welcome to "global 3000." ecofriendly businesses, crowdfunding gets green ideas off the ground in ghana. the flood of plastic threatening the galapagos islands. and unrelenting sands, how can we save the earth from desertification? ♪ every year, across the globe some 70,000 square kilometers

of land turn into desert. that's roughly the size of ireland. deserts already make up almost a third of the earth's total land area, a consequence of climate change and aggressive agriculture, among other things. there is less and less living space for increasing numbers of people. many have no choice but to flee. but there are solutions. >> this is the fastest growing desert on the planet. the gobi, which means "waterless place" in mongolian, stretches across mongolia and china. it devours about 6000 square kilometers of grassland per year, engulfing villages and turning landscapes into uninhabitable wasteland. tens of thousands of people have become "environmental migrants," forced to resettle elsewhere. only a couple of thousand people are left. the reason why gobi and other deserts are expanding, is partly due to anging climate cycl affecting the rainfall.

but human-driven global warming is also fueling this process. some 3000 kilometers from the gobi, in the deserts of kazakhstan and uzbekistan, the aral sea is drying up. mainly because of industrial farming. this, but also extreme droughts, deforestation, and overgrazing have severely degraded once fertile soils, turning them into sand and dust. this manmade destruction is called desertification. and it's happening on a global sce. by them of the century, -- by mid-century 25% of the world's , soils will be affected. >> iwe don't have a solid base upon which people livelihoods, they can depend on that land everything else becomes , precarious. porter: this idr. b, lead scienst for the united nations convention to combat desertification. his job is to find solutions to help the half a billion people whose livelihoods are already hard hit by desertification, and the other half a billion

who are at risk. most live in south east asia, the middle east, the sahara region, and north africa. the good news -- the situation is not hopeless. let's take a look at saudi arabia. an initiative, called "the al baydha project," has developed a system for regenerating the land using flashfloods. these videos shared on social media in 2021 show what rainfall in saudi arabia can look like. but most of the valuable freshwater in the region runs off or evaporates. >> we said ok, well, if we can catch flash floods and get that water in the ground, then that becomes a sustainable source of water, even if it's only happeng, you know, every 18 months or every 20 months, or whatever. >> this is neal spackman, specialist in regenetive agriculture and former director of the al baydha project.

together with the local community, neal spackman and other agcultural scialists have been building dams, terraces, and kilometers of ditches. the idea is to channel the floodwaters to where they are needed and retain them. ere, they can be reabsbed. these are methods that the likes of the incas used hundreds of years ago. >> so, it's slowing down the water first with those human scale earth works, physically. that allows for biology to get established and then you're slowindown the water ecologically. at first, artificial irrigation was needed to promote plant growth and get the ecological cycle started again. but then by harvesting flashfloods, significantly more water could be put in the ground than taken out. native trees, bushes and grasses even survived a 30-month drought, without additional irrigation. >> we had birds come back. we had small mammals come back. it was qui amazing to witness, aually, to see life

coming back to this place. >> theroject has been up and running since 2010. it has proved that it's possible to restore the water table in the desert. the next challenge is to increase agricultural output to make people in the area self-sufficient again. even the sahara was green for a brief period. thousands of years ago, monsoon rains made the desert a habitable place. today, the sahara is rocky and sandy and in some areas it is expanding by almost 48 kilometers per year. manmade activities in the surrounding drylands mean it's the globe's most threatened place in terms of desertification. that process is fueling land conflicts in a region that's already poverty-stricken. solar and wind farms could potentially put an end to this, not only by creating energy, but by making it rain. scientists have developed a climate model showing that if

1/5 of the entire sahara were covered with solar farm and wind fms, there uld be 5cm ml gion. at might n sound le much, but it would increase vegetation cover by almost up 20%. how does it work? well, the black surface of the solar panels heats up the air, making it rise to higher altitudes. the wind turbines' rotation has a similar effect. >> so it goes up, and then this upward motion, it carries the moisture with it. and the upward motion when it reaches the higher altitudes, it will cool because higher altitudes are cooler, lower pressure. so it's colder and the moisture condenses, becomes rain, and altitudes are cooler, lower falls down. >> this is dr. safa mote, he's a physicist researching how to prevent environmental, economic and social catastrophes. theoretically, at least, the model would boost plant growth on a huge scale, running from east to west africa across the

sahel region. >> we believe that this will significantly improve rain-fed agriculture. and will significantly improve food production in the region. and the additional vetation, will give us improvements of ecosystems in the area. so it's a win-win situation for the environment, for the economy, and for the people. ♪ >> the gigantic energy park would create more than 4 times the energy currently consumed globally each year. the scientists believe it could be used to contribute to clean development in many different ways in africa. but, all in all, the logistics and politics of transporting the energy and the estimated costs of some $20 trillion make the project seem rather unfeasible. so, reversing desertification

