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♪ ♪

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So, a historic event in itself.

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♪ ♪

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I have been so surprised
to see these monsters.

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♪ ♪

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I'm on the air saying,
"Look at this thing.

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Look at what
this hurricane is doing."

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NARRATOR:
As our weather becomes
more extreme...

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The hotter it gets,
the drier it gets.

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The drier it gets,
the hotter it gets.

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BRIAN STONE, JR.:
The weather is wacko.

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This is a system shift.

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NARRATOR:
...water becomes scarce.

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MEHUL PATEL:
So this is one of the
main sources of drinking water.

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There's hardly any water in it.

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NARRATOR:
Storms become stronger.

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ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
The rain now comes a lot
angrier.

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TOM MCFARLAND:
30- or 40-mile-an-hour wind
howls for days on end.

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NARRATOR:
And homes are destroyed.

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WILL HARLING:
We had the types of fires that

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humans just simply can't stop.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
Extreme weather

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is taking its toll.

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♪ ♪

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SHIRELL PARFAIT-DARDAR:
As the storms get stronger,
as we lose more land,

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you lose a piece of who you are.

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NARRATOR:
But across the country,
many are fighting back...

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ROSINA PHILIPPE:
This is my home.

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We're not going anywhere.

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NARRATOR:
...by innovating solutions.

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We can substantially
cool down cities

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without major expenditures.

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NARRATOR:
Marshaling ancient wisdom.

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CHOOK CHOOK HILLMAN:
We're setting the landscape

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on a trajectory to accept fire

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in a good way.

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LEAF HILLMAN:
It's worked for 10,000 years.

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It can work again.

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NARRATOR:
And visionary ideas.

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PATEL:
There's nothing we can't do

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if we use all the technology
available to us.

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We know what needs to be done.

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We just have to have
the will to act and do it.

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NARRATOR:
"Weathering the Future,"

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right now on "NOVA."

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
It's all over the news.

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The weather is a hot topic.

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JOHN MORALES:
The number of extreme
weather events that force

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news directors to place us
in the top of every newscast

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are multiplying.

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ANNOUNCER: ...Florida's chief
meteorologist John Morales...

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NARRATOR: John Morales has been

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covering the weather
for over 30 years.

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And he's never seen
anything like it.

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There's more coming.

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MORALES:
I mean, it's crazy,

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the number of extreme events

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and just how extreme they get.

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I don't think meteorologists
have lived through an era

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that's worse than this.

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NARRATOR:
Wildfires, floods, drought--

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disasters that were once rare

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now hitting again and again.

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Extreme weather
is the new normal

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in many parts of this country.

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People see that it's raining
with more intensity,

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and hurricanes are intensifying
more rapidly,

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and the drought
and heat waves are more severe.

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NARRATOR:
The U.S. has always been home

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to a wide range of weather.

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Our geography and physics
play major roles.

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The jet stream generally
pushes weather systems

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from west to east.

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Those systems pick up moisture
from the terrain below,

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like bodies of water
and vegetation,

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then release it
as rain and snow

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as the air rises and cools.

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Being between two oceans

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and having the Gulf of Mexico
to our south

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and a large, dry,
cold continent to the north,

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every extreme weather
event that can be produced

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you can generally find
right here in the U.S.

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NARRATOR:
So, the weather

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naturally varies
across the country,

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but we've gotten used
to its predictable patterns.

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BERNADETTE WOODS PLACKY:
Our whole climate,

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how we've set up our springs
and our summer activities

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and our fall activities
and what we do in the winter,

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is based around a certain
climate zone.

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NARRATOR:
But now, things aren't
so predictable,

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and the outcomes are
more extreme.

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Seasonal fires
are blazing year-round.

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Snowpack in the Sierras
washed away by rain.

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And Midwestern farmers

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facing sudden downpours
that scour their fields.

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This affects our health,

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it affects the safety
of our homes,

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it affects our water, our food,
our supply chains, the economy.

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It affects every
aspect of our lives.

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NARRATOR:
What's causing these shifts?

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Many scientists agree that

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the underlying cause of much
of this strange weather

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is more heat in the system:

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global warming.

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MAN:
Holy (bleep)--
don't leave in their cars.

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WOMAN:
Oh, my God!

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MAN:
It's okay.

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MAN:
Oh, my God, that was
our way home.

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STONE:
The weather is wacko.

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This is not just episodic,
this is a system shift.

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(thunder booming)

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NARRATOR:
While people around the world
work to cut carbon pollution

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and protect against future harm,

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what can we do about impacts
from extreme weather

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that are already here?

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Across the nation,

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communities are already
fighting back

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and finding solutions,

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demonstrating resilience,

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resourcefulness,

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and creativity

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in the face of extreme change.

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♪ ♪

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July in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Excruciatingly
hot, muggy, humid.

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Researchers fan out across
the city with one mission:

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find out just how
hot Atlanta really is.

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Temperature might seem like an
easy number to come by,

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but it's not.

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Most cities only utilize

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a single thermometer
to measure the weather.

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That is your basic
airport weather station.

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And that is a rather
ludicrous proposition.

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We need to be measuring
temperature and humidity

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extensively across cities.

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NARRATOR:
More temperature data
could help save lives.

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(siren blaring)

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Because when it comes
to our changing weather,

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heat is one
of the biggest killers.

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I don't think people immediately
think heat waves.

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They, they think hurricanes,

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they think wildfires,

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but heat is the silent killer.

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NARRATOR:
Since the 1930s,

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average temperatures
in Atlanta

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have risen about
three degrees Fahrenheit.

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But the average isn't
what matters.

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When you shift that
a couple of degrees,

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it puts you in a whole different
climate zone.

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It's a bell curve.

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We're looking at a distribution
of temperatures.

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A couple of degrees,

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a slight change in that
average,

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shifts you into
an entirely new area,

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where the hots
get put in extreme heat.

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That's when we have to
rearrange our lifestyles.

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NARRATOR:
Extreme heat
overwhelms human bodies.

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Muscles slow.

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Heartbeats weaken.

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Blood pressures plunge.

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Kidneys shut down.

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Days over 90 degrees
have been linked to

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over 1,000 deaths a year
in the U.S.

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So, what parts of
Atlanta are at the highest risk?

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We know that some areas
in Atlanta

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are hotter than others.

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NARRATOR:
That's what Na'Taki Jelks,

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an environmental health
scientist

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00:07:46,866 --> 00:07:48,966
at Spelman College,
wants to know.

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She equips students
with portable sensors

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so that they can collect
temperature data

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on the street.

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JELKS:
How do we identify those areas
that are most vulnerable?

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That's really what I'm looking
at.

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NARRATOR:
Na'Taki's measurements

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are starting to paint
a clear picture:

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some neighborhoods
are a lot hotter than others.

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JELKS:
We've seen seven to ten degrees'
difference in some places.

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NARRATOR:
Mapping the data reveals
the reason.

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JELKS:
The data is telling us
that areas that are

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most plagued
with asphalt and concrete

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and a lack of vegetation
are the hottest.

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NARRATOR:
Vegetation, like trees,
not only provides shade,

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00:08:32,766 --> 00:08:37,766
but it also absorbs heat
from the environment.

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But trees are often the first
thing to go when cities expand.

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STONE:
We've basically engineered
cities to be hot.

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We come in, we remove trees.

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It gets hotter.

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NARRATOR:
Since 2014,

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00:08:50,266 --> 00:08:54,633
Atlanta has lost nearly
80,000 trees to development.

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And the materials
replacing the greenery

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aggravate the problem.

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STONE:
We bring in

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00:09:01,433 --> 00:09:03,133
mineral-based materials
like asphalt,

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00:09:03,133 --> 00:09:05,400
concrete,
roofing shingle.

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00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,366
That also renders cities hotter.

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00:09:07,366 --> 00:09:09,566
NARRATOR:
Concrete and asphalt

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00:09:09,566 --> 00:09:12,833
make cities hotter because
they absorb the sun's energy

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00:09:12,833 --> 00:09:16,933
and reradiate it as heat,
even well into the night.

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00:09:16,933 --> 00:09:20,466
It's the warm nighttime
temperatures

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00:09:20,466 --> 00:09:21,866
that cause the health problems.

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♪ ♪

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00:09:24,233 --> 00:09:28,266
NARRATOR:
Human bodies can recover
if they are given a break.

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00:09:28,266 --> 00:09:32,466
So warmer nights mean
more heat-related illness,

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00:09:32,466 --> 00:09:35,833
especially for those who don't
have air conditioning.

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00:09:35,833 --> 00:09:39,266
And it's the neighborhoods
that can least afford it

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00:09:39,266 --> 00:09:41,700
that get hit the hardest.

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00:09:41,700 --> 00:09:44,633
PLACKY:
There is this absolute
connection.

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00:09:44,633 --> 00:09:47,033
We've planted our trees in areas

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00:09:47,033 --> 00:09:49,466
that have more money and
more resources,

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00:09:49,466 --> 00:09:51,900
compared to areas that don't.

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NARRATOR:
With temperatures rising,

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00:09:54,233 --> 00:09:58,400
can Atlanta and other
cities undo the damage?

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00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,366
Scientists say it is possible.

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00:10:01,366 --> 00:10:03,666
STONE:
Cities can act today

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00:10:03,666 --> 00:10:05,133
and really have control over

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00:10:05,133 --> 00:10:07,833
the most effective levers to
cool themselves down.

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00:10:09,366 --> 00:10:11,133
NARRATOR:
Phoenix, Arizona.

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00:10:11,133 --> 00:10:13,900
With little vegetation
to begin with,

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00:10:13,900 --> 00:10:17,633
the city is even hotter than
the desert that surrounds it.

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00:10:17,633 --> 00:10:21,866
So they must find
a way to cool the city.

