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[dramatic music]
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00:00:09,927 --> 00:00:13,473
* *
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- Greetings.
Bill Nye here.
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Chicago-style,
best hot dog on the planet.
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Some say it's the relish.
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Others swear by the mustard,
but for me,
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it's all about the wonderful
combination of flavors
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all in a fresh-baked bun
with wheat grown
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on the Great Plains
just a few miles from here.
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I'm glad I snagged one, because
this hot dog is under attack.
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Yeah, I said it.
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00:00:39,082 --> 00:00:42,293
In fact, hot dogs everywhere
are about to become extinct,
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the beef, the bun,
the condiments, all of it
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threatened by a disaster
that will wipe out
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our food supply
from the ground up.
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Maybe I should have
grabbed some chips.
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I'm in Chicago,
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where everyone knows
it's windy,
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and today it's really
living up to its name,
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but this is no draft
off Lake Michigan.
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This is
an environmental calamity
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born in the American heartland,
and it's heading our way.
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This catastrophe
will turn day into night,
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rich soil into dry dust.
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Get ready for the biggest,
baddest dust storms
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the world has ever seen.
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[siren wailing]
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Oh, man, here we go again.
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[dramatic music]
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* *
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[cow lows]
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* *
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- Greetings, friends.
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00:02:01,539 --> 00:02:04,000
Welcome back
to the Disaster Institute,
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00:02:04,041 --> 00:02:07,336
where we chronicle the great
cataclysms that have happened
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00:02:07,378 --> 00:02:09,922
in the past, are happening now,
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or could happen at any moment.
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Tonight, a disaster unique
in this great hall of ours.
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Some catastrophes strike
in a few minutes.
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Others take a few days,
but this one,
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it will last for years,
decades, maybe even forever,
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relentless doomsday storms,
not of rain and floods,
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but of wind and earth that will
strip the life from the land
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turning our fertile planet
into a starved,
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desiccated wasteland.
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* *
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Hey, cool scythe.
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For you non-artisan farmers
out there,
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it's a tool used to harvest
wheat and other grains.
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Of course, this guy
uses it for something--
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I think you know
what he uses it for.
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* *
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This is a story
about storms of dust,
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epic storms
that will sandblast the land
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and scrub humankind
off the face of the Earth.
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* *
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We're about to take a ride
on our Disaster Simulator.
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I want you to experience
this disaster firsthand
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from three points of view:
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A young shop owner and other
survivors taking shelter
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as noon turns into night,
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a scientist who sees visions
of dust by peering into water,
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and we'll travel to the point
of view of the past,
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90 years ago,
when the dust storms
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first arrived
and destroyed farmlands
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where the world's grains
were grown.
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Grains, like wheat and corn,
are staples on kitchen tables
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all around the world.
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Bread, pasta, popcorn, cookies,
tortillas, couscous, beer.
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Grains are in
almost everything.
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They're one of the first crops
we humans cultivated.
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Grains feed us, our livestock,
and the global economy.
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No grains, no civilization.
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* *
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Our story begins here,
in the not-so-distant future,
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what people call
the Great Plains,
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millions of acres of farmland
in the American Midwest.
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People also call it
the breadbasket,
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because the grains here
nourish people everywhere,
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and what nourishes the grains?
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Mountain Dew Code Red.
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No, I'm kidding.
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The grains are nourished
by the Sun,
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the soil, and the water,
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and water is precisely
where the trouble starts.
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She's a hydrologist,
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a scientist
who studies the water
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on and beneath the surface
of the Earth.
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Right now she's measuring
the groundwater level
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under this cornfield.
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It's one of hundreds
of measurements
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she's been making in the area
over the past few months,
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and she's alarmed
by what she's found.
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Groundwater levels
are dropping way faster
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than normal, dangerously so.
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The Ogallala Aquifer
is vanishing,
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and that could spell disaster
for the entire world.
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The Oma-Lady Gaga what?
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[birds chirping]
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[dramatic music]
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* *
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- The Ogallala Aquifer.
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An aquifer is like a great
lake hidden underground.
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This one was created by melting
glaciers and rainfall
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over the last few
thousand years.
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The Ogallala Aquifer
isn't just tricky to pronounce.
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It's also one of the biggest
aquifers on the planet,
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100 trillion gallons
of fresh, clean water
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just ours for the taking.
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And that's the problem.
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We've been taking it
since the 1940s
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to irrigate farms across eight
enormous midwestern states.
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This water source
supports nearly 20%
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of grain agriculture
worldwide.
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Our hydrologist confirms
that water levels
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are dropping fast, too fast.
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Where is all that water going?
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* *
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Industrial agriculture,
the large-scale production
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of food crops and livestock,
requires a lot of water.
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This gentleman is the CEO
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of one of the biggest
agribusinesses in the world,
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and business
has never been better,
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but record profits require
record amounts of water.
