host: welcome to "global 3000." why retire? in the u.s., many older people would rather keep working. university, and then what? china's college graduates worry about their future. and could liquefied natural gas be the solution to the global energy crisis? russia's invasion of ukraine has triggered an energy crisis, especially in europe. r decades, many member states came to depend on cheap natural

gas from russia. but moscow has throttled gas exports. a desperate search for new providers is on, and africa has large gas deposits. billions in profit are at stake. by 2030, germany hopes to obtain 10 million tons of lng from senegal alone. but we already know that all fossil fuel extraction comes at a high human and environmental cost. is the energy crisis making us forget the climate crisis? reporter: we cook with it. heat with it. generate electricity with it. and also save the climate with it? greg's -- >> natural gas... reporter: ...is versatile and cleaner than other fuels. so it's really become the poster child of politicians... mr. obama: proving that we don't have to choose between our environnt and our economy. reporter:

...and fossil fuel companies. >> the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. >> the world needs fuels that are abundant, affordable and lower carbon. fuels like natural gas. reporter: but hang on a minute. should we really trust the fossil fuel industry tt's responsible for half of all industrial greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution to suddenly do what's best for the planet? uh... probably not. so let's drill down and see how -- >> ...environmentally sustainable... reporter: -- natural gas really is. brdly speaking, natural gas is a mix of different hydrocarbons, mainly methane. it's found in rock formations deep below the earth's surface, where it formed from the remains of plants and animals over millions of years. we developed techniques to extract it from there, and have done so for decades. and global output has constantly gone up ever since.

in the early 2000s, refined processes, like fracking, allowed companies to access previously untapped reserves. especially in the u.s., the world's biggest gas producer, this sparked a real boom. and behind this boom, there was one big promise -- that natural gas could clean up the power sector. james: if you burn gas, natural gas, that is methane, you get half the co2 emissions of burning coal. reporter: this is james henderson, who leads the gas research program at oxford university. james: so, natural gas still emits co2 when burnt. it's not entirely clean. but it's cleaner than its alternatives, like coal, while generating the same amount of energy. and so the first step for many countries is to switch away from dirti fuels such as coal, particularly in power generation, anmove to gas. reporter: you can imagine this like switchg a coal stove for a gas heater, just on a much bigger scale.

so, instead of building a new coal power plant, build a gas power plant. or retrofit a coal power plant to run on gas, kind of like the industry is showing off here. so as a lot of relatively clean natural gas became suddenly available, it turned io moreth. it was now -- mr. obama: the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change. reporter: the thinking was this -- gas could be the bridge between a fossil-fuel powered past and a future powered by renewables. up until today, politicians and the industry are pushing this narrative. and that's because it worked. nakul: in this sector, in the u.s., typically gas has been a boon r the climate. reporter: nakul nair is a gas market analyst for research firm bloombergnef. nakul: if you were to plot u.s. car sector from 2000 to 2020, the u.s. is probably in the lead in terms of decarbonizing their power sector, and much of that

can be attrited to the use of natural gas. reporter: it's no surprise, then, that much of the western world, like the uk and the eu, have been following similar strategies. and there's great potential for natural gas elsewhere. james: if you move further east to a country like china or to india, where coal plays a huge role in the energy economy, they haven't really gone through that coal to gas switch yet. gas can therefore play a role as a cleaner fuel, if you like as a bridge fuel, to a decarbonized future. reporter: but all that is only half the story. because there's one big problem with gas that those in favor of it don't like to talk about so much. simply speaking, once gas gets extracted from the ground, it goes into a refinery, where it's processed. from there, it's distributed, usually vipipelines,o power statns or hos or businesses. or it gets cooled down and turned into lng -- liquefi natul gas -- and then shipped around the world. and at every single one of

these steps, methane can escape into the atmosphere. methane is a greenhouse gas that's 80 times more powerful in warming the planet than co2 over a 20-year period. it's invisible, but with the help of satellites or ry expensive special cameras, it'. climate change is happing. and natural gas, which is, by the way, also called fossil gas, ultimately is a fossil fuel that will make it worse. the science is clear on this -- if we want to avoid catastrophic global warming, we need to be reducing our use of gas drastically, not keep expanding it. in countries that still use a lot of coal, particularly in asia, switching to gas can still save emissions. but on a global scale, we need to start phasing it out. james: that switch from coal to gas can be one of the initial stages towds reducing emissions. but of course, you know, timately, as and when that

switch has happened, gas then becomes the problem. it becomes the hydrocarbon tha. reporter: in fact, if gas use were to cwi our aimo limit obale it wod rming to.5 degre,line cordinto a rect un rept. pl, every t of infrastructure we build now will lock in gas use long into the future. arvind: new infrastructure, things like power plants or lng terminals have a typical lifetime of 30 years. reporter: this is arvind ravikumar, who researches how to lower emissions in the energy sector. arvind: so when you build a plant right now in 2022, its operational lifetime will extend to 2052. and the question is, we do need natural gas now, we are using natural gas now. but will that natural gas and will that infrastructure be usul 30 years from now? reporter: but despite all these warnings, it seems to be pretty much business as usual. a recent investigation by the guardian revealed that oil and

