war, and waiting in nikopol to see what's next for them.

>> it was very sad back at home. we didn't have any water for seventy days, and the gas was turned off. life's hard there, because the bakers can't bake bread without gas. >> and so just like katarina here in nikopol, many others are waiting for the war to end. >> how should the war end? with us winning, of course! long live ukraine! slava ukraini! >> warren richardson feels it's the children that suffer most from the war. because they're the ones who have to build their lives among ruins and on the run. >> in the next generation, whether they take on bitterness, i don't know. whether they take on diplomacy, i have no idea. i would really hope that things are set in place for them that allows them to have some sort of understanding that they can live for a future, as opposed

to live in fear. >> well, another of vladimir putin's battlefields is the gas war which could leave many people across europe enduring a tough winter. so, to prevent the russian leader from having the whole continent at his mercy, people in the netherlands have been looking more closely at their own reserves. they're located in the groningen gas field, up in the north-east of the country which is viewed as the biggest of its kind in europe. that might sound good, but there are problems. >> jan's house is being strengthened to withstand future earthquakes. this part of the building has already been spared you can see it here. another section had to be completely torn down and is

being rebuilt. the house was damaged in the aftermath of a strong earthquake in 2012 here in groningen, where gas extraction has triggered tremors for decades. >> it was horrible. everything was moving. there was a huge noise. there was one loud bang. >> boom! >> is a huge loss. it was a beautiful house. we were happy in it. the earthquake also caused the collapse -- almost caused the collapse of the 100-year-old barn as well. its roof is now reinforced by steel beams. munneke kept a record of the earthquakes which began in the region in the 1980s. the ones in red were serious, some registering over 3 points on the richter scale. >> i began to record the earthquakes in 1990 four, and i

stopped in 2015. because there were so many earthquakes that this list would have gone all the way to the ground. >> the earthquakes have led to more 100 60,000 damage claims to date, which prompted the dutch government to scale back gas production and take a decision to close down the gas field by next year. but the russian invasion of ukraine, and slashing of gas flows to europe has thrown those plans into question. the dutch government is now considering tapping the field's still ample reserves in case of a gas emergency in winter. machiel mulder is an energy expert at the university of groningen. he believes it's possible to temporarily raise output at the groningen field to get the residents on board as well. >> if you look at the value that you could make by producing and selling groningen gas on the market, it's huge.

if you only use a small part of these revenues to compensate all inhabitants in the region of groningen, at the expense of a bit higher risk of earthquakes , because they still exist, so this could be the best decision for everyone. >> we have got cracks in the wall, but there's also cracks in the ceilings. >> but residents in groningen don't trust those promises. quick and appropriate compensation has until now been a distant dream for many. >> we made a new claim. >> marjan torie has been petitioning authororities for x years to recognize and pay for the damage she says was caused by gas extraction, and pull down the house if needed. she's still waiting for a decision. the damage, meanwhile, is growing. >> this is the type of damage that we see a lot and it's the sort of damage that really scares. a lot of people are afraid with the next earthquake that the roof will come down and the beams may land on you. >> the issue has led to heated debate about netherland's

future energy options. local green politician justine jones says the crisis is an opportunity to ramp up alternative sources and energy efficiency, and insists that extending the gas field's life should not be an option. >> extracting fossil fuels comes at a cost. it comes at a cost to people and it comes at a cost to nature. people think that now the gas tap is being closed further, that this will mean that we have no more earthquakes. even if we close by the deadline that the government has given itself, we still have a problem here, and we shouldn't prolong the extractions because the consequences will just go on and on and on. >> in jan munneke's case, it took ten years to finally get financial compensation to rebuild his home. and, munneke knows from experience that the earthquakes will continue in the area for some time to come. >> there are some months where it is quiet. that then you have a new earthquake. have new damage.

you have to register it with the authorities, and the whole craziness begins again. >> the dutch state and the gas field operator have paid out over a billion euros so far to affected residents for rebuilding and strengthening homes. none of the residents are looking for work to continuing damage -- are looking forward to continuing damage to their homes. but the dutch government may be out of other options if the gas crisis takes a turn for the worse in the winter. >> very interesting stuff. now we go to denmark, where there are strict provisions over when a child's well-being appears to be in danger -- and when the danish state is obliged to take action. it's a controversial practice , and it is currently being hotly debated. which helps to explain what happened when this young mother, hanne hjorth, had her daughter taken away from her. hanna and her husband now live here in germany from where they're fighting for their daughter to be allowed to live

