st: welcome to "global 3000." curse or blessing? in the u.s., the fracking industry is booming to the dismay of environmentalists. steely defiance -- in japan, opponents of nuclear power are looking for alternatives. and refuge in phuket -- russian s flocking to thailand while moscow wages war. it's just over a year since

russia began its invasion of ukraine, which violated international law, and the fighting continues unabated. the war has worldwide implications. global energy prices have risen by an average of 50%, says the world bank. the cost of living is increasing and the poorest are feeling the brunt of it. world hunger is on the rise again. the fossil fuel industry, on the other hand, is booming. oil, gas and coal are experiencing a renaissance. europe is importing energy from other countries to reduce dependence on russian gas and oil. new liquefied natural gas terminals are being built on many european coasts. in the u.s., a problematic process is causing controversy. reporter: it's freezing cold, but lucy molina is out and about, lost in thought. she plans to hold a talk in her town -- she wants to educate her neighborhood. many of the people here are, like her, latinos. lucy:

hi, i'm your neighbor. i have information in spanish and english about air pollution. can i put this up here? reporter: lucy molina is a real fighter and she's taking on the fracking industry. in the area around denver, colorado, there are countless fracking sites and refineries, she tells us. she wants people to become aware of what a big problem that is for the environment and for the health of those living here. lucy: this community has the love to become an example for the rest of the world. we need to fight back. i see hope. reporter: some accept her posters willingly. others are skeptical. it quickly becomes clear to her that it's not all that simple. this neighbor works in the energy industry. lucy chats with him for over 10

minutes, while we observe from a distance. he talks about his job and his company. the fracking, oil and gas industry creates a lot of jobs. during the energy crisis, the industry is making something of a comeback as a major energy producer. all around the area, we see fracking facilities and refineries. but these companies say they are changing. their message is we are cleaner than our image. brian cain is responsible for sustainability at his company. he gives us a rare insight, one that few in his industry allow. in the command center, he shows us that a new drilling site is being created, with significantly fewer co2 emissions. the reason? these big generators -- they use natural gas instead of diesel. brian: you're not creating a lot of emissions onsite like you would if you had dozens of diesel

engines powering the fleet. you are not creating those source emissions in the community and surrounded area. you're also eliminating the truck trips to bring fuel to diesel generators. reporter: you can't make the entire procs 100 percent climate-friendly, says cain, but you can do so for the conditions around it. without fracking, he says, the u.s. would have a serious energy problem right now. brian: there is no silver bullet when it comes to energy policy. there is no form of energy that is completely perfect in our world. we are an oil and gas company that talks about climate change. we're an oil and gas company that talks about the energy transition. and we want to provide reliable, abundant energy that is produced as cleanly as it can possibly be produced. reporter: fracking involves drilling deep

into the earth, fracturing the rock layers to create cracks. a xture of water, sand and chemicals is injected at high pressure to widen the cracks, and release the trapped gas or oil. the advantage is that important energy reserves can be extracted and only half as many co2 emissions are produced per kilowatt hour of electricity as when lignite is burned. the downside is that climate-damaging methane escapes. a threat to the environment and people living nearby? lucy molina thinks so. we meet up with her in the morning before work. she lives in a small house with her teenage children and dogs. when she tells us about the experiences and illnesses in her neighborhood, she gets upset. some chemical substances used by the industry have been classified as carcinogenic, but there are no reliable long-term studies.

lucy still believes there is a connection. lucy: i think the whole block, from my grandma's blog, our grandparents and family members, all passed away from cancer, heart disease -- grave illnesses. i think that's the worst. and it has become normalized. now we're just waiting for it to happen to us. reporter: they believe that thousands of households are exposed to harmful gas every day. her daughter also struggles with regular complaints. but it's not just the quality of the air, it's also the groundwater quality that worries the family. omar: i think it has a negative impact on our community, especially on our drinking water, because we can't use the sink water to cook.