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The company has been pumping
the aquifer day and night
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to feed its thirsty crops.
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It's also been selling off
huge amounts of water
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to other huge industrial
farming operations.
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They are literally sucking
the ground dry.
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They suck.
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If there ever was an
act of cow, this is it.
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[dramatic music]
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[cow lowing]
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Act of cow symbolizes
the human negligence
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that can trigger a disaster
or make one worse.
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It's inspired
by a bovine named Daisy,
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who as legend has it
kicked over a lantern
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and started
the Great Chicago Fire.
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[cow lows]
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You might think hoarding
all this water is unlawful.
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You might think
Jennifer Hudson won
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her season of "American Idol."
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- Jennifer Hudson was robbed,
obviously,
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but what we're doing
is completely legal.
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- Unfortunately,
both of those things are true.
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Much of the Ogallala Aquifer
underlies land
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that is privately owned,
and the handful
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of corporations that own
that land can pump the water
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to their heart's content.
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According to the law,
it's their water, not ours.
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The thing is,
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nature doesn't much care
for human laws,
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and this reckless
pursuit of profit
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will have
devastating consequences.
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Negligence and greed,
the main ingredients
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00:08:12,744 --> 00:08:14,954
for this act of cow.
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Another reason they're pumping
all that water, drought.
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The warming climate has caused
a major drop in rainfall
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in this part of the country.
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Scorching temperatures
are making the land drier.
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As the drought deepens,
water rationing begins,
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but the damage has been done.
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Massive crop failures
are turning fertile lands
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into barren deserts.
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And when the prairie winds
come hotter and stronger,
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they blow dirt
high into the air,
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and just as ODB always said,
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"Dirt?
Dirt don't hurt."
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Right?
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Wrong.
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[wind whistling]
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The Great Plains are so windy
because they're so flat,
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no trees, hills, or other
terrain to provide friction.
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In fact, this part
of the American Midwest
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00:09:07,382 --> 00:09:10,510
is one of the windiest places
on Earth.
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Normally, that relentless
wind isn't a problem,
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but when drought
dries up the land
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and turns soil into dirt
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that wind becomes
the weaponizing force
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00:09:20,603 --> 00:09:25,733
that creates vast,
unstoppable storms of dust.
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Our hydrologist
and other scientists
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00:09:28,152 --> 00:09:30,029
are all too familiar
with the doom
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00:09:30,071 --> 00:09:32,990
that dirt and wind can bring.
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They sound the alarm
about the dangerous conditions
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00:09:35,660 --> 00:09:37,620
on the Great Plains.
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Rising temperatures
caused by climate change,
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severe drought,
and dwindling water supplies
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are all out of control.
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If we don't work
to conserve our water,
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00:09:47,422 --> 00:09:49,757
protect the soil
from over farming,
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00:09:49,799 --> 00:09:51,968
and slow climate warming
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we could be facing
an environmental disaster
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00:09:54,470 --> 00:09:58,182
like the infamous Dust Bowl
of the 1930s
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or worse.
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- I wall of dust stretching
from eastern...
196
00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:05,148
- For most people
not alive during the 1930s,
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00:10:05,189 --> 00:10:08,818
the term "Dust Bowl"
might not mean a lot,
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00:10:08,860 --> 00:10:10,486
like
our young shop owner here,
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00:10:10,528 --> 00:10:15,241
who just opened for business
after relocating to Chicago.
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00:10:15,283 --> 00:10:16,951
- Because of frequent droughts
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00:10:16,993 --> 00:10:18,619
in the region
and an expansion of...
202
00:10:18,661 --> 00:10:21,372
- What she doesn't know
is that this entire region
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00:10:21,414 --> 00:10:24,751
was once in the grips
of an environmental disaster
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00:10:24,792 --> 00:10:27,795
that lasted
for ten long years.
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00:10:30,673 --> 00:10:32,592
Dust Bowl?
206
00:10:32,633 --> 00:10:34,343
You mean "The Grapes of Wrath,"
207
00:10:34,385 --> 00:10:37,555
the book many of us pretended
to read in high school?
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00:10:37,597 --> 00:10:40,308
That big drought where
a bunch of desperate farmers
209
00:10:40,349 --> 00:10:41,934
moved to California.
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00:10:41,976 --> 00:10:44,020
That was like 90 years ago.
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00:10:44,062 --> 00:10:45,813
The world's
completely different now.
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00:10:45,855 --> 00:10:49,025
We're not dragging plows
behind horses anymore.
213
00:10:49,067 --> 00:10:51,652
We have irrigation,
modern technology.
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00:10:51,694 --> 00:10:54,447
We should be finding
better ways to farm the land,
215
00:10:54,489 --> 00:10:58,701
not listening to some retread
history lesson.