gas companies have plans to massively expand their production. again, we put this to the gas industry. thiogp said using s to replace coal is a no-brainer. anthat it's the job of energy companies to meet demand. and the job of governments to change that demand. the u said that gas is critical for an achievable, affordable, sustainable, and secure decarbonization of the global energy system. they also respectfully disagree that there is no room for more natural gas. lorne: that's the thing that the gas industry completely overlooks. reporter: this is lorne stockman, who heads the research at oil change international, a climate advocacy group. lorne: they're locked into this kind of fantasy that their fossil fuel is the one that is okay and can grow and still has room for growth. and that the others will, you know, carry the burden of

getting us to our emissions goals. and there's really not a credible climate scenario in which gas can grow. reporter: but that really begs the question -- if we need to use less gas, what should we use instead? well, most importantly, we should tap cleaner energy sources, like wind and solar. which are, by and large, also cheaper. however we do it, we need to cross the gas bridge. sooner rather than later. because that's the thing with bridges -- they have a beginning and an end. ♪ >> two children. two continents. one giant problem. [speaking foreign language] >> how will climate change affect us and our children?

learn more at dw.com/water. reporter: most people need a job to be able to afford a roof over their head, to buy food, and to take part in social activities. but millions don't have one. the un's international labor organization, or ilo, reports that global unemployment reached 207 million in 2022 -- far higher than the pre-pandemic level. young people are especially hard hit. the ilo estimates that about 73 million young adults had no job in 2022 -- 6 million than in 2019. in china, about one in every five young adults is jobless, a consequence of the government's drastic zero covid policy and a job market that's growing too slowly for college graduates.

reporter: friday evening in beijing. tengteng is in his element. the home-brewed beer is his bar's trademark. the people who come here want timeout from the daily grind. tengteng: we want to create a place that's just like the living room in our house. a place to welcome friends. reporter: solidarity in hard times is the motto here. jobs for young people are scarce at the moment. after four decades of rapid growth, the economy is faltering in almost all sectors. the unemployment rate for those aged 24 and under is at an all-time high -- officially around 19 percent. many are overqualified. this is what tengteng's bar often looked like in the summer -- staff with no customers to serve. the trained lawyer was only allowed to sell his beer to : all of our full-time employees are highly educated.

some have degrees in political science or law from the university of international studies in beijing. reporter: many young people are doing jobs for which they are very overqualified. like liu ziheng. he studied tourism. he was looking for a job for half a year. now he works in a low-paid job in a store where young people meet to play fantasy board games. liu ziheng: because of covid and especially because of the restrictions, the job really only brings in the bare minimum. reporter: liu ziheng lives in his grandma's apartment, so he can make ends meet even with little money. he hopes to improve his chances with another degree. liu ziheng: after all, i see how the number

of advertised jobs has dropped in all fields. many of us actually want to go to work after we finish our bachelor's degree, but because there are no jobs, we keep on studying. reporter: the belief that only those who study a lot will find a job is deeply anchored in society here. the number of those who continue on to higher education has risen sharply in recent decades. in 2010, only 24 percent of school leavers went to university each year. now it's about 58 percent. but china now has too many highly qualified graduates and not enough jobs. at the max planck institute in halle, prof. xiang biao is researching china's young people. they live in a vicious circle of competition. in china, a word has even been coined to describe the state -- radical exploitative competition. prof. xiang biao: it basically

means making endless efforts. it's a very tiring process, but has no real meaning. you are forced to compete, without an end in sight. reporter: because of the lack of job opportunities, many choose to study for another degree. an entire industry has evolved from the eagerness of young adults to continue studying. similar to co-working offices, students can rent desks by the hour. yu zhenming spends 20 hours a week poring over his books here. he already has a master's degree in civil law, but because his job is on the line, he wants to improve his chances with another degree. yu zhenming: the exams systems are one of the few systems that are fair.

as long as you put enough work into learning, you will be rewarded with good grades. it's more straightforward, easier and fairer than most things in our lives, like work. reporter: anxiety is the dominant emotion of this generation, studies say. for the past year, the word tang ping, or "lying flat" has been making the rounds in china. it is the name of a protest movement against the pressur of constant competition. prof. xiang biao: they are critical of the current situation, but they haven't found an alternative. they don't yet know what could be a constructive way to lead a different lifestyle. reporter: china's youth are searching for meaning. and social and political engagement is only possible to a limited degree. tengteng and his colleagues are supported by the sense of

community at work. tengteng: i think many of them feel lost. but it depends on how you deal with it. reporter: for decades, steady growth gave everyone a sense of opportunity and hope. but now, the latest gloomy economic figures are hitting the younger generation with full force. ♪ host: in the u.s., there are plenty of job openings right now, but businesses are having a hard time finding workers. many employees quit during the pandemic in the hope of finding a better job. and their prospects are good, as there were around 10 million job openings in the u.s. in october 2022. the current jobless rate is 3.7 percent. most jobs are in the service sector, including restaurants, or in healthcare.

