>> welcome to "global 3000!" energy from organic waste. we ask, is biogas really as sustainable as it's made out to be? climate-friendly burping: sheep in new zealand. and: trouble in paradise. investors in honduras plan a private city. in the central american country, almost 70% of people live in poverty. outbreaks of violence, gang wars and kidnappings are run of the mill.

the murder rate in honduras is one of the world's highest. now the wealthy can shield themselves from the social problems by building their own ivate paradise >> the idyllic carribean island of roatán, home to palm-frged beaches and also an experiment. just off this dusty road. at the entrance, a banner reads: 'we believe in private property' an charter city, for and by investors is being built. it's auspciously called próspera. this will be the island's tallest building, says erick pitsikalis. normally, a building on roatán can have a maximum of 8 floors. this will have 14. >> the office will have a view of the ocean. >> different rules apply under the city because it is self-governed. pitsikalis, a property developer, thinks this is great. it makes it easier to work fast, affordably and efficiently.

>> próspera promises all sorts of opportunities for honduran businesspeople. it's a safe place where we can live, where progress is possible. >> honduras struggles with crime, poverty and corruption. but not próspera. the honduran flag flies but the city-state runs autonomously from the national government. it is called a zede, a "zone for employment and economic development." an investors uptopia, with low taxes and governed not by politicians but by a board of businesspeople, who aren't democratically elected. critics challenge the city's legitimacy. but its lawyers cite agreements made with a previous government. >> it's still honduras. but the government gave us permission to administrate a territory. so we at liberty to create our own laws in our own interest.

>> but are their interests also other people's? in tegucigalpa, fernando garcía is combing through thousands of pages of legal documents. the current government has tasked him with putting an end to the próspera project. a congress law approved in 2013 paved the way for prospera. garcía argues it was unconstitutional. >> it amounts to the creation of a state within a state. they want total autonomy. their own jurisdiction, their own executive. educational and health system. their own police and urban planning system. >> for now, there is little to see, just a few employees who work in the kitchens and on construction sites. the homes are still empty. but the prospera project has already begun approving residents, including tech workers, entrepreneurs, investors and banks, attracting

them with low taxes, flexible regulations, and bitcoin as legal tender. its ceo is erick brimen, is a us-venezuelan. in a rare interview, he denied being a radical libertarian and said that próspera is not a tax haven. >> our misson is to create prosperity where it is needed most. it's not about making switzerland richer or germany richer. so the spillover effects are not limited by the prospera's zede juristiction. it is spilled over into the rest of the economy. >> brimen believes the project has a promise of success: of job creation, and yielding profit that he claims will benefit everyone. and yes, expansion is possible. brimen says other areas in honduras could join the project. but in the near by village, crawfish rock, people are worried. council leader luisa connor says locals fear they'll be squeezed out.

>> the city will grow like a tumour. i'm afraid of being expropriated. this is the neighbouring village. we'll be the first to lose what we have. >> connor doesn't believe the project will create jobs, instead just employing cheap labor in what critics call "crypto-colonialism." but brimen rejects the criticisms. >> perceptions of fears, many of them legitimate fears, ok, perhaps of historical sins, but there's a disconnect between the fears and the perception, and the reality of prospera zede. >> but critics say honduras is being sold off outside congress. the activists want parliament to put the brakes on the prospera project. the government might still repeal the controversial law passed in 2013 that allowed the city to go ahead. christopher castillo says próspera is taking advantage of social and economic problems in

honduras. >> próspera could only happen because we're in an economic crisis. a country in good shape would never approve such a project. >> fernando garcia knows better than most just how non-transparent próspera is in its dealings. he thinks radical libertarians are deliberately undermining democracy in honduras. >> >> it was a government, a party, that allowed it to happen and caved in to the interests of radical liberal groupings. who needed a blueprint for their model of a private charter city. >> but próspera's founders remain undeterred. they insist everything has been done by the book and people have nothing to fear. >> politics is a legitimate way to change course and direction. but part of the system must be to honor contracts and

