host: welcome to global “3000”" made with love -- how a regional specialty in spain helps special people find work and happiness. made with power -- how a town on the outskirts of berlin is successfully mastering the energy transition. after the flood -- how the effects of climate change are causing despair in pakistan.

widespread destruction, with many dead and injured -- hurricane ian recently devastated areas in the u.s. state of florida. in 2022, the consequences of climate change are being felt around the world, with severe droughts in east africa, europe, and parts of the usa. forests fires are getting worse, heatwaves are affecting humans and animals alike. pakistan has been hit twice this year. in spring, a drought lasting several weeks brought temperatures of up to 50 degrees celsius. then, extreme monsoon rains caused unprecedented floods. reporter: hope is lost. there's nothing more the doctors can do. alisa is dead. father bashir ahmad's world collapses. his seven-year-old daughter is gone.

alisa had been battling a fever for days. she had malaria. the family had been trying to find a doctor and medication. by the time they got to the hospital, it was already too late. her grieving father makes the painful journey home with his daughter's body. so many in pakistan are suffering. for bashir ahmad, the pain is unbearable. more than 1500 people died in the floods, or have lost their lives to diseases in the aftermath. bashir:

my father died of fever a week ago. and now, my daughter. simply because there are no hospitals or doctors here. only private ones that we can't afford. i just want to say that no one should have to go through this. everyone should be able to get help when they're ill. reporter: but the harsh reality is that there's not enough help for the many who need it. the magnitude of the disaster is too huge. the monsoon brought much more than the long-awaited rain. its catastrophic flooding has impacted 33 million people. many now only have a tent for shelter. the emergency camps are full. some foreign aid including food and medicine has arrived, but it's not enough. aid workers are doing what they can, but the task is overwhelming. noshaba: we're seeing infections on peoples' skin, their eyes, and throats.

every day gets worse, because there's not even basic health care. the people endure it with great strength, but it's heartbreaking to see. we're lacking in everything. people are living in unsanitary conditions, they're not getting enough food, they don't have clean drinking water. it's hardest on pregnant women, nursing mothers, and small children. reporter: in the wake of the floods, a wave of disease is sweeping across the country. the world health organization has called it a second disaster. tariq: more and more people are coming, and we can't send anyone away -- or send them home, because these people no longer have a home. the government needs to do something quickly. whole villages have to be rebuilt and houses repaired. reporter: the water that rushed down the himalayas was incredibly powerful. this shopping street was turned into a raging river.

livelihoods were wiped out. people were literally up to their necks in water. survival is now the only thing that matters. many were killed in the floods, others barely made it out at the last moment. essential crops, like wheat, were destroyed. many have gone to higher ground, where there's nothing to do but wait. some have been here for weeks, with little hope of returning home anytime soon. they can no longer work and are dependent on aid. their house is gone, the cattle are dead, and the fields they once worked are flooded. they were always poor, but the parents have always able to feed their family. now, they have to start over, from scratch.

nazeer: this is very hard for my wife and children. it's bad here, we can't even wash. there are no beds for us, so we sleep on the floor. but we were brought to this dry place by the grace of our prophet. otherwise, there are hardly any dry places left for us. reporter: mosquitoes buzz through the air. there is no protection from them, or the diseases they may carry. and in the morning, the family has one more worry. the eldest son has a fever. ghulam: i'm scared. suddenly he wasn't feeling well. a military doctor gave him an injection and said we better let him sleep. reporter: pakistan is suffering. crises, wars, and, increasingly, climate change are creating hardship and

misery for people like nazeer ahmad. it's not easy to see light at the end of the tunnel. but haji hanif is trying. he's doing well, his business is thriving, and his hometown of lahore was spared from the floods. he sees it as his duty to help. he's organized food drives and takes care of the deliveries himself. haji: if we just unload it on the street, then only a few families get everything, and others will get nothing at all. reporter: so to be fair, they first give out vouchers to the poorest, who can then pick up the packages. haji: we all feel the burden, we have a lot of work ahead of us. but we do this for our brothers and sisters in need. it's a test for all of us. we must serve society. and this is also an appeal to the rich among us -- help in a

time of need. reporter: the packages will keep these people going for a while. they carry them through the flood water back to the islands of higher ground, where they have been holding on, and where they must continue to survive. host: russia's invasion of ukraine has made it clear to europeans how dependent they are on energy supplies from abroad. the latest shock came when several gas pipelines in the baltic sea were destroyed. many worry that there could be a blackout in the winter. despite rising costs and climate change, most energy worldwide is still mainly generated by fossil fuels. petroleum accounts for the largest share, with one third, followed by coal and natural gas. but when it comes to electricity production, the share of renewable energies is on the rise.