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00:10:21,866 --> 00:10:23,200
DAVID HONDULA:
Almost every summer,

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00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,400
we have 100 days or more over
100 degrees,

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00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,200
and regularly each summer,
we're exceeding 110 degrees.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
To learn how Phoenix is
coping with its heat,

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00:10:36,966 --> 00:10:41,133
Na'Taki Jelks
is visiting from Atlanta

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00:10:41,133 --> 00:10:43,100
to meet with David Hondula.

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00:10:43,100 --> 00:10:45,400
He is charged with
finding solutions

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00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,166
to the growing heat crisis,

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00:10:47,166 --> 00:10:50,200
as the director of Phoenix's

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00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,033
Office of Heat Response
and Mitigation.

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00:10:53,033 --> 00:10:57,500
It's the first post of
its kind in the country.

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00:10:57,500 --> 00:10:59,600
Do you ever go into
any of the cooling centers?

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00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:00,933
MAN:
The cool air hits,

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00:11:00,933 --> 00:11:02,933
and, like, you know,
I feel the heat escaping me.

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00:11:02,933 --> 00:11:05,466
NARRATOR:
Phoenix hit crisis mode when,

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00:11:05,466 --> 00:11:07,833
in a five-year period,

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00:11:07,833 --> 00:11:10,700
heat-related deaths more than
doubled,

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00:11:10,700 --> 00:11:14,666
to over 300 in 2021.

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00:11:14,666 --> 00:11:17,933
And yet,
David is optimistic.

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00:11:17,933 --> 00:11:19,700
While we look into the future,

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00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:21,633
we're certainly expecting it
to be warmer,

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00:11:21,633 --> 00:11:23,566
but that doesn't have to mean

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00:11:23,566 --> 00:11:25,266
that people are suffering
at a higher rate.

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00:11:25,266 --> 00:11:28,100
NARRATOR:
To keep Phoenix cooler,

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00:11:28,100 --> 00:11:31,333
David is pushing
something in short supply:

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00:11:31,333 --> 00:11:33,300
shade.

251
00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:39,066
The human body absorbs
energy from the air around it,

252
00:11:39,066 --> 00:11:40,566
but direct sunlight

253
00:11:40,566 --> 00:11:46,666
can add up to 15 degrees
to what the body experiences.

254
00:11:46,666 --> 00:11:48,933
HONDULA:
When we're under a tree,

255
00:11:48,933 --> 00:11:51,433
we've eliminated
a lot of the incoming

256
00:11:51,433 --> 00:11:53,900
solar energy that can cause
our body to heat up,

257
00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:56,766
and blocking that can be
really impactful.

258
00:11:56,766 --> 00:11:58,300
Shade is life-saving
in a city like Phoenix.

259
00:11:58,300 --> 00:12:03,133
NARRATOR: Now, Phoenix is
committing over $7 million

260
00:12:03,133 --> 00:12:04,566
to planting
drought-tolerant trees

261
00:12:04,566 --> 00:12:07,166
over the next few years.

262
00:12:07,166 --> 00:12:10,033
But for these so-called
cool corridors,

263
00:12:10,033 --> 00:12:12,333
it takes years
for the trees to mature

264
00:12:12,333 --> 00:12:14,766
and the shade to pay off.

265
00:12:14,766 --> 00:12:17,166
Looking at the city's layout,

266
00:12:17,166 --> 00:12:20,266
another more immediate
opportunity jumps out:

267
00:12:20,266 --> 00:12:22,633
about 5,000 miles

268
00:12:22,633 --> 00:12:26,433
of hot asphalt roads
soaking up the sun's energy.

269
00:12:26,433 --> 00:12:30,300
HONDULA:
Anytime we can find hot ground

270
00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:31,733
and make it less hot,

271
00:12:31,733 --> 00:12:33,500
that will produce
a cooling benefit

272
00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,133
with respect
to the air temperature.

273
00:12:36,333 --> 00:12:38,366
NARRATOR:
The idea is simple:

274
00:12:38,366 --> 00:12:41,633
recoat the roads
with a special sealant

275
00:12:41,633 --> 00:12:45,800
that will reflect about
35% of the sun's energy,

276
00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,500
which means less energy
is absorbed by the asphalt

277
00:12:49,500 --> 00:12:51,633
and reradiated as heat.

278
00:12:51,633 --> 00:12:54,033
♪ ♪

279
00:12:54,033 --> 00:12:58,033
In 2020, the city
launched a pilot program

280
00:12:58,033 --> 00:13:03,066
to cover 36 miles of roads
in eight neighborhoods.

281
00:13:03,066 --> 00:13:04,200
Here's a-- all right,

282
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:05,466
so we're going to
take a reading here

283
00:13:05,466 --> 00:13:06,700
with our infrared thermometer,
and we've got...

284
00:13:06,700 --> 00:13:09,033
NARRATOR:
But does it work?

285
00:13:09,033 --> 00:13:12,566
Heat-sensitive images
taken from a helicopter

286
00:13:12,566 --> 00:13:15,033
reveal a striking difference.

287
00:13:15,033 --> 00:13:21,100
The more reflective surface
is as much as 16 degrees cooler.

288
00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:23,366
And an M.I.T. study projects

289
00:13:23,366 --> 00:13:25,566
that it could lower
the average temperature

290
00:13:25,566 --> 00:13:30,133
of some cities
by two-and-a-half degrees.

291
00:13:30,133 --> 00:13:32,333
HONDULA:
Now we are seeing new approaches

292
00:13:32,333 --> 00:13:35,033
which are really exciting for
cities all across the country.

293
00:13:35,033 --> 00:13:36,533
We could wind up with

294
00:13:36,533 --> 00:13:38,000
a city of the future
that's cooler than

295
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,833
the one we have today.

296
00:13:39,833 --> 00:13:42,066
STONE:
We can substantially
cool down cities

297
00:13:42,066 --> 00:13:44,000
in a relatively quick period
of time

298
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,700
without major expenditures.

299
00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,200
And so that's really good news.

300
00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,266
NARRATOR:
The good news is welcome,

301
00:13:50,266 --> 00:13:52,966
because it's getting hotter
everywhere,

302
00:13:52,966 --> 00:13:56,466
not only in
already hot places.

303
00:13:56,466 --> 00:13:59,600
In fact, models project
the biggest increases

304
00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,700
in the North and
interior regions of the country.

305
00:14:03,700 --> 00:14:08,600
By 2100, New York City
could feel like South Carolina;

306
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,100
Chicago like
Montgomery, Alabama;

307
00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:15,366
Denver like
Northern Mexico.

308
00:14:15,366 --> 00:14:16,500
(thunder rumbling)

309
00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:17,933
Rising temperatures

310
00:14:17,933 --> 00:14:20,633
agitate
the entire weather system,

311
00:14:20,633 --> 00:14:24,200
dramatically impacting
the cycle of evaporation,

312
00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,100
condensation,
and precipitation.

313
00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:33,066
Some areas that are already dry
get drier.

314
00:14:33,066 --> 00:14:35,200
And so there's this feedback,
as we call it,

315
00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,400
between heat and dry conditions
and dry conditions and heat.

316
00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:39,966
The hotter it gets,
the drier it gets.

317
00:14:39,966 --> 00:14:41,966
 
The drier it gets,
the hotter it gets.

318
00:14:41,966 --> 00:14:44,000
That's what's happening
in a warmer world.

319
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,266
NARRATOR:
The result?

320
00:14:46,266 --> 00:14:48,500
Extreme drought.

321
00:14:50,566 --> 00:14:52,400
The American Southwest

322
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,500
is suffering its most
persistent drought

323
00:14:54,500 --> 00:14:57,866
in 1,200 years,

324
00:14:57,866 --> 00:15:00,666
leaving no one untouched.

325
00:15:00,666 --> 00:15:04,233
The kind of drought occasional
downpours can't break.

326
00:15:04,233 --> 00:15:05,966
♪ ♪

327
00:15:05,966 --> 00:15:09,300
MORALES:
What's going on in California
is, we've transitioned from

328
00:15:09,300 --> 00:15:13,300
a prolonged drought to
what's known as a mega-drought.

329
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,166
One that lasts numerous years.

330
00:15:19,233 --> 00:15:21,200
NARRATOR:
Years that have created

331
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,333
critical shortages of
a basic need:

332
00:15:24,333 --> 00:15:27,766
drinking water.

333
00:15:28,766 --> 00:15:30,033
PATEL:
So these aren't rain clouds.

334
00:15:30,033 --> 00:15:32,600
It hasn't rained here
in over two months.

335
00:15:34,066 --> 00:15:36,566
NARRATOR: Mehul Patel is
executive director

336
00:15:36,566 --> 00:15:39,933
of operations for the
Orange County Water District.

337
00:15:39,933 --> 00:15:42,833
Two-and-a-half million people
in Orange County, California,

338
00:15:42,833 --> 00:15:47,866
depend on him
for safe drinking water.

339
00:15:47,866 --> 00:15:51,300
One might expect him
to be extremely worried.

340
00:15:51,300 --> 00:15:53,300
PATEL:
Is C-2 gonna go into a backwash?

341
00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:54,733
The pressure is super-high.

342
00:15:54,733 --> 00:15:56,500
That's what we were always
worried about.

343
00:15:56,500 --> 00:15:57,866
That's as much
as we're gonna get.

344
00:15:57,866 --> 00:15:59,900
♪ ♪

345
00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:01,900
(laughs)
NARRATOR:
But he's not.

346
00:16:01,900 --> 00:16:03,133
MAN:
We'll charge extra...

347
00:16:03,133 --> 00:16:04,333
Yeah, exactly.

348
00:16:04,333 --> 00:16:05,566
NARRATOR:
Because Orange County

349
00:16:05,566 --> 00:16:07,433
has turned to an abundant,

350
00:16:07,433 --> 00:16:09,000
nearly drought-proof source.

351
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,433
PATEL:
Yeah, that's a good sign,
you know, but...

352
00:16:11,433 --> 00:16:14,333
NARRATOR:
One that's only mildly
disgusting.