is possible, we can restore soils, water cycles and vegetation to protect the livelihoods of millions of people, with natural or high-tech methods. but what is also clear, the cost of the efforts involved in the process means that will never be able to turn over the world's t desertified land into fertile soil. to stop desert expansion, scientists know what needs to be done -- curb global warming, the overexploitation of soil and deforestation. that will keep the planet's land mass healthy and able to maintain humankind, and itself. >> some 1000 kilometers off the coast of ecuador is one of planet earth's great marbles the , galapagos islands. there are animals and plants on the archipelago that live nowhere else. isolated from the rest of the world, new species evolved here over millions of years. naturalist charles darwin was

the first to recognize this in the mid-19th century. his visit there inspired his theory of evolution. it explains how species evolve and change by adapting to new habitats. take darwin's finches. the birds have adapted perfectly to their food supply. the finches with thick bills eat seeds, while long-billed finches prefer insects. but despite many protective measures, this world heritage site is under threat, from shipping, fishing, tourism, and ever greater piles of plastic. ♪ >> these creatures' habitat is unspoilt nature, one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. some of them migrate here, others are endemic to the

galapagos islands. ♪ >> scientists like to get up early. diana pazmiño and her team are researching baby rays and sharks, and that's best done at dawn. >> when i was a kid, my dad took me snorkeling in a place where there were sharks. i was petrified. i thought they'd devour me. but in time, my fear changed to curiosity. do we need to fear them? and what's happening to their populations? why are they dwindling? >> it's a grey day here off san cristóbal island. the team of marine biologists approaches a small, pristine bay. >> we need to be very careful, since we could scare the sharks and they'd swim off. we only get one go, so we need to do it right.

>> they carefully cast a net, effectively closing off the bay. and there they are, sharks and rays, ocean predators that are now themselves under threat. captain manuel yepez pulls a small shark out of the water with his bare hands. diana pazmiño wants to know which sharks or rays bear their young here. to find out, she takes a sample. once they've figured out which sharks deliver their pups and where they then move on to, conservation areas can be established. >> i love being able to research these wonderful creatures. what i like best is that we are able to collect important information. that way, we can make specific, constructive recommendations to the authorities. scientists still have a lot to

learn about marine creatures. but diana pazmiño's first priority is species protection. too many sea creatures collide with boats and get injured. the marine biologist spots a hammerhead shark. it is like all sharks often hunted for its fins or ends up as by-catch. that's why they''re slowly dying out. sharks take a long time to reach maturity, and once they do, they have few pups. it is extremely important to protect them in their first years of life until they can reproduce. >> these days manuel yepez helps , protects the sharks. but in the past, like many other fishermen here, he killed them for their fins, supplying the asian market. >> we all make mistakes. but i had an epiphany. i now have a great appreciation for the fact that a shark is worth much more alive than dead. >> since the creation of the

second-largest protected marine corridor in the world, extending from the galapagos islands to costa rica, the odds of ocean species surviving have increased dramatically. diana pazmiño was part of the research team that made it possible. >> i am very happy. with the new protected area, we are able to guarantee that these creatures can travel safely along their migratory routes. >> fishing is prohibited within the protected area. manuel yepez is grateful for the insights that science gives him. >> big trave trawlers ply the waters a few kilometers beyond the protected area, scooping up tons of fish, often illegally. >> was of fishers still think they have to fish as much as they can and sell as much as possible. >> he now wants to pioneer a more sustainable fishing

practices here. the collectibles islands themselves have been a protected area for decades. a total of only 30,000 people live on the volcanic islands, and for the more than 200,000 tourists per year who visit, the following rule applies, you can look at the local wildlife, but not touch. and plastic is outlad. but plastic trash recognizes no borders nor protected areas. juan pablo muños and daniela alarcon find it even in the world's most pristine bays. >> this is from lima, peru. that's asian. what are bottles from asia doing in the galapagos? >> where does the trash come from? the reynolds interest it?

-- animals ingest it? how does it endanger their health? scientists want to figure that out. how much trash collects here? scientists are able to gather up larger plastics. but they say that's only the visible trash. most of it is in the ocean. >> turtles and fish nibble on it. there are bite marks. >> it is impossible to collect all of the plastic, because as it weathers, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. >> d.c. this plastic dust here? that is the future. primarily from single-use plastic. the idea that plastic disappears in 1000, 2000, or a million years, is a lie.

plastic lasts forever. >> their work, he says, shows that the plastic in the galapagos islands comes from fishing boats that simply dump their trash into the sea. the fishing industry poses many threats, over-fishing, endangering marine life, trash. there need to be tighter controls. >> how do you prevent trash dumping if you can't even control illegal fishing? >> juan pablo muñoz and daniela alarcon still don't know exactly what plastic does to marine life. but it's alarming enough that it's been found in the stomachs of marine species. a world without plastic is unrealistic. but it's vital that it's used responsibly. >> this is just awful. just looking at it breaks my heart. >> intensive research is underway in the galapagos islands because there's not