agreements that we legitmately entered into. >> the legal team says the government could face damages if it reneges on agreements. the first residents will soon be moving in. including startup founder niklas anzinger from germany. >> i think the advantage of markets is that they're more open to change. that makes it easier to bring about change. but in general, i believe that democractic decisions have their place and they're an important mechanism in preventing dictatorships. >>ould entrepreneurs be fair leaders? or does that undermine democracy? the crypto-libertarian city experiment in honduras might provide answers. >> worldwide, people keep more than 35 billion chickens, ducks and geese, 2.7 billion cows and pigs, and 2.4 billion sheep and goats.

and the appetite for meat is growing. global consumption has more than quadrupled since the early 1960's, the cost of the environment. animal farming a feed production require lots of land. which leads to the destruction of natural habitats, like tropical rainforests. keeping livestock uses up lots of water and contaminates it , through manure and pesticides. plus, there's the emission of greenhouse gases, like co2 or methane, mainly from cows and sheep. but is there a way to make animals more eco-friendly? in new zealand, scientists are trying to do just that. >> these sheep are belching and breaking wind in the name of science. today they have to spend an hour in the test chambers at the invercargill research farm. the idea is to find out which animals are the biggest stinkers, and which have comparatively fresh breath.

around 90% of methane gas in grazing animals actually comes from their mouths, not from their behinds, explains scientist suzanne rowe. >> so i'm taking a sample of her breath in a volume of air, and i'm using that to gauge how much methane she emits per unit of air compared with all her contemporaries. and i can use that to rank animals individually because some animals ferment their feed slightly differently and they give off a lot more methane gas than the others. and so what we are looking for are those low emitters. >> the low methane-emitters are then selected for breeding. the scientist has been on this stinky mission for the past 11 years. three generations on, her herd now exhales 13 percent less methane gas than at the start of the experiment. >> methane we can make a difference. we can make a difference quickly. if we lower the amount of methane in the environment, we can very quickly have an impact. whereas if we lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment, we're having a

massive impact in the long-term, but the short term impact we won't see as much, so it's a real opportunity for the livestock industry to make a real difference. >> about an hour away from the research farm, we meet leon black, a fourth-generation sheep farmer. he is one of the first to put the scientist's theory into practice. he breeds sheep with better breath. it was important for him to cut their methane emissions, but also maintain high yields of meat and wool. >> the hold was that if you had a more efficient -- the hope was always that if you had a more efficient ruminant, more efficient engine, that they would put that energy into things like more milk, more wool, more meat. and that looks to be the case. so, we're selecting animals that utilize feed better, don't put out methane and put more into growth and wool. it's kinda like the win-win.

>> win-win situations like this are urgently needed in the land of sheep, new zealand, which is determined to become climate-neutral by 2050. that is why the government is investing millions in new technologies for agriculture, such as here on the palmerston north campus. neil wedlock has been working for 15 years on another promising project, a vaccine to curb methane gas emissions in ruminants. >> so i have been working on this for quite some time, but we're making good progress. we've certainly shown that you can vaccinate animals and they can produce antibodies against methanogens in the saliva. we've done some studies that show that there's enough antibodies to theoretically coat all the methanogens in the rumen. >> but ex-prime minister jacinda ardern didn't want to wait for the new anti-burp injection and took on farmers over the issue of climate targets.

her ruling labour party was meeting emissions from cows and sheep to fall by up to 47 percent by 2050. that's why farmers may pay an emission tax from 2025 -- a world first. >> the proposal as it stands means new zealand's farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that it brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food. >> but not everyone is happy about the government's plan. many farmers are worried about the extra costs and the end of agriculture, new zealand's most important export industry. back on the farm with leon black. [shouting] he says the tax is unfair because even with his clean, , w-emsion sheep, he would still have to pay.