with them once again. >> horror is still written all over hanne hjorth's face. it happened two years ago -- thdanish national was on her way to germany with her family. at the danish checkpoint, police officers blocked their way. it was about her daughter flora. >> at first, we were detained for over three hours without clearly being told what it was all about. with everyinute, our fear and panic grew, it's hard to describe. then when it was clear that an 18-month-old child was to be taken away from her parents and brought to a foster family by complete strangers, i was just beside myself. ♪ >> all that hanne has left of her daughter flora are some photos. the little girl now lives with a foster family in denmark. the reason offered was that the

child's well-being was in acute danger. the local authorities in hanne's hometown of viborg claimed that she and her husband kim were not taking sufficient care of flora. >> apparently, they pigeon-holed me after i chose to give my first child to a foster family when i was still very young. an expert from the youth welfare office found that flora made unusual movements to the side and grunted. we took her to a doctor, and he found nothing unusual. but the local authority stuck to its assessment and made our lives more and more difficult. nothing we did was good enough. >> fearing for their youngest daughter, elvira, the family moved to the northern german city of flensburg. >> kim has a steady job. hanne is pursuing a correspondence course. still, they fear that if they return to denmark, eira could be taken away from them too.

just two hours ay in denmark, lars christianseis sittingn his garden, making a phone call. after witnessing traumatized danish soldiers having their children taken away, christensen became active as a kind of escape-helper. >> sometimes i get up to three calls per day from people fearing a forced adoption of their children. i advise them to go abroad. because as long as the authority hasn't made a final decision about the fate of the child, it's legal to leave. >> hanne hjorth's local authority in denmark was not available for comment. the danish ministry of social affairs wrote to say that they regret the flight of danish

families and their children abroad. but the protection of the child comes first. flensburg's city hall notes with mixed feelings that more and more danish families are seeking refuge from their social authorities. but all newcomers are welcome. >> we don't advertise and say, come on over here everyone, we have super conditions! but rather, if someone moves to flensburg and we get files that show it's a case we need to follow, then of course we have to take care of those cases. because we're convinced that it's good for the child to grow up in their own family. >> across thborder in denms are defending themselves against accusations of hard-heartedness. in general, coercive measures are the absolute exception, say the family support officers. >> we're observing that the debate on forced adoptions has

led to some parents being afraid to seek help om the youth welfare office. we regret this very much. because you can actually appeal against a decision of the youth welfare office. and if you're not satisfied with the decision of the next instance, then you can take it to court. >> and that's what hanne has done. the trial is scheduled to take place in stember. but she has lost all trust in the danish state. in flensburg, she says, they've been given another chance. >> it does you good to meet people who can accept you even if you have a different opinion. we never experienced that at home. >> hanne and kim are expecting their next child and want to prove that they are good parents.

>> well, no doubt about it, staying cool in paris in a heat wave is not easy. a cold bath might be one solution. having enough to drink is good, too. but not if you just create another waste problem. and, good for them -- this summer the parisians have come up with a solution, where ecologically interested shop owners jump in. >> steven scemama's store is at the foot of the popular district of montmartre in paris. he's particularly interested in sustainability and only buys frames that have been produced ecologically. he didn't think twice when he was approached by the eau de paris, or paris water, team. >> i'm happy to be participating from an ecological point of view. it's true that paris is still quite dirty, from what we hear around us.

so, it's good to have less waste by filling up bottles. >> the city of paris is trying to cope with its waste problem by encouraging people to reuse bottles. since the end of april, parisians and tourists alike can fill up on fresh water at a number of stores, like this cheesemonger's. >> our goal is clearly linked to the ecological transition and to the fight against climate change. it's a very long-term approach, and that's why we want all parisians to mobilize for a more sustainable, greener city. >> but there are still lots of people who don't know that there is free water available in stores. >> i had no idea we could do it, none at all. >> no, i didn't know. >> it's a win-win situation, a very good initiative. but i didn't know about it, so the information could be better

communicated. >> most people are aware of the hundreds of outdoor drinking fountains dotted around the city. this one even has sparkling water. >> from the description, it's clearly a good thing. we've been coming for a few months and it's a real help. >> free water is also part and parcel of the restaurant experience in paris. if you're lucky, it might even have some refreshing mint in it. >> well from that "hot" story from the chic but inventive people of paris, that is your lot for this time round on "focus on europe." i do hope that you've enjoyed the show and that we've given you plenty of food for thought. bye-bye and tschüss! ♪ ♪

08/18/22 08/18/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> bolsonaro, you believed in your lives. if there is someone possessed by the devil, it is bolsonaro. he is a liar like anyone i've ever seen lie. amy: former president luiz inácio lula da silva