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00:10:58,743 --> 00:11:03,664
But history won't be ignored,
and the land won't be fooled.
217
00:11:03,706 --> 00:11:06,375
What most people
don't realize
218
00:11:06,417 --> 00:11:08,795
is that the Dust Bowl
of the 1930s
219
00:11:08,836 --> 00:11:10,713
wasn't just about drought.
220
00:11:10,755 --> 00:11:13,633
It was about huge storms
of dust,
221
00:11:13,674 --> 00:11:15,551
and they're happening again,
222
00:11:15,593 --> 00:11:19,430
apocalypse
right here on American soil.
223
00:11:19,472 --> 00:11:21,599
[all screaming]
224
00:11:21,641 --> 00:11:24,185
That's 100 million tons
225
00:11:24,227 --> 00:11:27,021
of Mother Nature's
weaponized dust...
226
00:11:27,063 --> 00:11:29,357
- Ahh!
- I got you.
227
00:11:29,399 --> 00:11:31,609
[wind whistling]
228
00:11:31,651 --> 00:11:37,448
With gale force winds
of 50 miles an hour or more,
229
00:11:37,490 --> 00:11:39,617
and it does not look happy.
230
00:11:39,659 --> 00:11:42,787
[wind whistling]
231
00:12:04,892 --> 00:12:06,936
To the people of Chicago
232
00:12:06,978 --> 00:12:08,896
it seems like the end
of the world.
233
00:12:08,938 --> 00:12:11,858
What is happening?
Where did this come from?
234
00:12:11,899 --> 00:12:13,443
When will it stop?
235
00:12:13,484 --> 00:12:16,529
- [coughing]
236
00:12:16,571 --> 00:12:19,615
- [coughs]
Thank you.
237
00:12:19,657 --> 00:12:21,743
Whew.
238
00:12:21,784 --> 00:12:25,621
[breathing heavily]
239
00:12:25,663 --> 00:12:30,334
Oh, wow.
240
00:12:30,376 --> 00:12:33,379
[sirens wailing]
241
00:12:33,421 --> 00:12:36,340
[morose music]
242
00:12:36,382 --> 00:12:43,598
* *
243
00:12:44,348 --> 00:12:47,185
And there are more storms
where that came from.
244
00:12:47,226 --> 00:12:50,354
[dust cloud rumbling]
245
00:13:00,073 --> 00:13:01,032
[horns honking]
246
00:13:01,074 --> 00:13:03,993
- Ahh! Ahh!
247
00:13:04,035 --> 00:13:05,870
[indistinct shouting]
248
00:13:05,912 --> 00:13:09,415
[sirens wailing]
249
00:13:09,457 --> 00:13:13,002
- [grunting]
250
00:13:13,044 --> 00:13:19,592
[wind howling]
251
00:13:19,634 --> 00:13:21,677
[tense music]
252
00:13:21,719 --> 00:13:28,184
- [sobbing]
253
00:13:28,226 --> 00:13:31,562
- America's breadbasket
is bare.
254
00:13:31,604 --> 00:13:34,524
If we don't find
a new source of grains,
255
00:13:34,565 --> 00:13:36,901
the country will starve.
256
00:13:36,943 --> 00:13:42,740
[wind whistling]
257
00:13:42,782 --> 00:13:45,701
Welcome to the new normal.
258
00:13:45,743 --> 00:13:50,832
Man, midnight at noon!
259
00:13:50,873 --> 00:13:53,126
Let's get out of here.
260
00:13:53,167 --> 00:13:57,380
- Go! Let's go!
261
00:13:57,422 --> 00:14:01,426
[wind howling]
262
00:14:04,846 --> 00:14:09,225
[wind whistling]
263
00:14:09,267 --> 00:14:11,477
- [panting]
264
00:14:11,519 --> 00:14:12,812
Oh, man. Augh. Augh.
265
00:14:16,733 --> 00:14:20,194
Oh...oh.
266
00:14:20,236 --> 00:14:23,364
[wind howling]
267
00:14:31,456 --> 00:14:34,959
[panting]
268
00:14:36,377 --> 00:14:38,004
Hey, guys.
269
00:14:41,049 --> 00:14:43,092
At this point,
you might be thinking,
270
00:14:43,134 --> 00:14:46,721
"Bill, please, the Great Plains
becoming a desert,
271
00:14:46,763 --> 00:14:50,892
Chicago buried in dust,
no more hot dogs ever."
272
00:14:50,933 --> 00:14:52,351
That's right.
273
00:14:52,393 --> 00:14:54,437
This is
an environmental collapse,
274
00:14:54,479 --> 00:14:56,439
and it's happening right now.
275
00:14:56,481 --> 00:14:58,357
If we have any hope
of making it
276
00:14:58,399 --> 00:15:00,860
through this Dust Bowl reboot,
277
00:15:00,902 --> 00:15:06,157
we'll need to know how
we survived the first one.