in 2021 it was at 28%. solar and wind power mean more independence, and they could also supply the 840 million people worldwide who still have no electricity. a small village in germany, south of the capital berlin, is proving that a future without dependence on fossil fuel is possible. michael: people in feldheim have fewer worries than the rest of germany at the moment. we have our own grid, and we make use of local resources, so we're not dependent on oil and gas from russia or the arab world. reporter: this is the first and only fully energy self-sufficient village in germany. feldheim, around 7kilometers south of berlin, has done what many other places can only dream of. for more than a decade, it's produced all its own energy. heat and electricity here come from wind, sun, and agricultural waste.

and that's not all. doreen: the people of feldheim banded together to operate their own electricity and heating grid. and that's unique in germany. reporter: that means they aren't reliant on fossil fuels. so feldheim residents are paying around a third as much for heat a electricity compared to the rest of germany. so how did feldheim pull it off? what can other communities and cities in germany and around the world learn from their success? let's take a look. doreen and michael raschemann came up with the idea of producing renewable energy back in the 1990's. they started scouting for locations long before wind power was popular. doreen: we were looking for a place inland with good wind conditions. and we found that in feldheim. reporter: initially, feldheim's 130 residents were skeptical. they worried the turbines might be loud, unattractive, and

harmful to local wildlife. but soon they were won over. michael: we showed them what the project would look like and what it would cost. and that created trust. we talked with each other a lot and managed to find compromises with everyone involved. reporter: one of those involved erecting the wind turbines further away from the village than required by law. doreen: when you feel like you are part of the journey, when you're able to put in a veto and shape decisions, then you stop worrying so much that something's going to happen that you don't want. reporter: soon, the first four wind turbines went up, funded by the raschemanns. it was the start of the feldheim energy miracle. doreen: the fifth one that was built here was a turbine that was paid for by the citizens of feldheim and other villages in the area. reporter: more than two decades on, there are 55 turbines. the community still plays a

role in decision-making and investment, which has helped maintain support. michael: the decision on how to finance the whole thing, also from an economic perspective, lies with the residents. so they really take responsibility into their own hands. and that means as a feldheim resident, i really have two seats at the table -- one as a consumer and one as an entrepreneur. reporter: the windpark produces enough power for 55,000 households, way more than the village can use. the surplus, 99%, is sold and fed into germany's national grid. joachim: once people began to profit from these, shall we say, less-than-beautiful wind turbines, the discussion around their more annoying aspects started to subside. reporter: feldheim harnesses more than wind. a nearby solar park meets the energy needs of roughly 600 four-person households.

and the village took it a step further -- they wanted to produce their own heat, too. doreen: many residents were wondering back then, just like many people are today, how to best heat their homes in winter, and what the options are. reporter: so feldheim built its own biogas plant and an integrated thermal power station. it produces heat with farm waste such as liquid manure and maize silage supplied by local farmers. that means 260,000 fewer liters of costly heating oil each year. and lower co2 emissions. the village also launched its own energy company and its own district heating network to distribute the heat generated by the biogas plant. that worked so well that they decided to create their own ectricity grid and become completely autonomous. doreen: what's special about feldheim

is that the resints have their own grid. they're basically buying electricity from the wind park and are actually ung that in their houses right here. reporter: but it wasn't always easy. for energy suppliers, self-sufficient consumers mean lower profits. joachim: the local utility company refused to provide access to the grid for the local power plant. they just didn't want it. and they said, this little village, no matter what they do, we're not going to give in. reporter: the residents took matters into their own hands. each household invested 3000 euros into the new grid, while another 1.7 million euros in seed money came from the eu and the state of brandenburg. joachim: there was actually no discussion. most of us were willing to make this contribution. doreen: now everyone involved is an entrepreneur and is part of the decision-making process managing the grid and setting

prices. reporter: at first, one local utility company was reluctant to buy feldheim's excess electricity, citing safety concerns. that was, until a storm caused a widespread power outage, and feldheim was the only place where the lights were still on. the energy projects also brought more jobs into the village. and new families moved in, like the jelittos, who are already reaping the rewards. sascha: the biggest difference we've noticed is that our electricity bill is now half of what it was. reporter: it's not just new residents who are thrilled by feldheim's pioneering spirit. thousands of visitors from all around the world also come every year to see how it all works. carolina: we've been looking at this process and thinking about how we can reduce our dependence on other countries for power, heating, and so on. we've been learning about how

we can develop self-sustainable energy and renewable energy policies in our communities and in our countries. doreen: germany has different regions with different conditions, and it's the same for the groups who come visit us from abroad. groups from africa, for instance, are especially interested in solar power, as well as self-sufficient ways to bring electricity to small, remote villages. reporter: feldheim shows that making the switch to renewables doesn't happen overnight. and that local authorities can't let bureaucracy stand in the way. michael: we were lucky that the politicians -- in our case at brandenburg's department of commerce -- said back then, “okay, you're proposing a solution. there's nothing that really allows it, but there's also nothing that forbids it. so just try it and prove to us that it works.” they gave us the green light and that's what made it all possible. doreen: it's about not standing in the way of people who want to

