♪ >> welcome to “global 3000!” hitting the heights -- why indigenous women are taking on bolivia's summits. earth-bound: families in india are planting trees to curb desertification. what lies beneath, the devastating effects of secret underwater oil-dumping. ♪ thick black clumps on the beaches, birds drenched in oil,

dde ad fish. oil tanker accidents cause untold damage to our ocean's ecosystems. on average, one tanker is shipwrecked every week out on the water, and lies abandoned on the ocean floor. the 1989 exxon valdez disaster in the gulf of alaska was one of the worst ever. it spilled almost 40,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea, leaving more than 2,000 kilometres of coastline contaminated and killing hundreds of thousands of fish, seabirds and other animals. the local ecosystem has still not fully recovered. but most of the oil pollution in our oceans comes from land sewage, and illegal oil dumping by ships. this shaky video was filmed secretly inside a tanker ship.

secretly, because it shows something that should not be there. did you see it? let's watch it again. there it is. toxic waste in the ocean. sthis practice is called bilge dumping, and it's causing one of the worst environmental disasters at sea. so what is bilge dumping? and why are we not stopping it? first, let's look at what bilge water is. a bilge is the lowest part of a ship, where the two sides meet. bilge water is the water that accumulates here. except, it's not exactly water. ships of this size are massive machines with labyrinthic pipe systems, engines bigger than coach buses, burning streams of

heavy fuel oil. the pipes can leak, the oil can spill and the engines need cooling and cleaning all these liquids are collected in the bilge. and it's not a nice view. we know very well that oil can trap and kill animals. well, bilge water contains oil diluted with water plus various chemicals and heavy metals. oil can suffocate and intoxicate fish and birds. and even if they survive, their offspring might not. this is the heart of a normal, healthy fish larva. this is that of a larva exposed to oil . the result -- a smaller heart, a ower heartbeat, and lower chances of surviving. bilgwater is so toxic that it has been regulated for more than 50 years. >> this is a pblem that has been personally bothering me for most of my caree >> this is john amos, he fnd out about the bilge dumping problem 20 years ago, when he founded “skytruth.” >> we're a

nonprofit organization that uses satellite imagery to shine a spotlight onnvironmeal ises arod the world. and more precisely radar satellites, which 20 years ago re a very new technology. >> what we regularly see these dark streaks on the water that were not natural, that often had a bend of the slick. at the >> enter bilge dumping. >> and at the time, looking at those slicks, there wano way r us to identify the vessels that were responsible. >> it could take hours for the satellites to send an image. by the time they received it, the vessel was long gone. >> it was an extremely frustrating thing. >> but everything changed with ais. >> that is an automatic identifition sysm. its use is ao required by international law so that

vesselcan avoid nning into >> ships are now required to transmit their position with a radio signal. satellites can pick up that signal and record the movements of every ship. >> we know the exact time and the exact place based from that satellite image. and then we find the air s broadcasts that match that most closely in space and time. and when we put it on the screen, we had a clear match of that of one vessel's track, clearly matching the path of the slick. >> for this investigation, algorithms were trained to automatically recognize potential spills. in one year, we found 1500 potential dumps in eu waters alone. the oil dumped this way is roughly equivalent to five times the 1989 exxon valdez spill ,one of the worst maritime environmental disasters. even worse, that's a conservative estimate.

and even worse, hardly anybody knows about it! and even worse, this is a deliberate practice! so why are we not holding companies accountable? >> there are other features on radar, satellite imagery that can look like an oil slick. >> it could be caused by ships carrying fish oil, vegetable oil, or by other elements. >> it's not sufficie at this point in any courts of law that i'm aware of. but in combination with other things, it can be powerful accessory evidence to help make a legal case. >> to be taken as proof, a visual confirmation must come from someone on the ground. ♪ >> hello captain, nice to meet you. we are here to carry the marpol inspection. >> there are two parts to these inspections.

first, a very tedious one. then, a very noisy one. that bilge water is collected down here. >> the inspection is over. >> so captain, that's the attachment about our inspection. all with no deficiencies. >> okay, thank you. >> no problems this time. but that doesn't mean bilge dumping is not happening. >> we look really deep into it and try to be always up to speed and to know where the manipulation could be. i think we have a high standard, but we can never uncover 100%. >> coastguards only inspect a fraction of the ships. and only check those already docked in a port, not in high seas, where the dumping occurs. but there's someone else on the ground that can confirm what satellites reveal.

someone who follows these ships wherever they go -- whistleblowers. [phone ringing] >> hello. >> hey. hello. >> how are y? >> i'm good, a little bit red, how are you? >> i am good. i am good. >> this is one of the five whistleblowers we talked with. we decided to withhold his name to protect his identity. thanks to his description we built a 3d model of how bilge dumping works. here is the bilge tank, and here is the notorious bilge pump. >> so what we did was we used that pump to transfer from the bilge tank to another tank called the clean drain tank and we have the facility to discharge the contents of that directly overboard. >> and here you have it. bilge dumping 101.