353
00:16:14,333 --> 00:16:15,566
(flushing)

354
00:16:15,566 --> 00:16:17,400
Wastewater.

355
00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,600
PATEL:
Wastewater is anything

356
00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,466
that you generate in a home
that ends up in a drain.

357
00:16:22,466 --> 00:16:24,233
That includes the toilet,

358
00:16:24,233 --> 00:16:25,333
the washing machine,

359
00:16:25,333 --> 00:16:26,800
the sinks.
(faucet running)

360
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,033
The yuck factor is
difficult to overcome.

361
00:16:29,033 --> 00:16:31,500
But I think we need
to be practical,

362
00:16:31,500 --> 00:16:33,366
because the solutions are
harder and harder to come by.

363
00:16:33,366 --> 00:16:37,166
NARRATOR:
So, why wastewater?

364
00:16:37,166 --> 00:16:40,666
In many ways,
they didn't have a choice.

365
00:16:40,666 --> 00:16:43,533
PATEL:
The first thing to understand

366
00:16:43,533 --> 00:16:45,933
about this area is that
two-and-a-half million people

367
00:16:45,933 --> 00:16:48,833
rely on groundwater.

368
00:16:48,833 --> 00:16:52,100
NARRATOR:
Groundwater is mostly rainfall
and snowmelt

369
00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:55,300
captured in spaces below ground.

370
00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:58,333
And wells can tap it
for drinking water.

371
00:16:58,333 --> 00:17:02,300
But by the late 1990s,

372
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:04,666
Orange County's
rapidly growing population

373
00:17:04,666 --> 00:17:06,300
was straining its supply.

374
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:08,766
If the county didn't act fast,

375
00:17:08,766 --> 00:17:11,066
it could mean disaster.

376
00:17:11,066 --> 00:17:13,333
This groundwater aquifer
actually is

377
00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:15,000
physically connected
to the ocean.

378
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,700
And as the water level drops,

379
00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:19,633
sea water
tends to take its place,

380
00:17:19,633 --> 00:17:22,866
meaning it'll infiltrate
right into the groundwater basin

381
00:17:22,866 --> 00:17:26,166
and make it so salty
that it's not potable.

382
00:17:26,166 --> 00:17:28,833
NARRATOR:
The county was running low
on water

383
00:17:28,833 --> 00:17:30,466
and time.

384
00:17:31,733 --> 00:17:33,466
PATEL:
We only had probably

385
00:17:33,466 --> 00:17:35,166
five, ten, 15 years

386
00:17:35,166 --> 00:17:37,333
before the point where
we really gotta

387
00:17:37,333 --> 00:17:38,933
find another source of water.

388
00:17:38,933 --> 00:17:41,533
The inability to have
drinking water

389
00:17:41,533 --> 00:17:43,366
in an area with
two-and-a-half million people

390
00:17:43,366 --> 00:17:44,466
is just not something that

391
00:17:44,466 --> 00:17:46,533
we could let happen.

392
00:17:46,533 --> 00:17:48,266
We had to get more water
into the aquifer

393
00:17:48,266 --> 00:17:49,800
as quick as possible.

394
00:17:51,066 --> 00:17:54,333
Three minutes, okay,
and then C...

395
00:17:54,333 --> 00:17:56,466
But the challenge was,
where do we get that water from?

396
00:17:56,466 --> 00:18:01,800
NARRATOR:
One possibility was to take
water from the ocean itself.

397
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,333
PATEL:
You can actually extract salt
from the ocean water.

398
00:18:04,333 --> 00:18:07,500
You can turn it into
drinking water,

399
00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:09,166
but it takes
lots and lots of energy.

400
00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:12,300
And so that's done in
really arid areas of the world

401
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:15,066
where energy is more abundant

402
00:18:15,066 --> 00:18:16,766
and is not as costly as it is
in Southern California.

403
00:18:18,100 --> 00:18:21,500
NARRATOR:
They also considered
pumping more water

404
00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,733
from elsewhere.

405
00:18:23,733 --> 00:18:26,833
FILM NARRATOR:
Water is today's
California gold.

406
00:18:26,833 --> 00:18:28,533
Millions of acre-feet,

407
00:18:28,533 --> 00:18:30,733
held in reserve for future use.

408
00:18:30,733 --> 00:18:33,633
NARRATOR:
Moving water from
areas of abundance

409
00:18:33,633 --> 00:18:35,900
to areas of scarcity

410
00:18:35,900 --> 00:18:38,333
was the kind of mega-engineering

411
00:18:38,333 --> 00:18:41,566
that made the modern state
of California possible.

412
00:18:41,566 --> 00:18:42,766
♪ ♪

413
00:18:42,766 --> 00:18:45,400
Over 1,500 dams

414
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,900
and about 4,000 miles of canals

415
00:18:48,900 --> 00:18:53,033
had been rerouting water
across the state for decades.

416
00:18:53,033 --> 00:18:57,166
But the population had exploded,

417
00:18:57,166 --> 00:19:00,633
more than tripling
since the 1950s.

418
00:19:00,633 --> 00:19:03,266
With the system
nearing a breaking point,

419
00:19:03,266 --> 00:19:05,166
one thing was clear.

420
00:19:05,166 --> 00:19:08,900
PATEL:
The old engineering solutions
of the past just weren't

421
00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:10,400
gonna sustain us going forward.

422
00:19:11,933 --> 00:19:13,833
NARRATOR:
So they focused on a source

423
00:19:13,833 --> 00:19:16,266
flowing right under their noses:

424
00:19:16,266 --> 00:19:18,166
200 million gallons

425
00:19:18,166 --> 00:19:21,333
of wastewater literally
going down the drain

426
00:19:21,333 --> 00:19:23,333
every day.

427
00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,466
But how do you turn
the county's dirty water

428
00:19:27,466 --> 00:19:30,900
into something
people can actually drink?

429
00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:35,300
It starts at the Orange County
sewage treatment plant.

430
00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:38,433
Here, the largest solids

431
00:19:38,433 --> 00:19:40,933
are separated from
the raw sewage.

432
00:19:42,533 --> 00:19:44,533
And smaller particles are
allowed to settle

433
00:19:44,533 --> 00:19:47,900
to the bottom of
enormous tanks.

434
00:19:47,900 --> 00:19:50,900
Aerating
the remaining wastewater

435
00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:53,000
provides oxygen to
pollutant-eating bacteria,

436
00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:55,533
which process the water

437
00:19:55,533 --> 00:19:58,600
to be clean enough to release
into the environment.

438
00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,800
For decades,
that meant all of the

439
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,900
treated water
was pumped several miles

440
00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:05,733
out into the Pacific Ocean.

441
00:20:05,733 --> 00:20:08,100
PATEL:
Literally tens of millions

442
00:20:08,100 --> 00:20:10,600
of gallons a day
just going out to the ocean,

443
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:11,833
being lost, essentially.

444
00:20:11,833 --> 00:20:13,400
NARRATOR:
Could those millions of gallons

445
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,866
be the solution to Orange
County's dwindling aquifer,

446
00:20:17,866 --> 00:20:21,666
and also make their system
essentially drought-proof?

447
00:20:21,666 --> 00:20:24,200
We knew that people
had done water recycling.

448
00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:25,600
They just hadn't done it

449
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,566
to a point where
that water could be

450
00:20:27,566 --> 00:20:29,900
really efficiently reintroduced

451
00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:33,400
into a groundwater basin,
but we knew it was possible.

452
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,200
NARRATOR:
Today, Mehul's plant
finishes the job.

453
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:38,400
PATEL:
See what that cell looks like.

454
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:40,900
NARRATOR:
It's a computer-operated system

455
00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:44,100
of airtight tubes
and underground pipes.

456
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:46,066
At the heart of the operation

457
00:20:46,066 --> 00:20:48,933
is a process called
reverse osmosis,

458
00:20:48,933 --> 00:20:51,266
where 1,000-horsepower engines

459
00:20:51,266 --> 00:20:54,200
push the water through
tightly wrapped membranes,

460
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,500
filtering out impurities like

461
00:20:56,500 --> 00:21:00,000
pharmaceuticals,
viruses, and salts.

462
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,600
So this is the end of
the process.

463
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,233
We can see
how the water started out,

464
00:21:05,233 --> 00:21:07,933
you can see everything
that was removed,

465
00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:09,533
and then you can see

466
00:21:09,533 --> 00:21:11,566
the purified water here
that's safe enough to drink,

467
00:21:11,566 --> 00:21:15,133
but will still go through
a couple more steps after this.

468
00:21:17,166 --> 00:21:18,933
♪ ♪

469
00:21:18,933 --> 00:21:20,266
NARRATOR:
As a final step,

470
00:21:20,266 --> 00:21:23,333
they let the water
seep back into the ground,

471
00:21:23,333 --> 00:21:26,400
replenishing the aquifer.

472
00:21:27,566 --> 00:21:30,966
Orange County's
wastewater recycling operation

473
00:21:30,966 --> 00:21:33,666
is the largest of
its kind in the world,

474
00:21:33,666 --> 00:21:37,733
processing up to
130 million gallons a day.

475
00:21:37,733 --> 00:21:42,666
And it is serving as a model for
other California communities,

476
00:21:42,666 --> 00:21:46,500
including San Francisco,
Los Angeles, and San Diego--

477
00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:51,300
all facing their own
dry future.

478
00:21:51,300 --> 00:21:53,400
PATEL:
I'm very convinced that

479
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,800
a solution similar to this
can be done in other places.

480
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:57,566
You can follow the recipe

481
00:21:57,566 --> 00:22:00,600
in a lot of places where
the same infrastructure exists.

482
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,466
There's
nothing we can't do today

483
00:22:02,466 --> 00:22:03,766
if we just put our mind to it

484
00:22:03,766 --> 00:22:07,500
and use all the technology
available to us.

485
00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:12,300
NARRATOR:
But drought is not only
impacting drinking water.