achieve something. approval procedures could be digitized and made easier. it sometimes takes four to 10 years to get approval for a wind park, sometimes even longer. we won't have a rapid energy transition like that, nor will we be able to expand renewable energy production the way the government is currently hoping. michael: it would be nice if the government didn't just announce the energy transition, but also thought it through properly and said, let's take a decentralized approach. put simply, you could have lots of little feldheims powering all of berlin. reporter: a separate energy grid might not always be the answer. but cutting some of the bureaucratic hurdles could go a long way to helping communities reap the benefits of home-grown green energy. host: according to the world health organization, around one billion people worldwide live with physical or mental disabilities. it is often hard for them to find their place in society, to be accepted, and to find work. but it is possible, and it can

be a positive and successful experience for all involved. reporter: 6:30 a.m. it's pretty early, but miriam duran is heading to work. the bus has already picked up around 30 people. some live together in residential units. others, like miriam, live with their parents. she says school was never her thing. but the early shift? that's no problem. miriam: i prefer working mornings to afternoons. afternoons are bad. in the morning, it's still nice and cool, and after work, you still have the whole afternoon free. reporter: but not everyone's an early bird. some are still half asleep. a few have someone to snuggle with, or hold hands. the factory where they work is called “la fageda,” catalonian for “beech grove.” nestled in

this nature reserve are 16 hectares of factory buildings, vegetable gardens, and pastures. miriam duran operates the packaging machine. her colleague folds boxes. everyone does jobs that suit their skill level. miriam: you have to concentrate. there are a lot of things that you have to keep your eye on. refilling the packaging sleeves, for example. everything has to be just right for our customers. reporter: 100 million yogurts are manufactured here every year. in catalonia and on the balearic islands, the brand is a top seller. la fageda puts a premium on inclusion in its workforce, while making sure its products are a success. and yet, some things are different here, like the

affection so readily on display. teresa: really, i think more factories should be like ours. because it's a good way to work. we're all human, we all need a hug, or some recognition, even if it's as simple as someone asking, how are you doing? reporter: here, the work is made to fit the people, not the other way around. that's why some workers can take an extra break. or one person does a job, while others watch and learn. listening is important, too. miriam duran has regular meetings where she can discuss how she's doing, and if there's anything she wants to change. maria colón is a psychologist. her father is the founder of la fageda. she said it frustrated him that people in psychiatric care were rarely given anything meaningful to do. maria:

work has to produce something that people find useful, something that they'll buy. it doesn't matter if it's a product or a service, but it should contribute something to society. reporter: whatever their disability, everyone here knows their contribution is valued. a few years ago, la fageda added jam to its product range. it's also been selling well, and that makes the people here proud. jaime: one thing is clear, ours is the best. we make it with a lot of love and that's really important. reporter: whether jam or yogurt, the same thing always applies -- people are more important than boosting productivity. when demand increased, la fageda could have bought more machines to speed up production. instead, the company bought

more pots and hired more workers. making things by hand is not cheap. la fageda's yogurt costs 30% more than the competition. and yet, it's the market leader in catalonia and the balearic islands. maybe because the raw ingredients are so fresh. from cow to container, everything is on-site, and it's been that way for decades. regional and sustainable, long before it was the trend. but as to who was making the yogurt, most consumers had no idea. silvia: we want people to buy our products because they're good, not because they feel pity. in supermarkets, we're competing against big multinational corporations. reporter: over the years, the company has had to reinvent itself a few times. new products, more marketing. surviving in business isn't easy. but the most important thing

has been to employ as many people as possible. miriam duran says there's nowhere else she would rather work. miriam: i have a lot of fun here with my co-workers. we get along, we trust one another. i hope to work here until i retire. anything else would be bad because i'd have to go somewhere else. reporter: la fageda has been around for 40 years. and no one here is really worried about the future. as they say, if people stop wanting yogurt, then they'll make tomato sauce. either way, they're confident the company will be here for at least another 40 years. >> i am. >> a global teen.

host: our global teen this week comes from ghana. gerald: my name is gerald kwame adomako ankwah. i live in accra, at spintex. i have two siblings. my mother is a farmer, she's into agriculture. and then my dad is a businessman, he's into real estate. i like to play video games or play football as well.

i like all kinds of music, but the one i like most is gospel music. i think that the big global problems are, one, poverty. two, hunger for power. and then three, illegal mining, which may destroy our water bodies. so, i hope that, when i finish my education, i get a good job to take care of, to help the needy. i hope to be one of the key scientists and agriculturists that would make an impact in building sustainable farms. and i also hope to make it more attractive and pull more young people along. host: and that's all from us at

"“global 3000” this week. thanks for watching. and we love hearing from you, so drop us a line to global3000@dw.com. and check out our facebook page too, dw global ideas. see you next time. take care.

♪ >> this is dw news alive, tonight, jubilation as ukraine says its forces are liberating the city of kherson. president zelenskyy calling this, a historic day but the kremlin says the area will remain part of russia. also coming up tonight, u.s. president biden takes the center stage tonight at the climate