>> and the irony is that these pumps are designed to prevent oil pollution. so the purpose of these dumps is actuay to collect oil from the ocean and dump it into a safe space, but the irony is that they use the same pump for such activities. >> sucactivities also tend to happen when there's bad weatr >> so it is very difficult to so it is difficult to make out anything. >> it is really, really dark. >> and all too often. >> it is definitely the norm. so it is expected that everyone will silently participate in it. a lot of the rules are violated and it's just how it is. one gets used to it. >> one, but not everyone. whistleblowers like him are still horried enough, and brave enough, to speak up. >> so unless there is someone on board, it is very difficult to catch someone without an insider. >> their testimonies are crucial for investigations like this. but we shouldn't have to rely

on their courage to protect our oceans. >> northern india is among those regions already heavily affected by the climate crisis. desertification is dramatically on the rise. the indian state of rajasthan is home to more than 70 million people, who could face water scarcity in future. in this week's "global ideas," we head to the outskirts of bikaner, to meet a man who wants to stop that with the help of his family. >> rajasthan, in northern india. temperatures here regularly soar above 45 degrees celcius. and the heatwaves are getting longer. a consequence of climate change, says shyam sunder jyani. for years, he's been observing how the extreme conditions have caused the expansion of deserts.

>> scarcity of water is a big concern of desert because we don't have groundwater, because it is in very depth and also not good in quality. it is not usable. and as far as rain is concerned, every year we receive minimum rainfall in this area. >> shyam sunder jyani didn't want to sit back and do nothing. ♪ so in his spare time, he travels to villages to give away free saplings of ancient indigenous fruit trees. these plants can thrive in the harsh climate. today, he's visiting the school at banderan village. he urges the villagers to care for the trees so that they grow to provide shade and fruit. ♪ >> work starts after plantations. but generally, people consider that when we did plantation, it's over. but we say, that now our

responsibility starts from that point. so i requested them to consider, that now, our responsibility has increased and we have to grow all saplings as a green member of family. ♪ >> these trees will give us fresh air to breathe and fruit to eat. we've learned that trees need to be treated as members of our family. only then can they save our planet. >> today, banderan villagers are also being given a tree each to take home. once planted, they're watered with wastewater. shyam sunder jyani named his organization "familial forestry" after the idea it was founded on. >> it all started back in 2003 when shyam sunder jyani was a young sociology professor working at a college in bikaner. the few trees on the campus grounds were almost dead. along with his students, he saved them and replaced them

with saplings. from then on, the students cared for the trees. the next step came a few years ago. >> in 2013, we started development of institutional forest and we started plantation over there. you can see this is a six hectare of land and having more than 3000 trees of more than 100 different varieties. it is most diverse institutional forest in any educational institute of rajastan. >> shyam sunder jyani pays for the seedlings out of his own pocket. he often ends up spending a large portion of his salary. while his peers focus on advancing their careers, he invests his time and energy in "familial forestry." the dedication sometimes makes things hard for his wife, kavita. she often has to look after their two daughters alone. money is often tight at the end of the month.

[chatter] >> i see people with similar jobs living luxurious lives. they celebrate their children's birthdays in restaurants, drive big cars, have their own houses. actually, that's how i imagined our lives would be. >> shyam sunder jyani has planted more than 3 million seedlings in the villages of rajasthan in recent years. for a long time, his commitment and efforts went unnoticed by the public and authorities. but press now turn up at the tree-plantings wanting interviews. the familial forestry was recognized with the "land for life award" by a un organization that fights to prevent desertification worldwide, the unccd. >> i've seen many activities that you donate a tree and then somebody else takes care of the tree on your behalf. but the idea ofamilial forestry is by seeing a tree as

the memb of the family, you will cultivate the care for th tree. therefore, theurvival rate of the trees in the region where familial forestry planted is significantly higher. >> he's hoping the award will attract donors and financial support. he sees the indigenous fruit trees as crucial to stop arid desert areas expanding. and keeping villagers from malnutrition. and he points out yet another benefit his work brings. >> fruit-bearing trees attracts biodiversity. it increases biodiversity also because these trees attract butterflies. small insects, pollinators, even birds. so, by this way, we can increase and we can protect our biodiversity also.

>> shyam sunder jyani has another idea that he's dreamt of for a long time. planting trees along roadsides in india's sprawling cities where space is a scarce. urban populations are in need of clean air and vitamin-packed fruit as well. ekeing out >> they all had their eye on the summit, the first female mountaineers in the early 20th century. for many of them, it was not just about the climbing, but also about succeeding in a male-dominated activity. most of these alpine mountaineers were from the upper classes scaling the heights was , an expensive undertaking. and just how topical climbing still is as a symbol of self-determination and the discarding of outdated gender roles, is clear from this report from bolivia. ♪ >> venture further up the mountains past la paz, and you'll enter a hidden world. in the city of el alto,