486
00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:15,600
About 700 miles north
of Orange County,

487
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:20,166
the coastal forests are
also thirsty.

488
00:22:20,166 --> 00:22:22,833
♪ ♪

489
00:22:22,833 --> 00:22:26,266
The rugged Klamath River
region of Northern California

490
00:22:26,266 --> 00:22:30,200
is an outdoor paradise.

491
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:31,600
VIKKI PRESTON:
I love living here.

492
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,633
I don't know if I could live
anywhere else

493
00:22:33,633 --> 00:22:35,666
and be as happy as I am here.

494
00:22:35,666 --> 00:22:40,066
 
NARRATOR:
These idyllic mountain valleys
are home to tens of thousands,

495
00:22:40,066 --> 00:22:44,000
including Indigenous tribes
like the Karuk.

496
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,333
But people here

497
00:22:46,333 --> 00:22:49,866
know that danger
lurks in these woods.

498
00:22:51,433 --> 00:22:52,933
CHOOK CHOOK HILLMAN:
We have to have

499
00:22:52,933 --> 00:22:55,466
our most precious things packed,

500
00:22:55,466 --> 00:22:56,766
because you don't know

501
00:22:56,766 --> 00:22:59,533
how much time
you're gonna have to get out.

502
00:22:59,533 --> 00:23:02,000
NARRATOR:
On September 8, 2020,

503
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,266
residents of
the town of Happy Camp

504
00:23:04,266 --> 00:23:08,166
get the order to leave--
fast.

505
00:23:08,166 --> 00:23:11,166
The mountains are on fire.

506
00:23:11,166 --> 00:23:13,700
♪ ♪

507
00:23:13,700 --> 00:23:18,166
Fierce winds
and unusually dry conditions

508
00:23:18,166 --> 00:23:20,200
fuel the flames.

509
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:21,566
Those are the types of fires

510
00:23:21,566 --> 00:23:24,233
that, that humans just simply
can't stop.

511
00:23:26,466 --> 00:23:28,733
 
NARRATOR:
Fire ravages the town,

512
00:23:28,733 --> 00:23:33,600
destroying more than 200 homes.

513
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:37,400
KATHY MCCOVEY:
A lot of Native people's homes
burnt,

514
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:42,133
and a lot of them had to
move out.

515
00:23:42,133 --> 00:23:44,466
A lot of them were scared to
live in Happy Camp again.

516
00:23:44,466 --> 00:23:46,766
 
NARRATOR:
As bad as this is,

517
00:23:46,766 --> 00:23:49,433
it's not an aberration.

518
00:23:49,433 --> 00:23:53,733
In fact, between 2012 and 2021,

519
00:23:53,733 --> 00:23:58,833
over 24% of forestland
in California burned.

520
00:24:00,266 --> 00:24:02,766
CHOOK CHOOK HILLMAN:
The intensity of wildfires
that we have now

521
00:24:02,766 --> 00:24:04,133
is just on a scale

522
00:24:04,133 --> 00:24:05,800
never known to
Indigenous people.

523
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,133
It would never
be possible to have

524
00:24:08,133 --> 00:24:10,600
this type of fire on
the landscape.

525
00:24:11,933 --> 00:24:14,833
NARRATOR:
That's because,
for thousands of years,

526
00:24:14,833 --> 00:24:17,266
Indigenous peoples
in North America

527
00:24:17,266 --> 00:24:21,866
had been using fire to shape
and protect the landscape.

528
00:24:23,066 --> 00:24:25,466
LEAF HILLMAN:
Fire is not inherently bad.

529
00:24:25,466 --> 00:24:28,100
This landscape evolved with
fire.

530
00:24:28,100 --> 00:24:30,066
The species on this landscape

531
00:24:30,066 --> 00:24:32,633
are fire-dependent species.

532
00:24:32,633 --> 00:24:36,200
You can't take fire out of
this landscape.

533
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,666
NARRATOR:
Fire clears out brush
to make way for

534
00:24:39,666 --> 00:24:42,166
fire-resistant edible plants,

535
00:24:42,166 --> 00:24:44,633
like acorn-producing oak trees,

536
00:24:44,633 --> 00:24:46,866
underground bulbs and onions,

537
00:24:46,866 --> 00:24:51,166
and berry bushes that
can sprout back after a fire.

538
00:24:51,166 --> 00:24:53,766
And it creates
a diverse patchwork

539
00:24:53,766 --> 00:24:56,600
of forest and grasslands,

540
00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,900
a setup ideal for
hunting wild game

541
00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:02,466
and gathering food
from the forest.

542
00:25:03,933 --> 00:25:06,366
But starting in the 1800s,

543
00:25:06,366 --> 00:25:08,700
White settlers to the region
saw these trees

544
00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:11,433
as a commercial resource,

545
00:25:11,433 --> 00:25:15,266
and felt new towns
had to be protected.

546
00:25:15,266 --> 00:25:18,966
Fire suppression
became a U.S. government policy

547
00:25:18,966 --> 00:25:22,100
for over a century,

548
00:25:22,100 --> 00:25:25,466
and it became a crime
to conduct intentional burns

549
00:25:25,466 --> 00:25:27,066
in this part of the country.

550
00:25:27,066 --> 00:25:29,500
LEAF HILLMAN:
There really wasn't a lot of
burning going on

551
00:25:29,500 --> 00:25:31,433
when I was growing up
because it,

552
00:25:31,433 --> 00:25:33,200
it had been criminalized,

553
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,666
particularly for Indian people.

554
00:25:35,666 --> 00:25:37,666
MCCOVEY:
You could get shot
if you were Native

555
00:25:37,666 --> 00:25:38,866
for starting a fire.

556
00:25:38,866 --> 00:25:40,200
You'd go to jail.

557
00:25:41,333 --> 00:25:43,300
NARRATOR:
But now the frequency
and severity

558
00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:45,433
of fires in the West
is increasing,

559
00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:48,400
decade by decade.

560
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:53,633
Rising temperatures and
cycles of drought play a part.

561
00:25:53,633 --> 00:25:55,366
But an aggravating factor

562
00:25:55,366 --> 00:25:58,633
is how the forests themselves
have been managed.

563
00:26:00,566 --> 00:26:03,066
BILL TRIPP:
You've removed fire from
the system for so long,

564
00:26:03,066 --> 00:26:05,300
there's all that much fuel that
builds up.

565
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:07,166
And now, with an additional

566
00:26:07,166 --> 00:26:09,500
stressor added,
like climate change,

567
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:12,100
it really causes problems.

568
00:26:13,466 --> 00:26:17,533
NARRATOR:
Without regular, low-intensity
fires to thin them out,

569
00:26:17,533 --> 00:26:20,466
Western forests are now twice
as dense

570
00:26:20,466 --> 00:26:22,633
as they were 200 years ago.

571
00:26:22,633 --> 00:26:26,066
And without the patchwork
of already burnt land

572
00:26:26,066 --> 00:26:27,400
to stop their progression,

573
00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,433
they can spread across
1,000 square miles,

574
00:26:31,433 --> 00:26:35,766
destroying towns in their path.

575
00:26:35,766 --> 00:26:39,366
Fortunately, there's
a solution to this problem.

576
00:26:39,366 --> 00:26:41,133
MAN:
Let's move it!

577
00:26:42,666 --> 00:26:46,066
NARRATOR:
Now the Karuk and other
Indigenous peoples are securing

578
00:26:46,066 --> 00:26:49,133
burn permits and bringing
back their ancient practice,

579
00:26:49,133 --> 00:26:53,466
literally
fighting fire with fire.

580
00:26:53,466 --> 00:26:54,733
MICHAEL SANCHEZ:
Just to start,

581
00:26:54,733 --> 00:26:56,466
this is a ceremonial ground.

582
00:26:56,466 --> 00:26:59,333
So it's important
to take it really slow.

583
00:26:59,333 --> 00:27:02,533
NARRATOR:
Today, tribal members
are planning

584
00:27:02,533 --> 00:27:05,100
a series of fires they'll be
setting downriver

585
00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:06,333
from Happy Camp,

586
00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:09,800
near the community
of Orleans.

587
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,200
So we're going to create

588
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,166
a little bit of a black line
right in here.

589
00:27:13,166 --> 00:27:15,100
PRESTON:
The fire is

590
00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:17,200
to protect the town

591
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,366
and get
that grassy area burned off.

592
00:27:19,366 --> 00:27:21,233
NARRATOR:
Starting and controlling fires

593
00:27:21,233 --> 00:27:22,766
in this landscape,

594
00:27:22,766 --> 00:27:25,033
close to an inhabited area,

595
00:27:25,033 --> 00:27:27,233
takes skill.

596
00:27:27,233 --> 00:27:29,533
MCCOVEY:
It's a specialized expertise

597
00:27:29,533 --> 00:27:32,733
to know when
the wind's gonna be right.

598
00:27:32,733 --> 00:27:34,766
Winds zero to two.

599
00:27:34,766 --> 00:27:36,300
Gusts to six.

600
00:27:36,300 --> 00:27:38,133
MCCOVEY:
When the humidity's

601
00:27:38,133 --> 00:27:40,266
gonna be right, and when we
should burn for something

602
00:27:40,266 --> 00:27:41,566
and when we shouldn't.

603
00:27:41,566 --> 00:27:44,766
NARRATOR:
They wait until dusk, when it is

604
00:27:44,766 --> 00:27:48,700
cooler, less windy, and more
humid, to start burning.

605
00:27:48,700 --> 00:27:51,066
(fire crackling)

606
00:27:51,066 --> 00:27:52,400
First, they carefully torch

607
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,066
and then extinguish
a patch of grass

608
00:27:55,066 --> 00:27:58,100
to create what's called
a "black line":

609
00:27:58,100 --> 00:28:01,900
a barrier to keep the fire
from burning out of control.

