On this episode of Years of Living Dangerously, Tom Friedman examines the plight of climate refugees and Don Cheadle investigates California’s water shortage.
Journalist and three time Pulitzer Prize winner Friedman, looks at ow climate change together with soaring population and globalisation is straining the traditional farming lifestyle in parts of Africa.
This is driving an exodus of people to urban areas and then to other countries as they try to escape the unsustainable.
Friedman points out the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe and even America is partly the result of this exodus and the climate change is driven by our emissions.
He says: “No walls are going to keep them out. We got a choice, we can build walls or we can build gardens. If we don’t help people build gardens here in Africa, they’re going to come right over our wall.”
Also on this episode, actor Don Cheadle examines California’s drought problem that only seems to be getting worse. As highlighted by documentaries like Killing the Colorado, the region is facing its worst drought in 500 years.
Cheadle visits the Central Valley and talks to famers who are struggling with the lack of rain. They often rely on wells and the finite ground water supply but that is not a long term solution.
How will they adapt to this new reality and will they be able to remain as productive as they are?
Catch Years of Living Dangerously – The Uprooted at 10 PM on National Geographic.