bolivia's highland indigenous people have built their own secret settlement. elena quispe is an avid climber and needs a sacrificial offering for the god of the mountain. she's come to a so-called witches' store, where from dead baby animals to herbs and ointments, customers can choose from all manner of items for divining good fortune. elena quispe asks for an offering specifically to please the mountain deity. the arrangement of the coca leaves, herbs and sugar-icing figures is in itself a religious ritual. >> we ask permission from a-cha-chi-la, the mountain god, so that we may all make it to the top without any problems. for this, we always make an offering to the mountain. >> the witches' stores seem like a window into another world, one barely disturbed by european colonialism. where human ailments are familiar, but the remedies entirely different. where respect for the gods of

nature matters is absolutely vital. behind the modern facades of el alto, sometimes entire streets are covered in the smoke of sacrificial fires. they're available for rent, to appease the old gods for whatever's troubling you. these are ancient rituals that the spanish missionaries could never dispel. here jesus always looks the other way. ♪ elena is one of 14 cholitas escaladoras, indigenous women who climb mountains. a minor revolution, perhaps, because in bolivia this has traditionally been a male domain. since the cholitas have been going up the mountains, they've become an inspiration for many other women. >> they go climbing with their traditional skirts on. that makes us proud. they're hardworking and brave

bolivian women. >> but that's also true for the women who sell vegetables here, whether it's hot or cold. we face a daily struggle to achieve things, the struggle of the women in skirts. solidarity is essential. >> women face widespread discrimination in bolivia. that's why, here on top of the andes, the cholitas are keen to set an example. wearing mountaineering boots is the only concession to the harsh conditions. no matter how much easier scaling the mountains may be in conventional climbing gear. for elena quispe, it's important to prove that they can do it in traditional dress. >> i'm wearing a petticoat and have four layers on right now. one, two, three and four. and this is the skirt that we always keep on because we've been wearing it since we were

little. we're very proud of being able to climb with our skirts on. ♪ >> donning their customary dress before scaling the mountain makes them feel free and independent. women in bolivia are often not taken seriously, especially when they wear traditional costumes. many men say their place is in the kitchen, an attitude that elena and her friends also grew up with. for them, life in the highlands amounted to cooking and helping to carry things. but the mountain peaks were taboo, unreachable, the base camp was as far as they could go. >> when we started climbing, there was a lot of prejudice. we were told the snow would melt before we climbed a mountain! there was a lot of machismo, because until then only men

climbed the mountains. that's why we were determined to reach the top, to conquer the summit and show the men! ♪ >> a few years ago, the first of them simply defied the rules and joined an expedition to the top of the mountain. their husbands have since learned to accept this new development. and so today, the women only need the blessing of pacha mama, mother earth, and achachila, the mountain god. and for that they've brought along a sacrificial offering. it's 3:00 a.m. when the cholitas and the reporters accompanying them leave the base camp. with conditions still bitterly cold during the nighttime frost, the ice of the steep glacier they have to cross is at its hardest. there's no stop until dawn, as the cholitas systematically work their way up the mountain.

for those who are not acclimatized, at 5000 meters above sea level, every step becomes torture. from this point, they really notice the decreasing oxygen in every breath they take. seven hours later they reach our destination, the summit at 5,330 meters. [cheers and applause] [chatter] >> the cheers go to the mountain god, who was once again merciful. merciful, also with the non-locals in tow. relief, a first smile of the day and the exhausted realization that this really is not their world. [chatter] >> this is the world of the cholitas escaladoras. ♪ >> it's really important for us to come to the summit in our

traditional costume and let our skirts flutter in the wind. in the mountains we are happy! as if we were flying. [cheers and applause] >> free and empowered. at least up here. but it is still progress far removed from the everyday lives of many women in bolivia, down below, in the shadow of the mountains. ♪ >> for this week's “global living rooms,” we head to cameroon. ♪ >> hello! welcome to my living room.

come inside! ♪ so here you go, this is my home. i'm madame fokou alvine. i live in this modest home. it has six rooms. i live with my family, my children. and here you can see my husband, mr. foko, wearing traditional costume. he was at a party in burkina faso. and so while wearing that he had this beautiful photo taken. >> this is the dining area. the children also use this table to do their homework. and i write songs here. i especially like to write when it's quiet, when i'm all alone and there's no noise at all. otherwise i generally write songs in my own room, my private space.

♪ and this is a photo from my wedding day, a very important day in my life! and next to that is my son, he was a year old. we were all in bed together, me my husband and i, and that''s when we took the photo. and this is a picture of me abroad, i was working somewhere else then. lots of people say, is that reallly you? and yeah it's true, i was different then, that was about 2011 or 2012, i was living and working abroad. ♪ thanks for visiting me. bye bye! ♪ see you soon! ♪ >> and that's all from us at “global 3000” this week. thanks for joining us.

do drop us a line with your comments, you'll find us at global3000@dw.com, and on facebook -- dw global ideas. see you next time. take care!

>> this is dw news live from birmingham. ukrainian -- found mass graves outside the city of izium which was taken back from russian forces last weekend. resident volodymyr zelenskyy says moscow must be held accountable for leaving bind a trail of death. and after weeks of no grain exports from ukraine -- they claimed that little of it is making it to the nations.