610
00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:05,633
PRESTON:
That area won't burn,
so you have

611
00:28:05,633 --> 00:28:07,533
a safety zone in between

612
00:28:07,533 --> 00:28:09,366
the places that you're
not wanting to burn.

613
00:28:11,166 --> 00:28:13,233
NARRATOR:
Then, they light fires
across the field,

614
00:28:13,233 --> 00:28:16,133
careful to keep water hoses
nearby

615
00:28:16,133 --> 00:28:17,800
to handle any flames that jump

616
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,900
beyond the black line
or threaten trees.

617
00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:24,866
We're setting the landscape
on a trajectory to accept fire

618
00:28:24,866 --> 00:28:26,766
in a good way.

619
00:28:26,766 --> 00:28:28,633
And we're going to be way more
set up for when

620
00:28:28,633 --> 00:28:31,866
we get to do larger-scale fires.

621
00:28:31,866 --> 00:28:36,366
NARRATOR:
The two-day burn goes off
without a hitch.

622
00:28:36,366 --> 00:28:38,600
LEAF HILLMAN:
What we're doing
and what we're advocating for

623
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:39,800
isn't an experiment at all.

624
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,000
We know it works.

625
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,833
It's worked for 10,000
years, um,

626
00:28:44,833 --> 00:28:49,300
in this place,
and, um, it can work again.

627
00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:51,466
We're taking the next step, um,

628
00:28:51,466 --> 00:28:53,566
in bringing
fire back to the people.

629
00:28:53,566 --> 00:28:58,633
This idea of cultural burning
actually made its way into

630
00:28:58,633 --> 00:29:01,800
the secretary's executive order
this past week.

631
00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:06,133
NARRATOR:
Now federal and
state governments in the West

632
00:29:06,133 --> 00:29:08,200
see the wisdom of this approach.

633
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,566
In 2021, the U.S. Forest Service

634
00:29:11,566 --> 00:29:14,266
used prescribed fire more than
ever,

635
00:29:14,266 --> 00:29:18,433
burning nearly two million acres
of federal land.

636
00:29:19,566 --> 00:29:21,433
And over the next ten years,

637
00:29:21,433 --> 00:29:26,600
it has vowed to manage more than
50 million acres with fire.

638
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,300
REPORTER:
What firefighters were
trying to prevent is exactly

639
00:29:30,300 --> 00:29:32,066
what they are now facing.

640
00:29:32,066 --> 00:29:34,033
NARRATOR:
But in 2022,

641
00:29:34,033 --> 00:29:36,300
the U.S. Forest Service made
headlines...

642
00:29:36,300 --> 00:29:38,866
REPORTER: One of the two fires
was purposely set

643
00:29:38,866 --> 00:29:40,666
as a prescribed burn.

644
00:29:40,666 --> 00:29:45,400
 
NARRATOR:
...when a planned burn in
New Mexico got out of control.

645
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,000
High-profile escapes like
this are

646
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,333
a setback for proponents
of prescribed burning.

647
00:29:54,033 --> 00:29:58,733
The resulting outcry can
halt the practice for months,

648
00:29:58,733 --> 00:30:04,700
leaving the stage set for
the next uncontrolled wildfire.

649
00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:08,200
But in fact,
escapes rarely happen.

650
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,066
There's inherent risk in any way

651
00:30:11,066 --> 00:30:13,433
of managing
fire on this landscape.

652
00:30:13,433 --> 00:30:16,333
We want the one that makes that
risk

653
00:30:16,333 --> 00:30:18,033
the smallest possible.

654
00:30:18,033 --> 00:30:23,233
Less than 0.5%
of prescribed fires escape.

655
00:30:23,233 --> 00:30:27,533
We don't see those same
odds with containing wildfires.

656
00:30:27,533 --> 00:30:29,300
And what we know is
that the relative risk

657
00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:31,466
of being organized ahead of
time,

658
00:30:31,466 --> 00:30:34,433
of choosing your burn window,
is night

659
00:30:34,433 --> 00:30:36,900
and day from
the situation in a wildfire.

660
00:30:36,900 --> 00:30:39,533
NARRATOR:
The current megafire crisis

661
00:30:39,533 --> 00:30:41,633
has opened up a chance for the
Karuk

662
00:30:41,633 --> 00:30:46,133
to finally bring more "good
fire" back to these mountains

663
00:30:46,133 --> 00:30:49,500
and reclaim
some of their traditions

664
00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:53,066
while protecting the land.

665
00:30:53,066 --> 00:30:56,500
CHOOK CHOOK HILLMAN:
Our place in the world is
to manage the world,

666
00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:58,666
you know, at least our piece
of the world.

667
00:30:58,666 --> 00:31:00,366
That's part of the reciprocity

668
00:31:00,366 --> 00:31:03,000
that allowed us to live here
for so long

669
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,033
on this landscape.

670
00:31:09,866 --> 00:31:11,633
NARRATOR:
As the planet warms,

671
00:31:11,633 --> 00:31:15,966
many dry areas, like much
of the West, get even drier

672
00:31:15,966 --> 00:31:20,033
as more water evaporates
into the atmosphere.

673
00:31:20,033 --> 00:31:22,233
In fact,
for every degree Fahrenheit

674
00:31:22,233 --> 00:31:24,433
that the air temperature rises,

675
00:31:24,433 --> 00:31:28,766
the atmosphere can hold
up to four percent more water.

676
00:31:28,766 --> 00:31:31,966
But it can
also release the added moisture,

677
00:31:31,966 --> 00:31:34,233
often in shorter bursts:

678
00:31:34,233 --> 00:31:38,600
epic storms;
historic floods.

679
00:31:40,133 --> 00:31:43,100
When you finally get a trigger
for rainfall,

680
00:31:43,100 --> 00:31:45,433
the rain falls harder.

681
00:31:45,433 --> 00:31:48,866
The rain rate is just so
insanely high that

682
00:31:48,866 --> 00:31:50,800
you start to get runoff,

683
00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:52,400
you start to get erosion,

684
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:54,366
you start to have crops being
damaged

685
00:31:54,366 --> 00:31:56,633
by just the actual raindrops.
(chuckles)

686
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:00,966
NARRATOR:
That's what's been happening
in the fertile farmlands

687
00:32:00,966 --> 00:32:03,900
of Eastern Iowa.

688
00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:07,733
On her family's thousand-acre
farm, Elyssa McFarland

689
00:32:07,733 --> 00:32:10,866
raises corn and soybeans.

690
00:32:10,866 --> 00:32:15,933
She is the sixth generation
in her family to work this land.

691
00:32:15,933 --> 00:32:18,433
And now she's taking over...

692
00:32:18,433 --> 00:32:20,333
Thought I'd show you where
I did the plant.

693
00:32:20,333 --> 00:32:23,233
NARRATOR:
...from her father, Tom.
...exactly where we're at.

694
00:32:23,233 --> 00:32:27,033
NARRATOR:
But she's confronting
conditions very different

695
00:32:27,033 --> 00:32:30,766
from those her family
contended with in the past.

696
00:32:32,233 --> 00:32:33,666
Temperatures are higher.

697
00:32:33,666 --> 00:32:34,933
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
In the spring,

698
00:32:34,933 --> 00:32:38,800
it was 93 degrees
the second day of corn planting.

699
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,133
Which is entirely too warm--
it's normally in the 60s.

700
00:32:41,133 --> 00:32:43,300
NARRATOR:
Winds are stronger.

701
00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:44,800
TOM MCFARLAND:
It used to be,

702
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,200
once in a while, you'd get
a 30- or 40-mile-an-hour wind.

703
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:49,500
Now it's,
we'll get it for days on end.

704
00:32:49,500 --> 00:32:52,333
 
It howls night and day,
24 hours a day.

705
00:32:52,333 --> 00:32:55,266
NARRATOR:
And rainstorms are different,
too.

706
00:32:55,266 --> 00:32:57,800
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
The rain now, it comes

707
00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,300
a lot angrier.

708
00:32:59,300 --> 00:33:01,766
Instead of having a storm roll
through in a day,

709
00:33:01,766 --> 00:33:03,466
and you have, you know,
an inch of rain,

710
00:33:03,466 --> 00:33:06,000
we had a storm roll
through in an afternoon

711
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,833
and we got six inches of rain.

712
00:33:07,833 --> 00:33:10,833
And things wash away,
and you look at it, and it's,

713
00:33:10,833 --> 00:33:13,833
it's so sad,
because that's your land,

714
00:33:13,833 --> 00:33:16,500
that's your livelihood,
and it's, it's washing away.

715
00:33:18,866 --> 00:33:21,300
NARRATOR:
The strongest storms
in this region

716
00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:24,133
are dropping over 40% more
rain now

717
00:33:24,133 --> 00:33:26,466
than in the 1950s,

718
00:33:26,466 --> 00:33:28,966
causing historic floods

719
00:33:28,966 --> 00:33:31,766
and sweeping away the topsoil

720
00:33:31,766 --> 00:33:36,933
that makes this region
the breadbasket of America.

721
00:33:36,933 --> 00:33:38,400
Soil erosion, I think,

722
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:40,233
is an abstract concept
for a lot of folks.

723
00:33:40,233 --> 00:33:43,200
They might not know what it
means, be, like,

724
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,600
how did we lose soil?

725
00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:46,100
Where did it go?

726
00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:49,000
For a farmer,
it's our livelihood.

727
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:50,733
It matters where that soil goes.

728
00:33:50,733 --> 00:33:53,966
NARRATOR:
Farms in Iowa are losing,

729
00:33:53,966 --> 00:33:58,666
on average, more than five tons
of soil per acre per year.

730
00:34:00,666 --> 00:34:04,500
But surprisingly, Elyssa's
farm isn't washing away.

731
00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:08,033
That's because the way she farms
her fields

732
00:34:08,033 --> 00:34:10,533
preserves the soil.

733
00:34:10,533 --> 00:34:13,533
Most farms in Iowa

734
00:34:13,533 --> 00:34:15,800
use a method that arose in the
1800s,

735
00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:19,000
with the development
of the steel plow.