278
00:15:06,199 --> 00:15:07,950
[coughs]
279
00:15:07,992 --> 00:15:10,912
[wind howling]
280
00:15:19,170 --> 00:15:21,255
America's heartland
is in the grips
281
00:15:21,297 --> 00:15:23,216
of a modern-day Dust Bowl,
282
00:15:23,257 --> 00:15:26,177
and it's not as cute
and retro as it sounds.
283
00:15:26,219 --> 00:15:29,097
Huge swaths of the country
are withering.
284
00:15:29,138 --> 00:15:31,516
Some are saying
it's the end times,
285
00:15:31,557 --> 00:15:33,476
and they just might be right.
286
00:15:33,518 --> 00:15:35,770
Oh, thank you.
287
00:15:35,812 --> 00:15:38,356
The American Midwest
is only the beginning.
288
00:15:38,398 --> 00:15:40,733
The entire planet
is now in jeopardy
289
00:15:40,775 --> 00:15:43,569
as storm conditions spread
to other continents.
290
00:15:43,611 --> 00:15:45,738
So how did it get this bad?
291
00:15:45,780 --> 00:15:50,118
Didn't we learn anything
the first go around?
292
00:15:51,536 --> 00:15:53,746
Back then was a lot like today.
293
00:15:53,788 --> 00:15:57,208
Our civilization was grappling
with a global pandemic,
294
00:15:57,250 --> 00:16:00,628
the Spanish flu,
but with the virus burning out,
295
00:16:00,670 --> 00:16:03,297
people were going out
and feeling optimistic.
296
00:16:03,339 --> 00:16:05,883
Sure, there was a lot
of political upheaval,
297
00:16:05,925 --> 00:16:09,554
and there were wannabe tyrants,
but the economy was booming.
298
00:16:09,595 --> 00:16:12,140
Millionaires were being made.
299
00:16:12,181 --> 00:16:15,977
I'm talking about
almost a century ago.
300
00:16:16,018 --> 00:16:18,104
- Oh, man.
301
00:16:18,146 --> 00:16:19,981
- It's the 1920s.
302
00:16:20,022 --> 00:16:21,858
The League of Nations
is founded.
303
00:16:21,899 --> 00:16:24,527
Women finally get
the right to vote.
304
00:16:24,569 --> 00:16:27,113
Alcohol is made illegal
for some reason.
305
00:16:27,155 --> 00:16:28,865
The first Ponzi scheme
is hatched
306
00:16:28,906 --> 00:16:31,325
by a guy named Charles Ponzi.
307
00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:33,953
Jazz music and the foxtrot
are all the rage.
308
00:16:33,995 --> 00:16:37,248
Gatsby gets great.
Flappers go a-flappin'.
309
00:16:37,290 --> 00:16:39,375
They're calling it
the Roaring Twenties,
310
00:16:39,417 --> 00:16:41,961
because people are
working hard and playing hard,
311
00:16:42,003 --> 00:16:45,965
and everything seems possible
through modern technology,
312
00:16:46,007 --> 00:16:50,595
powered flight, radio,
and horseless carriages.
313
00:16:52,180 --> 00:16:54,557
- You know, when I see
old movies from back then,
314
00:16:54,599 --> 00:16:56,601
it seems unreal.
315
00:16:56,642 --> 00:16:59,145
Maybe it's the black and white
or the clothes
316
00:16:59,187 --> 00:17:02,815
or the old-time dance moves,
but I have to remind myself,
317
00:17:02,857 --> 00:17:05,318
those people were just as real
as you and I,
318
00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:10,865
their fears as real as ours,
their dreams as big as our own.
319
00:17:10,907 --> 00:17:13,159
It all began
in the American heartland,
320
00:17:13,201 --> 00:17:16,829
where a great farming boom
was taking place.
321
00:17:16,871 --> 00:17:18,998
Acreage was cheap
and plentiful,
322
00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,709
and real estate speculators
were getting rich
323
00:17:21,751 --> 00:17:24,629
selling dreams
to new arrivals.
324
00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:28,299
That part of the country was
renowned for its fertile soil,
325
00:17:28,341 --> 00:17:30,510
but the region
was also notorious
326
00:17:30,551 --> 00:17:32,512
for periods of drought.
327
00:17:32,553 --> 00:17:35,890
Irrigation and aquifers
were still a long way off.
328
00:17:35,932 --> 00:17:38,184
"Not to worry,"
said the land speculators.
329
00:17:38,226 --> 00:17:42,230
"Everybody knows that
the rain follows the plow."
330
00:17:42,271 --> 00:17:43,606
I'm serious.
331
00:17:43,648 --> 00:17:46,317
Call it superstition
or call it pseudoscience,
332
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,195
but people really believed
that plowing a field
333
00:17:49,237 --> 00:17:52,281
could coax water
to fall from the sky.