much time left to protect thei marine wildlife, and indeed ecosystems across the whole , planet. ♪ >> this week in "global ideas," we look at innovative efforts to slow climate change. in the west african country of ghana, there are plenty of creative ideas for developing a sustainable economy. but there is often a lack of capital to implement them. one platform is trying to solve that, thugh providing access to crowdfunding from small and large investors. >> sylvester ayisi is excited to be out on the road, visiting companies. he works for the crowdfunding platform "frankly green." today's trip takes him some way out of ghana's capital, accra. a company seeking to produce ecofriendly toilet paper is hoping to find investors via "frankly.green." >> the last time i was there, they had only constructed the

foundation. and since frankly.green funds, the funds that would be raised through the "frankly.green" platform, would be used to augment their working capital, what it means is that the factory has to be at a stage where it is ready to produce. so my expectation is to see the factory up and running, and hopefully observe a test run. >> but when he arrives, the factory is still under construction. >> sly my man, how are you? it's been a while. >> it's been a while. how was your trip back to ghana? >> i have so much to tell you, man. so much. so much to tell you. we've been having a lot of challenges in the past few days. we had to be finished a long time ago but due to the weather, generators failing us, workers getting sick, so many things -- i can't even explain the challenges.

>> but the farmers are ready with their bamboo? >> don't worry about the bamboo. bamboo is not a problem. they are even pushing us when we are starting. >> is not just the farmers who have to wait, only when everything is finished will frankly.green decide whether good roll can use its platform to crowdfund investment. if all goes well, good roll hopes to employ 200 people, as well as many regional farmers who will produce the bamboo for the toilet paper. >> you see the color? not bleached. nothing. pure as it is. what you see here is the pure color of bamboo. this is not bleached. >> as for now, ghana has over 400,000 hectares of bamboo. we can't use all of that , obviously. so we have been handing over seedlings to the farmers we work with to grow more bamboo in ghana, which we can at the end of the day buy back from the farmers and use for the

production of our toilet paper. >> using bamboo, which grows extremely quickly, will help protect ghana's woodlands from deforestation. >> whenever you plant bamboo from the start, it takes three years to grow. after one year, the first time after you cut off the bamboo, and you cut it after one meter, it grows back in one year time. so that's a very speedy time because a tree takes about 30 years for it to grow. >> using a renewable raw material is only part of good roll's plans. all wastewater will later be treated in the company's own wastewater treatment plant and partly reused. measures like this are a preruiste to receive financing via frankly.green. the platform was developed by tobias panofen. >> sustainability and climate protection are the central focus at frankly.green. they're the starting point of our platform. all projects need to have a

positive impact on the environment. a project that doesn't, wont be financed. >> the platform is only a few months old. currently, only one firm is listed for investment. but frankly.green aims to grow, both within ghana and beyond. and there is no shortage of sustainable projects being launched. >> i am pleased that there are companies that are producing sustainably lately. there are companies that have knocked on the doors of frankly.green that are into sustainable production and that's really, really a good thing. >> there is also a great need for alternative financing for green projects. >> we see that in our target countries, including ghana, there is a huge financing gap for smes, for microcompanies

and , of course, specifically for green businesses. banks and also private investors have difficulties in evaluating the companies individually, and it's exactly this financing gap that we are trying to move into. >> in ghana's capital accra, one company has already successfully raised financing through "frankly.green," "translight solar." it leases solar panels to companies and private households that otherwise could not afford them. >> solar energy right on the rooftop saves a lot of the costs, and is able to solve the energy crisis in africa and also help us to transition into a green economy of green energy use. and that is the main reason why we started the solar company, we started "translight." >> the international climate initiative funded the development of frankly.green. the hurdles for other potential

investors are low with private individuals also welcome. it could be 100 euros or many times tha anything is possible, in theory. up to 25,000 euros. >> and "good roll" hopes to soon be the next company to successfully secure investment via frankly.green. ♪ >> i am a global teen. ♪ >> this week, our "global teen" is from mozambique. ♪ >> what is your name? >> my name is siara. >> where do you live? >> i live in mozambique, in the coastal city of beira.

>> what do your parents do for work? >> my mother is a teacher. she works at the da ponta gea school, and my father is a sales consultant. he works in chicote. >> do you like going to school? >> i like to go to school because i enjoy learning, and i have a lot of friends. so it's fun. >> what do you do in your free time? >> in my free time, i enjoy reading. i also like to dance with my mother. i enjoy learning. i like studying english. i also like to eat.

♪ >> what are your hopes for the future? >> in the future, i'd like to be a engineer, have a good job and earn well so that i can help support my parents. >> what makes you happy? >> everything. everything makes me happy. i'm a very happy person. i'm very easy to please. small things make me happy. ♪ >> is your life better than your grandparents' lives were? >> nowadays, technology is better than it was back then. it makes a lot of things easier, such as communication. it's very easy to communicate by phone, even long distance. ♪

>> that's all from us at "global 3000." thanks for joining us. send us your feedback to global3000@dw.com, and find us on facebook too -- dw global ideas. see you next time.

>> this is dw news live from berlin. tonight ukrainians are confronting the dark and cold aftermath of a week of unprecedented russian airstrikes. kyiv says nearly 50% of the nation's power grid has been knocked off-line by russian missile attacks. one in five ukrainians tonight is without electricity. coming up, climate change talks in egypt are deadlocked and going