many farmers would then be forced to reduce the size of their herds even though new zealand's sheep farmers are already among the most environmentally friendly in the world. >> i believe there's more gains to be made but where that limit is i don't know. i think it's really unrealistic for a government to say 40 or 50 percent. it is just magic bullshit. i am very, very disappointed. i like science, not dreams. >> the smell tests are over for another day at the research farm. scientist suzanne rowe can understand farmers' concerns. but she also sees the potential in their super sheep. new zealand could become a global pioneer in sheep breeding. >> we don't really know how far we can go. we know that in these flocks we're going very quickly, but

if we apply that to our normal breeding flock, then we're sort of seeing a 2-3 percent drop per year. so we're seeing a considerable difference. >> and what already works for new zealand's sheep will now be tested on other types of grazing animals. making cow-burps climate friendlier is the best way of cutting their methane emissions, too. >> they're working for a better climate, too . wind turbines and solar panels, hydropower, and biogas, plants. clean energy that conserves precious resources. the international energy agency says renewables now make up 29 percent of global energy production. and soon they'll be the most important energy sources worldwide. one of them is biomass, that's compost, manure or wood. but is energy from organic waste really green?

>> banana peels, nut shells and other left-over foods can actually power the device you're watching this on. it's called biomass energy, and leftovers aren't the only source. wood, plants, even manure can be used to generate electricity or heat. we are surrounded by biomass, which creates numerous opportunities. and unlike coal, this source of power can be regrown. companies and governments around the world are ramping up investments. >> but at the moment only around 4% of agricultural space is used for biomass energy crops. how much potential does biomass energy offer? >> let's start with how our trash becomes treasure. organic material first has to be converted into energy -- leftover food, crop waste or manure.

it's collected fm restaurants or homes and then put into a processing plant to sort out other materials, like plastic. the next step, the bioreactor. it'shere bacteria eat up the waste in a so-called digester, which is sealed off from oxygen. this process is called anaerobic digestion. the organic waste is fermented over several weeks at a temperature of about 55 degrees celsius. biogas is produced, containing large quantities of methane. a powerful source for generating electricity and heat once it's been fed into the gas grid. and it can also be used to power natural gas vehicles. the left-over biomass can then be used as compost, for farming for example, making the whole process circular.

biogas plants like this exist all over the world. about 20,000 in europe alone. estimates say biomethane could cover up to 40% of the eu's gas demand by the middle of this century. the us has just 2200 and thailand, malaysia, and indonesia combined only have about the same. biogas plants produce only a quarter of the co2 emissions that coal plants emit. >> biomass energy has one large advantage over solar and wind. and that is that it is on demand. so you dont care if the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. >> all sounds good so far. but there is a catch. biomethane can leak from these facilities and then has a bigger effect on global warming than co2. biogas facilities are also only sustainable as long as waste is used, rather than specially grown crops.

what else can we use biomass for? fuel. to run cars, trucks, or even claims. an innovative flight lastear saved metric ts of co2missions. jet fu was mixedith usedeven cooking oil fothe route fromht lastear saved metric ts paris to montreal. another biofuel is bioethanol. plants such as corn or sugarcane are fermented and distilled. bioethanol can replace 10-20% of the gasoline used to power a vehicle. then there's biodiesel. it's made by combining animal fats or vegetable oils like rapeseed or soy with alcohol. as with ethanol, the biodiesel is then added to normal diesel fuel. biofuels are used at gas stations worldwide. but according to the international energy agency, they only account for 3% of transport fuel demand.