334
00:17:52,323 --> 00:17:54,534
It was even promoted
by many scientists
335
00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:56,369
and government officials.
336
00:17:56,411 --> 00:17:59,288
* *
337
00:17:59,330 --> 00:18:04,335
They had acts of cow
back then too.
338
00:18:04,377 --> 00:18:08,881
The idea that the rain follows
the plow may seem ridiculous,
339
00:18:08,923 --> 00:18:11,342
but remember,
most of us humans have believed
340
00:18:11,384 --> 00:18:13,803
something ridiculous
at one time or another,
341
00:18:13,845 --> 00:18:17,932
like the Earth is flat,
or smoking is good for you,
342
00:18:17,974 --> 00:18:20,643
or I could have
played pro hockey.
343
00:18:20,685 --> 00:18:23,146
- [scoffs]
344
00:18:23,855 --> 00:18:26,023
- Each harvest
brought greater abundance,
345
00:18:26,065 --> 00:18:28,735
which lured
more would-be farmers.
346
00:18:28,776 --> 00:18:30,153
In just a few short years
347
00:18:30,194 --> 00:18:33,072
40 million acres
of prairie land
348
00:18:33,114 --> 00:18:35,074
in the Southern
and Central Great Plains
349
00:18:35,116 --> 00:18:38,161
were plowed and churned
and remade into fields
350
00:18:38,202 --> 00:18:41,330
of wheat,
corn, and other crops.
351
00:18:41,372 --> 00:18:43,332
Families who came
to the plains
352
00:18:43,374 --> 00:18:44,834
with nothing to their name
353
00:18:44,876 --> 00:18:47,503
were now landowners
with their own homes.
354
00:18:47,545 --> 00:18:50,757
It seemed like the good
harvest would never end.
355
00:18:50,798 --> 00:18:53,718
Agriculture
had remade the heartland.
356
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,720
Dreams were coming true,
357
00:18:55,762 --> 00:18:58,848
but nightmares
were just around the corner.
358
00:18:58,890 --> 00:19:01,934
The early 1930s
brought a prolonged drought
359
00:19:01,976 --> 00:19:03,686
with no end in sight.
360
00:19:03,728 --> 00:19:07,356
No one was worried at first.
361
00:19:07,398 --> 00:19:10,109
It turned out the rain
didn't follow the plow.
362
00:19:10,151 --> 00:19:12,987
What did follow
was the scorching sun
363
00:19:13,029 --> 00:19:18,743
turning the rich, dark soil
into brown, dry dirt.
364
00:19:18,785 --> 00:19:21,037
And then
the fierce prairie winds came,
365
00:19:21,079 --> 00:19:22,789
as they always did.
366
00:19:22,830 --> 00:19:24,665
No one paid it much attention.
367
00:19:24,707 --> 00:19:26,709
Winds were a fact of life,
368
00:19:26,751 --> 00:19:31,172
but now
they became a fact of death.
369
00:19:31,214 --> 00:19:36,552
* *
370
00:19:36,594 --> 00:19:40,139
Imagine what that first dust
storm must have been like.
371
00:19:40,181 --> 00:19:42,642
You've got to remember,
nobody had ever seen
372
00:19:42,683 --> 00:19:44,477
anything like it before.
373
00:19:44,519 --> 00:19:51,442
* *
374
00:20:03,204 --> 00:20:06,999
When the duster ended,
people began the long ordeal
375
00:20:07,041 --> 00:20:08,501
of clearing out the dirt
376
00:20:08,543 --> 00:20:11,045
and salvaging what remained
of the crops.
377
00:20:11,087 --> 00:20:13,548
For the farmers,
the only thing that mattered
378
00:20:13,589 --> 00:20:17,343
was that it was behind them,
but it wasn't.
379
00:20:17,385 --> 00:20:20,930
It would happen again
and again.
380
00:20:20,972 --> 00:20:28,104
* *
381
00:20:29,605 --> 00:20:33,151
What was going on?
Was it God's wrath?
382
00:20:33,192 --> 00:20:35,820
Most people said
it was just bad weather.
383
00:20:35,862 --> 00:20:38,448
Bad weather. Oh, that's cute.
384
00:20:38,489 --> 00:20:41,826
The dusters were brutal
and relentless.
385
00:20:41,868 --> 00:20:45,705
At one point, they came every
day for 38 straight days.
386
00:20:45,747 --> 00:20:47,498
Months bled into years.
387
00:20:47,540 --> 00:20:50,001
Hundreds of thousands
of people eventually fled
388
00:20:50,043 --> 00:20:52,420
in search of a better life
someplace else.
389
00:20:54,338 --> 00:20:58,092
With nowhere to call home,
these desperate farm families
390
00:20:58,134 --> 00:21:01,054
were seen
as unwelcome intruders,
391
00:21:01,095 --> 00:21:04,974
refugees in their own country.