we always use the big five gallons, in the corner. reporter: when it comes to groundwater, the molinas are not alone. in many neighboring towns, people complain that millions of liters of water are no longer safe to use. but the fracking industry denies this. they say sufficient safeguards are in place. the industry is booming and looks forward to a promising future, says the head of liberty energy, a market leader in the industry. >> we went from being the largest importer of oil and natural gas in the world to the second largest exporter of natural gas, and by far the largest producer of oil. it is ensuring jobs, industries are coming back to the united states because of the energy cost advantage. fortunately over the last year we've been able to export a huge , amount of natural gas to europe. reporter: so other countries are also benefiting from the fracking comeback in the u.s. lucy molina continues to

believe the price is too high. because no matter how clean and green fracking companies present themselves, they never really will be, she says. now she wants to run for city council. until then, she'll continue to put up posters in her town, in the cold. host: the fossil fuel sector might be booming right now but the shift to renewable energy sources is also gaining momentum. by 2027, power from wind, solar, water and biomass is expected to increase by 2400 gigawatts worldwide, according to the international energy agency. that's equivalent to china's current total power capacity. by 2050, 90% of electricity production could come from renewables. but the proportion of nuclear energy will also grow. many believe it to be climate-friendly. around 440 nuclear power plants worldwide are in operation, producing just under 10% of global energy. more than 100 new reactors are

being built or in planning. including in japan, despite the fukushima disaster of 2011. reporter: the mountains of aizu in fukushima prefecture. hidden behind them is a world of its own. people here like to take things into their own hands. like yauemon sato. he was a passionate sake brewer for most of his life. the 72-year-old was the 9th generation to run the brewery. but then, in 2011, the fukushima nuclear disaster happened, only 100 kilometers away from the headquarters of the family business. yauemon: at the time i really thought that's it for our sake brewery, after 220 years. you think, those jerks! who is to blame for this?

they had claimed that it was all a hundred percent safe. reporter: fortunately though, the nuclear radiation did not reach aizu. today, they still produce the rice wine here. but a lot has changed. this company now exists, with the colorful fist in its logo. yauemon sato is no longer a brewer as his main profession, he's now an energy manager. together with others he founded the electricity provider aizu power. they want to establish their own energy supply, based only on renewable energy sources. eight rural communities, 20 local companies and private individuals have pooled the money for it. they want the region's future to be free of nuclear power. yauemon: fossil fuels and nuclear power will only delay development.

it's not the solution. it just obscures the obvious truth. even though the transition will be difficult in the short term, we have to deal with it, and still continue along this path. and our government should be leading the way. reporter: there is opposition to nuclear energy. but twelve years after fukushima, only a few are still raising their voices against the energy giants. the government is bringing decommissioned nuclear power plants back on the grid. in mihama in the west, a reactor is supplying electricity after a ten-year shut down. at the ministry of economy, the use of nuclear power is back in favor. they say it's necessary to utilize all ener sources to both protect the climate and secure the energy supply. ryo: japan is not very self sufficient energy-wise, our dependence on fossil fuels from abroad is very high. japan doesn't have much flat

land, so there's limited scope for introducing renewable energy sources. reporter: the castle of aizu was once a bastion of the rebellious samurai. the region is known for its spirit of resistance. according to the electricity rebels in aizu today, there is plenty of space here to generate power from renewable sources. but it's a rocky road. first of all, they have to find buyers. a nationwide agricultural cooperative provides support as an intermediary. not only are boxes of vegetables delivered to the customers' doorsteps, but also contracts for electricity from alternative suppliers, such as aizu power. in the small town of kitakata in aizu, asami iwata has opted for this. the 36-year-old is from here and recently returned home after a long time in tokyo. in her new house, she's focusing on regional supplies. also when it comes to energy.