>> the problem with biofuels is that crops have to be specially grown. and that steals space from food crops. or even depletes forests, and biodiversity. like with palm oil trees in indonesia, sugar cane in brazil, and rapeseed in germany. a study in germany found that using biofuels can help save 9.2 million tons of the country's annual co2 emissions. but 16.4 million tons could be stored if natural vegetation were allowed to return on crop fields instead. the simplest means of generating biomass energy is our most ancient way, burning it. like wood, leaves or waste. governments around the world are even using it as part of their carbon-neutral strategies. and by biomass, we mean good

old trees. as wood pellets. over the past decade, the demand for them as an energy source has steadily risen. the us is the biggest exporter , with a market share of 62%. they are usually made from wood residues like sawdust or wood chips. usually. because think tanks and ngos have gathered evidence that shows that natural forests and habitats in eastern europe and north america are being destroyed to sate the growing appetite for wood pellets. through illegal logging. policymakers in the us, eu and uk have classified woody biomass as renewable, allowing governments to subsidize the production and burning of wood pellets. many countries don't have to report emissions from wood-fired power plants, because trees are seen as a renewable resource. producers are just required to

reforest areas so that the co2 released while burning pellets is re-absorbed. >> >> now, in the united states depending on what state you are in, you plant two to four trees, for every tree you cut down. but they are this big (shows). they are little tiny pine trees. >> researchers like kelley suggest that the immediate impact of substituting wood for coal is an increase in atmospheric co2. a study found that depending on the type of forest, it could take up to 10 years until newly planted trees absorb the same amount of carbon sucked up by the ones that were cut down. >> older trees store more carbon. so there are certain forests that are even more critical to combating climate change than others. unfortunately, these are some of the forests being plowed

down for biomass energy. most forms of biomass look at first glance to be better than they ar burninwood to replace coal is not a solution. because even if the wood comes from sustainable forestry, or is wood waste, it still produces emissions. wood waste can however be digested by bacteria at a biogas facility. and organic products like that banana peel powering your phone can help manage waste cycles. that does make sense, but today , biomass energy covers only a small part of our worldwide demand. it can work in combination with other renewables. but it's not scalable to be our main energy source. not even in the future. ♪ >> this week's global snack comes from the maldives, in the indian ocean.

>> the maldives is a country of more than a thousand islands spread over 26 atolls. on one of them, lamu, they serve up a very special snack. golha riha, or fish ball curry, is laamu's signature dish. at the reveries diving village hotel, it's one of the specialities on the menu. and, because only people from laamu know how to make authentic golha riha, manager abbas ibrahim shows how it's done. >> today i am here in our kitchen is to explain my chef how to make it, because he is not local so, but i need him to learn this dish. so sometimes we serve this to our customers, because it's very special dish in laamu. >> first, you prepare the fish: normally snapper or grouper. use a sharp knife to separate the flesh from the bones.

the key ingredient is 'dhivehi havaadhu' -- maldivian curry paste. >> so this one is the local curry paste, homemade one. this is like a normally a one-day process. so each household in laamu, they have this paste in their home. people they make it once in a month and they put it in a jar so they can keep it for a long time. >> to make golha riha paste, put a few spoonfuls of dhivehi havaadhu, some spices, curry leaves, garlic and onions in a blender. all the ingredients are locally grown. then, by hand, carefully combine the fish and curry paste, and form the mixture into little balls.

finally, cook them in some coconut curry sauce. golha riha is best served with steamed rice and salad. >> it's like sushi maybe, like the way they really make the balls. and then, once you leave it in your mouth it's like melt. that would be the consistency of what a good golha riha should be. >> depending on the restaurant, a portion of golha riha costs the equivalent of 9 to 13 euros. it's traditionally eaten following friday prayers and on special occasions. ♪ >> that's all from us at "global 3000." thanks for watching! we'd love to hear what you

thought about the show. so drop us a line at global3000@dw.com, or visit our facebook page, dw.globalideas. see you next time! bye bye! ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy,

>> this is dw news. ukraine marks one year since the discovery of alleged war crimes. volodymyr zelenskyy leads the remembrance of killings killed -- carried out by russian troops during five weeks of occupation and grieving families pay their respects. also, donald trump lawyers haggle over the terms of have a -- of his arrest after a grand jury indicts