392
00:21:05,016 --> 00:21:07,351
The plains
and the people living on them
393
00:21:07,393 --> 00:21:09,687
were literally filling
with dirt.
394
00:21:09,729 --> 00:21:11,981
Dust pneumonia was rampant.
395
00:21:12,023 --> 00:21:14,067
Thousands died.
396
00:21:14,108 --> 00:21:16,235
A handful
of scientists suspected
397
00:21:16,277 --> 00:21:18,946
that the dust storms
were not a natural phenomenon.
398
00:21:18,988 --> 00:21:21,532
What if people had something
to do with it?
399
00:21:21,574 --> 00:21:24,952
Most folks thought
that idea was ridiculous.
400
00:21:24,994 --> 00:21:27,121
Humans can affect
the environment
401
00:21:27,163 --> 00:21:29,749
on such a huge scale?
402
00:21:29,791 --> 00:21:31,417
In just a few years,
403
00:21:31,459 --> 00:21:33,294
there were hundreds
of dust storms,
404
00:21:33,336 --> 00:21:36,422
each one a destroyer
of land and lives,
405
00:21:36,464 --> 00:21:39,300
but the biggest duster
of all would be the one
406
00:21:39,342 --> 00:21:41,677
that changed history forever.
407
00:21:41,719 --> 00:21:44,931
It came to be known
as Black Sunday.
408
00:21:44,972 --> 00:21:52,105
* *
409
00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:00,196
- * This Dust Bowl
just don't want to end *
410
00:22:00,238 --> 00:22:03,783
- The relentless dust storms
of the 1930s raged on
411
00:22:03,825 --> 00:22:05,785
for months, years.
412
00:22:05,827 --> 00:22:08,121
It seemed like
it couldn't get any worse,
413
00:22:08,162 --> 00:22:12,166
but on Sunday,
the 14th of April, 1935,
414
00:22:12,208 --> 00:22:13,793
it got worse.
415
00:22:13,835 --> 00:22:17,505
The day went down in history
as Black Sunday,
416
00:22:17,547 --> 00:22:20,925
when a tsunami of dust swept
across the High Plains
417
00:22:20,967 --> 00:22:23,720
and turned a sunny afternoon
into midnight.
418
00:22:23,761 --> 00:22:26,389
* *
419
00:22:26,431 --> 00:22:28,224
- And on the following day,
420
00:22:28,266 --> 00:22:30,476
the world would hear
the region referred to
421
00:22:30,518 --> 00:22:34,564
for the very first time
as the Dust Bowl.
422
00:22:34,605 --> 00:22:36,190
The storm first blasted
423
00:22:36,232 --> 00:22:38,818
the Oklahoma
and Texas panhandles,
424
00:22:38,860 --> 00:22:41,487
where winds reached
60 miles an hour,
425
00:22:41,529 --> 00:22:43,823
and the darkness
was so complete
426
00:22:43,865 --> 00:22:45,575
people couldn't see
their own hands
427
00:22:45,616 --> 00:22:47,076
in front of their faces,
428
00:22:47,118 --> 00:22:49,412
- * But vacant eyes
and children's cries *
429
00:22:49,454 --> 00:22:53,249
* *
430
00:22:53,291 --> 00:22:57,170
* This Dust Bowl blues
won't get me down *
431
00:22:57,211 --> 00:23:01,090
- The Black Sunday mega storm
blew 300 million tons
432
00:23:01,132 --> 00:23:03,051
of dust across the Midwest
433
00:23:03,092 --> 00:23:06,304
all the way to the East Coast
of the United States.
434
00:23:06,345 --> 00:23:09,515
In New York City,
the dust blocked out the Sun,
435
00:23:09,557 --> 00:23:12,143
like a solar eclipse,
for five hours.
436
00:23:12,185 --> 00:23:16,272
Dust enshrouded
the Statue of Liberty.
437
00:23:16,314 --> 00:23:21,903
Red dust from Black Sunday
found its way into the clouds.
438
00:23:21,944 --> 00:23:26,449
That winter
red snow fell on New England.
439
00:23:26,491 --> 00:23:31,037
In Chicago, Black Sunday
dumped 6,000 tons of dust
440
00:23:31,079 --> 00:23:35,875
onto the very windy city.
441
00:23:35,917 --> 00:23:38,252
[somber music]
442
00:23:38,294 --> 00:23:40,755
The dusters continued
battering the plains
443
00:23:40,797 --> 00:23:42,965
for five long years.
444
00:23:43,007 --> 00:23:46,010
An ecosystem that took
thousands of years to form
445
00:23:46,052 --> 00:23:49,639
was blown away
in less than a decade.