736
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,966
With these new plows,
farmers were able to repeatedly

737
00:34:22,966 --> 00:34:28,133
turn over, or till, the soil
after the harvest.

738
00:34:28,133 --> 00:34:32,333
This buried the leftover
crop material and killed weeds.

739
00:34:32,333 --> 00:34:35,933
Looser dirt also
made it easier to plant seeds

740
00:34:35,933 --> 00:34:37,433
at an optimal depth.

741
00:34:37,433 --> 00:34:40,866
And tilled soil tends
to warm faster,

742
00:34:40,866 --> 00:34:43,133
promoting germination.

743
00:34:44,466 --> 00:34:48,833
The plow was a game changer that
helped feed a growing nation.

744
00:34:50,966 --> 00:34:53,800
But now, as the weather
grows more extreme,

745
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:58,166
the downsides
of tilling become more apparent.

746
00:34:58,166 --> 00:35:01,933
DEANN PRESLEY:
If we see a bare soil like that,
what happens if the wind comes?

747
00:35:01,933 --> 00:35:04,100
Well, those little dried-out
particles

748
00:35:04,100 --> 00:35:06,233
on the surface are gonna
be subject to wind erosion.

749
00:35:06,233 --> 00:35:07,933
What happens if an intense
rainfall event happens?

750
00:35:07,933 --> 00:35:10,266
We'll get runoff.

751
00:35:12,933 --> 00:35:14,633
Can you reach the spade?

752
00:35:14,633 --> 00:35:17,933
NARRATOR:
Soil scientist DeAnn Presley
studies

753
00:35:17,933 --> 00:35:19,933
how different kinds of dirt
withstand

754
00:35:19,933 --> 00:35:22,900
today's extreme weather.

755
00:35:22,900 --> 00:35:27,233
She's here
to see Elyssa's approach.

756
00:35:27,233 --> 00:35:29,933
So this is kind of the border

757
00:35:29,933 --> 00:35:32,333
between the two
sections of this field.
Okay.

758
00:35:32,333 --> 00:35:34,766
PRESLEY:
It's kind of like a crime scene,
right?

759
00:35:34,766 --> 00:35:36,866
And you can go look at that soil

760
00:35:36,866 --> 00:35:38,500
and understand things about it.

761
00:35:38,500 --> 00:35:41,533
NARRATOR:
Elyssa's soil looks
different from the dirt

762
00:35:41,533 --> 00:35:44,333
on conventionally farmed fields.

763
00:35:44,333 --> 00:35:48,266
That's because
she leaves her plow in the barn

764
00:35:48,266 --> 00:35:52,400
and lets the crop residue
stay right where it is.

765
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:54,533
We're trying to minimize
the amount of disturbance

766
00:35:54,533 --> 00:35:56,400
that we're doing in that soil.

767
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,033
We're only disturbing

768
00:35:58,033 --> 00:36:01,400
the part that we really have to
to put the seeds in the ground.

769
00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:05,033
NARRATOR:
Elyssa is going back
to the ancient method

770
00:36:05,033 --> 00:36:08,400
of plow-free farming
with a modern twist.

771
00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,733
She uses a high-tech planter

772
00:36:10,733 --> 00:36:15,233
to push aside crop residue
and apply the precise

773
00:36:15,233 --> 00:36:18,566
pressure needed to push seeds
into the soil.

774
00:36:18,566 --> 00:36:20,233
In winter,

775
00:36:20,233 --> 00:36:24,400
Elyssa grows cereal rye in these
same fields-- not to sell,

776
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,833
but to shield
the topsoil from the elements.

777
00:36:27,833 --> 00:36:31,233
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
We have to put more stuff on the
landscape

778
00:36:31,233 --> 00:36:33,166
to keep that soil protected.

779
00:36:33,166 --> 00:36:35,166
So that really big,

780
00:36:35,166 --> 00:36:37,633
really heavy,
wind-blown raindrop

781
00:36:37,633 --> 00:36:39,466
doesn't hit the soil surface.

782
00:36:41,100 --> 00:36:43,333
NARRATOR:
But how exactly
does leaving the ground

783
00:36:43,333 --> 00:36:46,433
untilled fight erosion?

784
00:36:46,433 --> 00:36:51,000
It comes down to a soil's
"structure."

785
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,766
The stronger
the structure, the better.

786
00:36:52,766 --> 00:36:56,933
Structure is the way sand,
silt, and clay particles

787
00:36:56,933 --> 00:36:59,733
get organized together into
units.

788
00:36:59,733 --> 00:37:01,666
♪ ♪

789
00:37:01,666 --> 00:37:04,400
NARRATOR:
A soil with strong structure has
a mix

790
00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,633
of these different-sized
particles,

791
00:37:06,633 --> 00:37:11,500
creating lots of air pockets,
or pores.

792
00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:14,900
This gives
room for roots to extend,

793
00:37:14,900 --> 00:37:17,233
gases to nourish the plants,

794
00:37:17,233 --> 00:37:19,333
and a home for other
living things

795
00:37:19,333 --> 00:37:22,266
that add nutrients to the soil--

796
00:37:22,266 --> 00:37:28,100
all interwoven in a matrix
that holds itself together.

797
00:37:28,100 --> 00:37:32,500
Left undisturbed,
the soil builds structure.

798
00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:37,100
Tilling breaks down the soil's
structure, weakening it.

799
00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:40,533
PRESLEY:
Scientifically, we have many
studies that show that there

800
00:37:40,533 --> 00:37:43,300
is a huge decrease
in erosion when we use no-till.

801
00:37:43,300 --> 00:37:46,233
That is a definite benefit.

802
00:37:47,433 --> 00:37:49,033
NARRATOR:
In a hard rain,

803
00:37:49,033 --> 00:37:53,200
pore space in soil gives excess
water a place to go,

804
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,600
much like a sponge.

805
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,966
So rather than running off
and taking dirt with it,

806
00:37:58,966 --> 00:38:03,000
the water stays put within
the soil.

807
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:07,600
You can just see
how many pores are in here.

808
00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,366
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
As a farmer, when I see this,

809
00:38:09,366 --> 00:38:12,333
the, the big pores are nice,
'cause it gets the water in,

810
00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:14,500
but then also, seeing
all those smaller pores,

811
00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:17,166
that's what holds the rainwater
for a drought,

812
00:38:17,166 --> 00:38:18,566
so that when we have

813
00:38:18,566 --> 00:38:21,233
those big, big rains that come
through,

814
00:38:21,233 --> 00:38:23,466
as much as we can get that into
the soil,

815
00:38:23,466 --> 00:38:24,900
that's what's gonna tide us over

816
00:38:24,900 --> 00:38:27,533
when it dries out and we have
drought conditions again.

817
00:38:28,666 --> 00:38:30,566
NARRATOR:
Leaving nutrients undisturbed

818
00:38:30,566 --> 00:38:33,500
means less money spent
on fertilizers,

819
00:38:33,500 --> 00:38:38,633
and fewer trips across the field
in a tractor saves on fuel.

820
00:38:38,633 --> 00:38:44,133
Across the U.S., more farmers
are adopting no-till techniques.

821
00:38:44,133 --> 00:38:49,300
While nationwide, no-till makes
up about 20% of total acres,

822
00:38:49,300 --> 00:38:54,000
in Iowa,
that number is closer to 30%.

823
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:58,133
But the necessary precision
planting equipment is pricey,

824
00:38:58,133 --> 00:39:03,733
making any radical change
in a farmer's approach costly.

825
00:39:03,733 --> 00:39:06,366
Flipping a switch and entirely
changing things on a farm

826
00:39:06,366 --> 00:39:08,000
is a pretty risky thing to do.

827
00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:11,566
And for some farmers,
it takes a couple of years

828
00:39:11,566 --> 00:39:15,100
to really see
the benefits of doing no-till.

829
00:39:15,100 --> 00:39:18,833
PRESLEY:
These extreme weather events
might cause more people

830
00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:23,233
to look at no-till as a serious
option if they haven't already,

831
00:39:23,233 --> 00:39:26,033
because of the fact that they
don't want to have

832
00:39:26,033 --> 00:39:28,300
intense rainfall carrying their
soil away

833
00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:30,800
or losing
that opportunity to catch water.

834
00:39:31,833 --> 00:39:34,900
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
I think that there's a huge
opportunity for farmers.

835
00:39:34,900 --> 00:39:40,700
It just takes time
and a shift in perspective,

836
00:39:40,700 --> 00:39:44,000
and a community of
people that bring others along.

837
00:39:49,266 --> 00:39:51,033
♪ ♪

838
00:39:51,033 --> 00:39:52,400
NARRATOR:
Warmer, wetter air

839
00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,866
creates intense rainstorms
across the Midwest.

840
00:39:57,633 --> 00:39:59,900
For 100 million Americans
living in coastal communities,

841
00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:04,500
more destructive storms
are also an increasing worry.

842
00:40:04,500 --> 00:40:06,733
MORALES:
Hurricanes are my forte.

843
00:40:06,733 --> 00:40:09,133
It's what I'm an expert at.

844
00:40:09,133 --> 00:40:11,966
And I myself have been
so surprised

845
00:40:11,966 --> 00:40:17,433
over the years to see the number
of rapid intensification cycles

846
00:40:17,433 --> 00:40:18,800
that hurricanes are going
through.

847
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,033
NARRATOR:
Hurricanes are fueled

848
00:40:21,033 --> 00:40:22,933
by energy from the ocean.

849
00:40:22,933 --> 00:40:26,500
Today, during hurricane season,

850
00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:30,100
the Gulf of Mexico is about
one to two degrees warmer

851
00:40:30,100 --> 00:40:31,966
than it was in the 1980s.

852
00:40:31,966 --> 00:40:36,366
And that warmer
water supercharges storms.