truck drivers are especially sought after. >> ♪ on the road again ♪ reporter: if he wanted to, robert blethen could be still in bed. instead, he's up before dawn heading towards rhode island in the northeastern united states. the 70 year-old has been hired to bring three show jumping horses to a tournament. robert: i'm old. i get up at 5:00 anyway. i get up a little bit earlier to come in for this. i like the early morning. i am really not a night owl. reporter: after an hour's drive, he arrives at the stables. the horses' owner is already there. robert: good morning, astor. you're on german tv. [laughter]

hi, annie! reporter: drivers are highly sought after, where about 80,000 more are needed. by 2030, that number is set to double. annie: astor's gonna park next to you. we can work off of the two trucks. go back there where there is more room viewed -- room. robert: i'll do my best. annie: alright, super. horses? robert: yep. reporter: for four years, robert blethen enjoyed his well-earned retirement. but then his former boss phoned him looking for help. he was down a driver and couldn't find a replacement. robert heeded the call. after his wife died, he was lonely. he was at a low point when his boss called. it seemed like fate. robert: after spending a lot of time at home during the covid pandemic, i needed to get out of the

house. i found when i went back to work, gave me a sense of purpose. reporter: since then, he's been driving along america's highways, sometimes for days at a time. and he's no exception. more than 1.5 million american retirees reentered the work force in the past year alone. they fill a huge hole. right now, there are two positions open for every job seeker. in the transport sector, the need for personnel is so great that logistics companies are enticing drivers with six figure salaries. robert blethen gets 300 dollars a day. but it's not just about the money. robert: my brother asks me all the time, and you sick of driving?

i say i don't know, i've done it all my life. how do i stop now? reporter: but not everyone's like him. siew cheng ghiz from los angeles was a flight attendant for 40 years. after retirement, she could no longer afford to fly. like many americans, she depends on a pension which is financed by shares in the stock market. now the market is low, her pension is worth less. >> portfolios have diminished considerably and that does concern retirees because that's the money we plan on living on. reporter: recently, the 67-year-old started working again in a boutique at an hourly wage much less than she's used to. she only needs to work part-time, that that could change. >> if a person had to depend on that part-time job to supplement their income because of the minimum wage, it would probably have to work quite a few days a week.

at that point, it becomes a full-time job, not just part-time like a lot of retirees would like. reporter: she says she's faring better than many here. then her lunch break is over and it is time to go back to work. robert blethen receives a pension of $2,800 a month. he has savings too. still, he can use the extra income. he just invested $10,000 in new windows and and a new garage door. the fireplace is next. his house is paid for, but he still has occasional expenses, such as installing new heating. in good months, he can double his pension by working. in his kitchen, he keeps a calendar where he notes his personal commitments, such as doctor's appointments. he takes a picture of the page

and sends it to the transport company, which plans his tours according to his calendar. robert: i said every day is a school day. you know what the best thing is about working now? i am working on my terms, when i'm available, not having to go in every day to the office or to the trucking company, working 65 hours a week. reporter: he even spends his free time driving, going on motorcycle tours in foreign places around the world. he made it all the way to new zealand, another reason why he could use the money. robert: i've been driving a tractor-trailer for close to 40 years, probably 3 million miles. i couldn't tell you how me miles i have on motorcycles or even cars or pickup trucks. i just like to move. reporter: robert blethen wants to work

until he's eighty and then wants to fulfill a lifelong dream -- to cross the dolomites in italy again by motorbike. ♪ reporter: our global living room this week comes from spain. ♪ pedro: hi, i'm pedro. we're in logroño, the capital of la rioja province. this is the centre of logroño and this is laurel street. it's very unusual to see it this quiet.

things will liven up later. logroño is a beautiful city, the perfect place to live and definitely worth a visit. i live up there, above a restaurant. i'll show you my room. ♪ so as you can see, it's a bit plain. i haven't had much time to decorate. i run a beautiful florist's shop that takes up a lot of my time. i don't like to have too much decoration anyway. but i'll get there eventually. here you can see a little marvel. i took some begonia cuttings, but the incredible thing is this, that the new shoots are coming out of the bottom of the stem. i don't think i've ever seen

this. nature is amazing. the cat from next door. i haven't met this cat yet, but we'll get to know each other. ♪ this is my little treasure. i love antiquities and old things. i find them very evocative. i think all these things are beautiful. each item has its own story. i'm very happy with them. so now you know me, where i live and work. as you can see, it's beautiful here. i urge you all to discover logroño for yourselves. it's worth it. i have to go to work now, but i'll wait for you in logroño. thank you, bye! host: and that's all from us at

"global 3000" this week! thanks for joining us and send us your views on the program we're at global3000@dw.com and you can visit us on facebook, too -- dw global

♪ >> this is "dw news" live from berlin. brittney griner is free and back in the united states after months in a russian prison camp. the plane carrying the basketball star touched down after she was handed over in a prisoner swap in exchange for a notorious russian ms dealer. also on the program -- iran hit with more international sanctions following the execution of aye