asami: unfortunately, there are still only a few people who switch electricity providers. that makes me anxious because things are moving so slowly. i want to help encourage people to change things in their everyday lives. i also want to teach that to my children. reporter: for her children, she hopes for a future without the risks of nuclear power. she says many here feel that way. but they don't always trust that alternative suppliers will deliver reliably. electricity pioneer yauemon sato sells energy generated from solar plants and biomass. he also operates a small hydro-electric plant and is planning its first wind turbines. it's a lot of effort for the investors, and yet just a modest first step -- the output is barely enough for 2,000 households. so far. yauemon: if you don't dare to start, you'll never get beyond nuclear

power or coal power. change is important, and the rest will follow. reporter: whatever the tokyo government plans, sato dreams that one day, alternative electricity will power the entire aizu region. host: long lines and traffic jams at the borders, fully booked flights -- many citizens have fled russia since the outbreak of war. there are no exact figures, but estimates suggest around one million have left russia so far. most have fled to neighboring countries such as georgia, armenia or kazakhstan, but increasing numbers are also arriving in thailand. on the island of phuket, there are both russian vacationers and compatriots in exile. reporter: holidaymakers posting on the beach in phuket. this aeroflot liner has just touched down from moscow, one

of eight daily flights from russia. a welcome party awaits some of the latest incoming passengers, with 300 or 400 on each flight. they certainly won't need their thick coats for the next two weeks. it's 30 or even 40 degrees celsius hotter than back home. but they will need cash, in the form of thai baht. russian credit cards are blocked due to sanctions, and rubles are not accepted. it's not a big deal though, one tourist tells us. he exchanged rubles for u.s. dollars in moscow, and then here into baht. conveniently, they can also get a visa on arrival. thailand is not among the countries imposing restrictions on russian citizens. so now that they've made it here, how do they feel? tourist: we don't know what to await from foreign people, because i think we'll have some problems. we don't know what to answer them. maybe we can meet some

ukrainians and they can... i don't know. this is our first trip after the situation. we've never had one before. reporter: so is it a strange feeling for you being here on a holiday when your country is at war? tourist: i'm so tired of it -- we all are, we're so tired. it's not strange. we're tired, we want to rest. we want holidays, we want ocean, we want sun. no more. if it was a nuclear war, i wouldn't be here. reporter: and for russians looking to get away from it all, phuket is an ideal destination for some rest and relaxation. ten hours' flight from moscow, and they're in another world. russians have been flocking to phuket since pandemic travel restrictions eased, and direct flights resumed. and now, they make up a big part of the beach scene.

♪ the pandemic-related slump in tourism was felt especially hard in thailand. but now, things are picking up again, and they're happy about the surge in visitors from russia. local woman: we need tourists. and now, they're finally coming back. we can't turn them away, we can't afford to tell russians they're not welcome. thailand needs tourists. reporter: but do locals nevertheless have any reservations about doing business with russian tourists? or is the very question a presumptuous and unfair one? people go on vacation, russians included, end of story. that's how phuket's head of tourism sees it.

phuket tourism chief: war, it's international politics. i'm a business person. i'm local here, i say in phuket, we welcome everybody. it's hard for me. if i were minister of foreign affairs i would say something else. reporter: but thailand's government does not say something else, wishing to remain neutral. it hasn't condemned moscow or imposed sanctions. and russian guests are welcome as usual. phuket tourism chief: they come as a family, not just individuals. i would say they are doing something here, they're planning something here. reporter: planning to stay longer? phuket tourism chief: i would say so, i would say so. and i've also been talking to a few hospitals in phuket. the birth rate from russians is increasing. seriously, yes, yes. reporter: and is that something you appreciate, is that good news? phuket tourism chief: actually we welcome everybody, and to be honest to you, people

in phuket want to have a longer stay. whether we like it or not, that's a pattern that is going on. reporter: the construction boom in phuket depends largely on russian demand and russian money, especially in the luxury segment. the advertising outside is in russian. and the realtors inside doing good business are also russian, albeit reluctant talk to us. in pattaya, further north, we visit a boxing school. from young to old, tourists to residents, almost all the budding fighters here are russian. nikita, a lawyer from moscow, arrived two months ago to stay. reporter: part of your family is still in russia i suppose? how about your parents for example? nikita: my parents yes, they are in russia now. they're not bad people but they