853
00:40:36,366 --> 00:40:39,000
MORALES:
I'm on the air saying,
"Look at this thing!

854
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,200
Look at what this hurricane
is doing!"

855
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:43,600
So, a historic event

856
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:44,833
in itself.

857
00:40:44,833 --> 00:40:47,533
NARRATOR:
Recent hurricanes blow away

858
00:40:47,533 --> 00:40:51,066
previous
records for destruction,

859
00:40:51,066 --> 00:40:54,866
costing over a trillion dollars
in 20 years,

860
00:40:54,866 --> 00:40:57,700
and counting.

861
00:40:57,700 --> 00:41:01,133
MORALES:
We're not necessarily seeing
more hurricanes,

862
00:41:01,133 --> 00:41:03,466
but we're seeing that a greater
proportion of them

863
00:41:03,466 --> 00:41:05,366
are indeed becoming these
monsters!

864
00:41:05,366 --> 00:41:07,400
♪ ♪

865
00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:12,433
NARRATOR:
One place especially hard-hit--
the coast of Louisiana,

866
00:41:12,433 --> 00:41:16,200
where the Mississippi River
meets the Gulf of Mexico,

867
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:21,366
creating about 6,000 square
miles of river delta wetlands.

868
00:41:21,366 --> 00:41:24,300
Here, the sea is
swallowing the land.

869
00:41:24,300 --> 00:41:27,900
PHILIPPE:
We are on Grand Bayou

870
00:41:27,900 --> 00:41:30,133
in Grand Bayou Village.

871
00:41:30,133 --> 00:41:33,866
This is my home, and this is the
home

872
00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:35,633
of my people,

873
00:41:35,633 --> 00:41:39,200
and we've been here for
a little more than 400 years.

874
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:41,900
NARRATOR:
Rosina Philippe is an elder

875
00:41:41,900 --> 00:41:44,966
of the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha
tribe.

876
00:41:44,966 --> 00:41:47,133
PHILIPPE:
A lot of the places where you
see water,

877
00:41:47,133 --> 00:41:49,633
it was land, and not just land--
high land.

878
00:41:49,633 --> 00:41:52,066
Hills, hard, hard dirt.

879
00:41:52,066 --> 00:41:55,400
But now no more,
none of that anymore.

880
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:58,200
The land has washed away.

881
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,566
NARRATOR:
One study found sea level here

882
00:42:00,566 --> 00:42:04,266
rising at a rate
four times the global average.

883
00:42:04,266 --> 00:42:07,766
Elder Chief
Shirell Parfait-Dardar,

884
00:42:07,766 --> 00:42:10,500
a member of a nearby community,

885
00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:13,500
the Grand Caillou-Dulac Band

886
00:42:13,500 --> 00:42:16,733
of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Tribe,

887
00:42:16,733 --> 00:42:21,233
is also seeing her home
threatened by land loss.

888
00:42:21,233 --> 00:42:24,066
We call these skeleton trees.

889
00:42:24,066 --> 00:42:26,166
And when you look out and you
see these trees,

890
00:42:26,166 --> 00:42:29,100
you know that land was there at
one time, right?

891
00:42:29,100 --> 00:42:31,600
But all that's left is the
submerged

892
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:34,900
tree in water, holding on for
as long as it can.

893
00:42:34,900 --> 00:42:38,233
NARRATOR:
The impacts of more
intense storms

894
00:42:38,233 --> 00:42:41,166
and rising seas are felt here
now

895
00:42:41,166 --> 00:42:45,366
in large part because the land
has already been eroded

896
00:42:45,366 --> 00:42:47,633
by human activity.

897
00:42:47,633 --> 00:42:52,133
Fed by rivers and streams across
much of the continent,

898
00:42:52,133 --> 00:42:54,566
the Mississippi River picks up
sediment

899
00:42:54,566 --> 00:42:57,500
and would naturally deposit it
in the delta,

900
00:42:57,500 --> 00:43:00,866
constantly
replenishing the wetlands.

901
00:43:00,866 --> 00:43:03,500
But starting in the 1900s,

902
00:43:03,500 --> 00:43:06,000
a series of federal
construction projects

903
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:09,533
began to interfere
with that natural system:

904
00:43:09,533 --> 00:43:11,800
levees to prevent flooding;

905
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:15,200
dams to improve navigation.

906
00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:16,966
The result?

907
00:43:16,966 --> 00:43:18,866
Less flooding in some
communities

908
00:43:18,866 --> 00:43:21,166
and more river trade,

909
00:43:21,166 --> 00:43:24,200
but also less sediment reaching
the wetlands.

910
00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:29,366
And then, starting in the 1930s,
oil and gas companies

911
00:43:29,366 --> 00:43:32,900
cut 10,000 miles of canals
through the wetlands

912
00:43:32,900 --> 00:43:34,500
to reach their wells,

913
00:43:34,500 --> 00:43:37,866
speeding erosion even more.

914
00:43:37,866 --> 00:43:39,533
PLACKY:
And so all of this

915
00:43:39,533 --> 00:43:41,700
is coming together in a way

916
00:43:41,700 --> 00:43:45,033
that we used to have this
really strong protective barrier

917
00:43:45,033 --> 00:43:48,533
along the Gulf Coast
that just is not there anymore.

918
00:43:48,533 --> 00:43:53,500
 
Then you add rising sea levels
to all of that,

919
00:43:53,500 --> 00:43:55,666
and it's eating away even
more so

920
00:43:55,666 --> 00:43:58,366
at our natural
barriers that we have.

921
00:43:58,366 --> 00:44:00,366
NARRATOR:
Since 1935,

922
00:44:00,366 --> 00:44:04,233
a quarter of Louisiana's
coastline has vanished.

923
00:44:04,233 --> 00:44:08,333
That's an area
about the size of Delaware.

924
00:44:08,333 --> 00:44:13,266
And every hundred minutes,
water claims, on average,

925
00:44:13,266 --> 00:44:16,633
another football
field's worth of land.

926
00:44:16,633 --> 00:44:17,933
PARFAIT-DARDAR:
As we lose land,

927
00:44:17,933 --> 00:44:20,600
we lose
storm protections, right?

928
00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:24,133
So the community has become
much more vulnerable over time.

929
00:44:24,133 --> 00:44:27,500
And they can
only take so many hits.

930
00:44:28,533 --> 00:44:32,033
NARRATOR:
One of the most destructive hits
arrived in 2021,

931
00:44:32,033 --> 00:44:35,900
16 years to
the day after Katrina:

932
00:44:35,900 --> 00:44:40,166
a category four hurricane named
Ida.

933
00:44:40,166 --> 00:44:42,633
PARFAIT-DARDAR:
Hurricane Ida was a very strong
storm.

934
00:44:42,633 --> 00:44:44,233
I had never seen anything like
that in my life.

935
00:44:44,233 --> 00:44:46,566
NARRATOR:
Ida's wind speed nearly doubled

936
00:44:46,566 --> 00:44:47,733
as it approached the coast,

937
00:44:47,733 --> 00:44:52,133
from 85 miles per hour to 150,

938
00:44:52,133 --> 00:44:55,900
pushing a storm surge of water
up to 12 feet high

939
00:44:55,900 --> 00:44:57,900
across the land.

940
00:44:57,900 --> 00:45:00,033
PARFAIT-DARDAR: You can still
see blue rooftops, right?

941
00:45:00,033 --> 00:45:02,766
And those are tarps that are
still on the roofs

942
00:45:02,766 --> 00:45:06,066
all these months after Hurricane
Ida.

943
00:45:07,333 --> 00:45:09,600
NARRATOR:
It's estimated that Ida wiped
out

944
00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:14,000
more than 75 square miles
of wetlands

945
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:17,600
and destroyed about
13,000 homes in the area,

946
00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:21,000
including Elder Chief Shirell's.

947
00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:25,133
For many, Ida was the last
straw.

948
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:29,000
PHILIPPE:
If you ever got up in an
airplane

949
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:30,633
and flew over this place,

950
00:45:30,633 --> 00:45:32,166
it would break your heart.

951
00:45:32,166 --> 00:45:34,200
Yeah, really.

952
00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:36,533
I remember, it was my first time
looking at it,

953
00:45:36,533 --> 00:45:39,066
you know,
from a bird's eye view.

954
00:45:39,066 --> 00:45:41,433
And I couldn't
hold back the tears.

955
00:45:41,433 --> 00:45:43,900
I cried seeing what has
happened,

956
00:45:43,900 --> 00:45:46,833
you know, to my home.

957
00:45:46,833 --> 00:45:49,033
As the storms get stronger,

958
00:45:49,033 --> 00:45:51,133
as we lose more land,
people move away.

959
00:45:51,133 --> 00:45:53,800
People can't stay
where they're not safe.

960
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:57,433
And as they move away,
you lose a piece

961
00:45:57,433 --> 00:45:59,766
of who you are.

962
00:46:01,566 --> 00:46:03,166
NARRATOR:
Those who live in these wetlands

963
00:46:03,166 --> 00:46:05,366
are starting
to confront the possibility

964
00:46:05,366 --> 00:46:08,300
of losing their land entirely.

965
00:46:08,300 --> 00:46:10,600
PARFAIT-DARDAR:
If we want to remain
as a people,

966
00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:13,933
we need to look into resettling
somewhere together

967
00:46:13,933 --> 00:46:17,366
and trying to
rebuild our lives there.

968
00:46:18,733 --> 00:46:21,166
NARRATOR:
Still, Shirell and many others

969
00:46:21,166 --> 00:46:24,333
are fighting to preserve their
ancestral land.

970
00:46:24,333 --> 00:46:27,833
PHILIPPE:
We that are here,
we're not going anywhere.

971
00:46:27,833 --> 00:46:31,566
And we have to not only
protect what's still here,

972
00:46:31,566 --> 00:46:36,233
but work to see what can be
built back.