446
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,809
[wind howling]
447
00:24:02,860 --> 00:24:05,154
If you're scoring
along with us,
448
00:24:05,196 --> 00:24:07,865
the Dust Bowl did more damage
to the environment
449
00:24:07,907 --> 00:24:11,077
than every volcano,
earthquake, tidal wave,
450
00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:13,746
tornado, and hurricane
since the beginning
451
00:24:13,788 --> 00:24:17,125
of recorded history combined.
452
00:24:17,166 --> 00:24:20,461
And now, today,
history is repeating itself,
453
00:24:20,503 --> 00:24:22,672
and this time,
it's gonna get even worse,
454
00:24:22,714 --> 00:24:24,465
end of the world worse.
455
00:24:24,507 --> 00:24:26,509
Would you like to know
what happens next?
456
00:24:26,551 --> 00:24:27,802
- Mm-hmm.
457
00:24:27,844 --> 00:24:29,971
- Mm-mm, mm-mm.
458
00:24:31,389 --> 00:24:33,224
- The Great Plains
are stripped bare
459
00:24:33,266 --> 00:24:35,476
by the relentless dust storms.
460
00:24:35,518 --> 00:24:38,521
The U.S. heartland
eventually withers,
461
00:24:38,563 --> 00:24:42,608
and the nation is forced to
look elsewhere to feed itself.
462
00:24:42,650 --> 00:24:46,195
China ramps up production
to meet the demand,
463
00:24:46,237 --> 00:24:48,364
but over farming
and drought conditions
464
00:24:48,406 --> 00:24:50,742
caused
by a rapidly warming world
465
00:24:50,783 --> 00:24:54,412
bring about yet another
Dust Bowl in the Far East.
466
00:24:54,454 --> 00:24:57,206
China can no longer afford
to export its food
467
00:24:57,248 --> 00:25:00,084
to the increasingly
desperate United States
468
00:25:00,126 --> 00:25:02,712
and focuses on feeding
its own citizens.
469
00:25:02,754 --> 00:25:04,130
- [speaking Chinese]
470
00:25:04,172 --> 00:25:07,884
- Nearly 100 million
people migrate away
471
00:25:07,925 --> 00:25:11,512
from the growing dust storms,
plunging China into chaos,
472
00:25:11,554 --> 00:25:13,473
as cities struggle
to accommodate
473
00:25:13,514 --> 00:25:15,099
the hungry newcomers.
474
00:25:15,141 --> 00:25:18,186
Tensions run high
as food runs short,
475
00:25:18,227 --> 00:25:21,856
and hundreds of thousands
of people starve to death.
476
00:25:21,898 --> 00:25:26,069
The U.S. and China are just
the first two dominoes to fall.
477
00:25:26,110 --> 00:25:28,905
As the two main food
exporters collapse,
478
00:25:28,946 --> 00:25:31,157
other nations soon follow.
479
00:25:31,199 --> 00:25:36,496
Starvation and unrest put
our backs against the wall,
480
00:25:36,537 --> 00:25:39,123
and the human race
finds itself having
481
00:25:39,165 --> 00:25:40,750
to make tough decisions
482
00:25:40,792 --> 00:25:43,711
about who eats and who starves.
483
00:25:43,753 --> 00:25:47,715
* *
484
00:25:47,757 --> 00:25:50,551
With the ever-multiplying
dust storms and drought
485
00:25:50,593 --> 00:25:53,721
there's less and less water
to go around as well.
486
00:25:53,763 --> 00:25:57,642
The Ogallala Aquifer dries up
along with other aquifers,
487
00:25:57,683 --> 00:26:00,269
lakes, and reservoirs
around the world.
488
00:26:00,311 --> 00:26:05,066
Many nations
simply run out of water.
489
00:26:05,108 --> 00:26:07,610
In a last-ditch effort
a group of hydrologists
490
00:26:07,652 --> 00:26:10,238
figures out how to efficiently
desalinate seawater,
491
00:26:10,279 --> 00:26:12,573
but it's too little too late.
492
00:26:12,615 --> 00:26:15,952
I think it was the late,
great Bob Marley who said--
493
00:26:15,993 --> 00:26:17,745
and I paraphrase--
494
00:26:17,787 --> 00:26:20,581
"A hungry mob
is an angry mob."
495
00:26:20,623 --> 00:26:23,126
There's only so much
the police and the military
496
00:26:23,167 --> 00:26:25,545
can do to control the madness.
497
00:26:25,586 --> 00:26:29,799
Our civilization,
the entire human endeavor,
498
00:26:29,841 --> 00:26:33,761
is reduced to,
well, a handful of dust.
499
00:26:33,803 --> 00:26:37,056
So how could we have prevented
these doomsday dust storms
500
00:26:37,098 --> 00:26:39,016
in the first place?
501
00:26:39,058 --> 00:26:43,563
How do we stop the beginning
of the end of the world?