watch television and on the internet. they have only propaganda. reporter: nikita won't go back. he is here to escape the regime, the army and the war. reporter: might they draft you to the army? nikita: yes, yes, they called me . i know they came to my registration place to get me. at 5:00 a.m., with boots -- boom, boom, boom. reporter: he could have been in ukraine by now, he says, and perhaps already dead. but now, he's made an invigorating new life for himself in thailand. host: there are about 400,000 known plant species. we don't even consume a tenth of them. but there are countless varieties of thousands of crop species worldwide. however, such diversity is

under threat. 75% of crop varieties have disappeared in the last century alone. that's largely down to the monocultures of industrial farming. but climate change-driven crop failures are generating new interest in older crop varieties. they are often very hardy. reporter: an eggplant harvest not far from the tunisian capital. here on his one-and-a-half hectares of land, salim marzougui farms fruit and vegetables. his yields are smaller than they are when he uses imported or genetically modified seeds. but he still prefers local seeds. salim: they don't look particularly good, sometimes they're small and crooked. but they produce better quality fruit, more nutritious and tastier and better adapted to

our climate. reporter: he avoids artificial fertilizers as well. he prefers to make his own compost. salim: we're trying to produce our own organic fertilizer. first i use chicken excrement, because it has a lot of nitrogen. then we add remnants of fruit and vegetables that are thrown out at markets. finally, we add a bit of hay, which has a lot of carbon. reporter: for decades, tunisia's government bought both hybrid and genetically engineered seeds. they were meant to produce greater yields. the country still imports around 85% of its seeds today. but increasing numbers of farmers want to return to using local seeds and tunisia's seed bank has been able to help them.

they found ancient seeds from tunisia in other countries, which they brought back. since 2008, they've collected more than 7,700 different seed types. elyes: the work we're doing today focuses on genes, as well as which genotypes impact crop quality and whether or not these traits fit a particular criteria. we might be able to use them for cross-pollination, which would, in turn, lead to improved yields. reporter: to help better market his products, salim marzougui goes to fairs on a regular basis. they focus on investments and technological developments in farming. this year's slogan is sustainable agriculture, which is a growing trend in tunisia as well. salim: the farmers' local seeds are known for their unique taste and health benefits. these are the seeds our grandparents were familiar with.

they always found the best ones and passed them on. it's an inheritance they've passed on to us young farmers. every year they gather the best seeds. reporter: salim marzougui is fortunate to live so close to the capital. he can market his products at lots of different places, including at sustainable farming events in tunis. organic farmers can sell their goods here once a week. mohamed: we're fighting for independent food production on multiple fronts. we're trying to get farmers to gather seeds. at the same time, we're trying to produce more seeds together with our partners. we're also doing our best to educate farmers and show them how they can contact clients directly or via social media.

reporter: the organization hopes that more people will use traditional, local seeds as alternatives to imported ones. salim marzougui has started collecting his own, like these eggplant seeds. salim: i've grown aware of the important role that local seeds play, and i'm using that knowledge. the demand for the original seeds has risen and the prices have gone up along with it which seed sellers are taking advantage of. these seeds should really be available to all farmers. the best case scenario would be farmers obtaining and reproducing them themselves. reporter: the strategy has worked well with the eggplants, and now the farmer hopes it will be just as fruitful with his other crops. and also with an eye on the worsening drought in the country, he says, traditional

seeds fare better than imported varieties. host: and that's all from us at "global 3000" this week. do write to us global3000@dw.com, or on facebook. see you next time!

>> this is d.w. news live from berlin. victory for macron as france's highest court backs his pension reforms. the ruling clears the way for raising the minimum wage but they say the fight will go on. the 21-year-old air national guardsman is accused of sharing damaging material in an