973
00:46:36,233 --> 00:46:39,666
NARRATOR:
Louisiana is working on several
massive

974
00:46:39,666 --> 00:46:41,566
projects to protect its coast,

975
00:46:41,566 --> 00:46:44,800
releasing sediment
into endangered wetlands,

976
00:46:44,800 --> 00:46:47,566
upgrading levees and seawalls,

977
00:46:47,566 --> 00:46:49,766
installing new floodgates.

978
00:46:51,266 --> 00:46:55,533
But such megaprojects can take
years to approve and complete.

979
00:46:56,833 --> 00:47:00,866
So, locals are taking matters
into their own hands

980
00:47:00,866 --> 00:47:05,400
with some innovative,
low-cost solutions

981
00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:07,033
to buy more time.

982
00:47:07,033 --> 00:47:09,100
PHILIPPE:
You know, we still live on the
water,

983
00:47:09,100 --> 00:47:13,233
by the water,
and we try to make sure that

984
00:47:13,233 --> 00:47:15,633
we can maintain a presence here.

985
00:47:17,766 --> 00:47:19,933
NARRATOR:
One idea begins with
a local delicacy--

986
00:47:19,933 --> 00:47:23,233
oysters.

987
00:47:23,233 --> 00:47:27,133
A local organization
gathers empty shells by the ton

988
00:47:27,133 --> 00:47:29,266
from restaurant kitchens.

989
00:47:29,266 --> 00:47:32,133
They are bagged
and loaded into boats

990
00:47:32,133 --> 00:47:36,100
to create a new breakwater reef.

991
00:47:38,133 --> 00:47:41,700
Rosina travels to
check out one such oyster reef

992
00:47:41,700 --> 00:47:46,033
near a strip of land her tribe
calls Lemon Tree Mound.

993
00:47:46,033 --> 00:47:49,133
PHILIPPE:
Lemon trees were found to be
growing there.

994
00:47:49,133 --> 00:47:52,200
It was a gift to
the people from the Creator,

995
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:56,366
so that site is of particular
importance to my people.

996
00:47:56,366 --> 00:48:00,233
NARRATOR:
To protect this sacred site,
volunteers carefully

997
00:48:00,233 --> 00:48:03,166
layer 200 tons
of bagged oyster shells

998
00:48:03,166 --> 00:48:05,866
just a few feet offshore,

999
00:48:05,866 --> 00:48:10,133
and then let the oyster's
natural life cycle do the work.

1000
00:48:10,133 --> 00:48:12,100
These artificial reefs

1001
00:48:12,100 --> 00:48:15,233
become a breeding ground for
new oysters.

1002
00:48:15,233 --> 00:48:17,600
Soon after birth,

1003
00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:21,933
oyster larvae attach themselves
to the older oyster shells,

1004
00:48:21,933 --> 00:48:25,166
and begin
creating their own shells.

1005
00:48:25,166 --> 00:48:28,533
As the oyster beds
grow in size and height,

1006
00:48:28,533 --> 00:48:31,866
they weaken the waves
before they reach the shore.

1007
00:48:31,866 --> 00:48:34,900
That slows down erosion.

1008
00:48:34,900 --> 00:48:38,566
PHILIPPE:
As you can see behind the break
of the sacks,

1009
00:48:38,566 --> 00:48:43,866
the water is more still,
so it stops the wave action.

1010
00:48:43,866 --> 00:48:48,200
NARRATOR:
These oyster shell reefs
can reduce the rate of erosion

1011
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:52,400
by up to 60%,
according to one study.

1012
00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:56,166
And in the last ten years,

1013
00:48:56,166 --> 00:48:58,300
8,000 feet of oyster reefs
have been created

1014
00:48:58,300 --> 00:49:01,266
in the region by recycling more
than

1015
00:49:01,266 --> 00:49:03,566
10 million pounds of shells.

1016
00:49:03,566 --> 00:49:06,033
PHILIPPE:
The oysters being bivalves,

1017
00:49:06,033 --> 00:49:08,066
they help to filter water.

1018
00:49:08,066 --> 00:49:11,166
It's promoting
the marine life in the area.

1019
00:49:11,166 --> 00:49:14,233
So it's just a win-win.

1020
00:49:14,233 --> 00:49:17,633
From the waters to the table,

1021
00:49:17,633 --> 00:49:19,333
you know, and back into the
waters,

1022
00:49:19,333 --> 00:49:20,733
we're completing a cycle.

1023
00:49:20,733 --> 00:49:23,300
And just
continues to pay forward.

1024
00:49:25,066 --> 00:49:27,100
NARRATOR:
And Louisiana isn't the only
place

1025
00:49:27,100 --> 00:49:30,133
where oyster reefs have caught
on.

1026
00:49:30,133 --> 00:49:31,500
Since 2010,

1027
00:49:31,500 --> 00:49:34,500
San Diego, San Francisco,

1028
00:49:34,500 --> 00:49:38,300
Galveston, the Chesapeake Bay,
and New York City

1029
00:49:38,300 --> 00:49:43,033
have also embraced oysters in an
effort to hold back the waves.

1030
00:49:44,300 --> 00:49:46,466
But in none of these
places is the need

1031
00:49:46,466 --> 00:49:50,300
for a solution more immediate
than here in Louisiana.

1032
00:49:51,933 --> 00:49:55,200
PHILIPPE:
There are so many things
that need to happen to combat

1033
00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:58,000
the critical losses that we're
facing

1034
00:49:58,000 --> 00:49:59,300
here in coastal Louisiana.

1035
00:49:59,300 --> 00:50:03,400
In conjunction with
other, larger projects

1036
00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:06,500
that will take the next ten,
20 years to implement,

1037
00:50:06,500 --> 00:50:09,500
these type of projects can go
into the environment

1038
00:50:09,500 --> 00:50:11,200
in a year's time,

1039
00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:14,033
two years, really quick,
so you will see

1040
00:50:14,033 --> 00:50:16,533
the benefits
of having them in place.

1041
00:50:16,533 --> 00:50:19,133
And I think we all
win because of that.

1042
00:50:19,133 --> 00:50:21,166
♪ ♪

1043
00:50:21,166 --> 00:50:25,500
NARRATOR:
Extreme weather is changing
lives all across America.

1044
00:50:25,500 --> 00:50:27,866
HAYHOE:
Climate change

1045
00:50:27,866 --> 00:50:30,100
is loading these weather dice
against us,

1046
00:50:30,100 --> 00:50:31,933
making our heat waves

1047
00:50:31,933 --> 00:50:34,633
more dangerous
and more frequent.

1048
00:50:34,633 --> 00:50:37,866
Making our heavy rainfall more
intense.

1049
00:50:37,866 --> 00:50:40,100
Making our droughts
stronger and longer-lasting,

1050
00:50:40,100 --> 00:50:42,666
our hurricanes to
intensify faster

1051
00:50:42,666 --> 00:50:44,700
and dump a lot more rain on us.

1052
00:50:44,700 --> 00:50:46,600
NARRATOR:
People are waking up
to the fact

1053
00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:48,466
that adapting to these extremes

1054
00:50:48,466 --> 00:50:51,833
is something
we're all going to have to do,

1055
00:50:51,833 --> 00:50:54,300
some sooner than others.

1056
00:50:54,300 --> 00:50:56,466
PARFAIT-DARDAR:
We are on the front line.

1057
00:50:56,466 --> 00:50:58,033
Many places could benefit

1058
00:50:58,033 --> 00:51:00,433
from paying attention to the
challenges

1059
00:51:00,433 --> 00:51:02,866
that we're going through,
so that maybe

1060
00:51:02,866 --> 00:51:04,600
they can start to address those
challenges

1061
00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:06,000
a lot sooner.

1062
00:51:09,933 --> 00:51:13,333
NARRATOR:
The search for creative
solutions is on,

1063
00:51:13,333 --> 00:51:16,833
and forging new collaborations.

1064
00:51:16,833 --> 00:51:20,833
Not only do we have
this Western fire science

1065
00:51:20,833 --> 00:51:22,466
that we're using,

1066
00:51:22,466 --> 00:51:26,133
we also have Indigenous
knowledge that goes back

1067
00:51:26,133 --> 00:51:28,033
for thousands of years.

1068
00:51:28,033 --> 00:51:29,866
ELYSSA MCFARLAND:
We know that there are things
that we can be doing better,

1069
00:51:29,866 --> 00:51:32,166
and we work together
to make those changes.

1070
00:51:32,166 --> 00:51:33,666
And I think that that's what,

1071
00:51:33,666 --> 00:51:35,166
that's what gives me hope for
the future.

1072
00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:38,166
NARRATOR:
The solutions might
start small,

1073
00:51:38,166 --> 00:51:42,633
but they all have the potential
to make a difference.

1074
00:51:42,633 --> 00:51:44,400
We need solutions
across the board.

1075
00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:46,766
We need the big systems changes.

1076
00:51:46,766 --> 00:51:48,933
But at the same time,

1077
00:51:48,933 --> 00:51:52,533
our individual actions and our
smaller-scale solutions,

1078
00:51:52,533 --> 00:51:54,466
the really cool
projects that are happening

1079
00:51:54,466 --> 00:51:57,166
 
all around the country
right now, are so important.

1080
00:51:57,166 --> 00:52:01,333
SHEPHERD: I'm an "all hands on
deck"-type person,

1081
00:52:01,333 --> 00:52:03,866
so let's do all of those: the
local-scale actions

1082
00:52:03,866 --> 00:52:05,833
and the large policy, as well.

1083
00:52:05,833 --> 00:52:07,600
We know what needs to be done,

1084
00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:10,033
we just have to have
the will to act and do it.

1085
00:52:32,133 --> 00:52:39,666
♪ ♪

1086
00:52:43,500 --> 00:52:51,033
♪ ♪

1087
00:52:52,666 --> 00:53:00,266
♪ ♪

1088
00:53:01,900 --> 00:53:09,433
♪ ♪

1089
00:53:15,166 --> 00:53:22,333
♪ ♪