502
00:26:43,604 --> 00:26:46,691
- [coughing]
503
00:26:46,733 --> 00:26:48,818
[wind whistling]
504
00:26:48,860 --> 00:26:53,906
- [coughing]
505
00:26:58,870 --> 00:27:01,038
- Ah!
- [gasps]
506
00:27:02,832 --> 00:27:05,918
[all shouting]
507
00:27:29,734 --> 00:27:32,320
- As our disaster simulation
comes to an end,
508
00:27:32,361 --> 00:27:36,157
Earth is choking on dust
storms the size of continents,
509
00:27:36,199 --> 00:27:38,826
and I've dug myself
out of a powdery grave.
510
00:27:38,868 --> 00:27:40,578
Whew.
511
00:27:40,620 --> 00:27:44,040
I did not see that coming,
but now that I think about it,
512
00:27:44,082 --> 00:27:45,541
dirt weighs a lot.
513
00:27:45,583 --> 00:27:48,920
A cubic meter of dirt weighs
about 3,500 pounds,
514
00:27:48,961 --> 00:27:51,089
almost two tons.
515
00:27:51,130 --> 00:27:55,760
That felt more like
four or five.
516
00:27:55,802 --> 00:27:58,096
[tense music]
517
00:27:58,137 --> 00:28:01,557
Talk about biting the dust.
Get it?
518
00:28:01,599 --> 00:28:05,019
He gets it, just not
a big laugher, this guy.
519
00:28:05,061 --> 00:28:08,106
So how do we prevent
a modern-day Dust Bowl?
520
00:28:08,147 --> 00:28:10,066
To answer that
we need to understand
521
00:28:10,108 --> 00:28:12,402
what really caused
the first Dust Bowl.
522
00:28:12,443 --> 00:28:14,779
Was it
a few exceptionally dry years
523
00:28:14,821 --> 00:28:16,781
followed by some
really strong winds,
524
00:28:16,823 --> 00:28:18,950
some sort of polar vortex?
525
00:28:18,991 --> 00:28:20,952
Was it Mother Nature at work,
526
00:28:20,993 --> 00:28:23,162
or did we cause
this catastrophe?
527
00:28:23,204 --> 00:28:25,373
Come on.
Let's hit the lab.
528
00:28:25,415 --> 00:28:28,668
Sorry, Grim Jim,
but you ain't invited.
529
00:28:28,710 --> 00:28:30,169
You know,
not many people know
530
00:28:30,211 --> 00:28:34,841
that the Grim Reaper's
given name is James.
531
00:28:37,677 --> 00:28:40,638
[dramatic music]
532
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,725
* *
533
00:28:43,766 --> 00:28:45,476
Now, I know what
you might be saying.
534
00:28:45,518 --> 00:28:49,063
Hey, science guy, aren't
those just two pots of dirt?
535
00:28:49,105 --> 00:28:52,150
First of all, don't sass me
when I'm in my lab coat.
536
00:28:52,191 --> 00:28:54,610
Secondly, the difference
between these two pots
537
00:28:54,652 --> 00:28:58,239
of earth is the difference
between feast and famine.
538
00:28:58,281 --> 00:29:01,409
This is dirt.
It's sand and silt.
539
00:29:01,451 --> 00:29:04,579
Water either runs
off the compacted surface
540
00:29:04,620 --> 00:29:06,456
or it drips right through.
541
00:29:06,497 --> 00:29:09,542
Dirt is what gets on the floor
and on your knees.
542
00:29:09,584 --> 00:29:12,128
Nothing's growing here.
543
00:29:12,170 --> 00:29:15,715
Now, this, this is what makes
everything possible,
544
00:29:15,757 --> 00:29:18,760
the food in your belly,
the clothes on your back,
545
00:29:18,801 --> 00:29:22,680
the money in your wallet,
"The Great British Bake Off,"
546
00:29:22,722 --> 00:29:24,557
because this isn't just dirt.
547
00:29:24,599 --> 00:29:28,686
It's the stuff of life.
This is soil.
548
00:29:28,728 --> 00:29:30,980
* *
549
00:29:31,022 --> 00:29:33,107
Soil is alive.
550
00:29:33,149 --> 00:29:36,944
It's an ecosystem all its own,
chock-full of living things,
551
00:29:36,986 --> 00:29:40,364
like nematodes,
mites, ticks, weevils,
552
00:29:40,406 --> 00:29:45,953
fungi, and bacteria,
lots and lots of bacteria.
553
00:29:45,995 --> 00:29:49,248
There are more living things
in this handful of soil
554
00:29:49,290 --> 00:29:51,501
than in all the humans
on the planet,
555
00:29:51,542 --> 00:29:53,961
all told
as many as 10 billion
556
00:29:54,003 --> 00:29:56,547
little living things
right here.
557
00:29:56,589 --> 00:29:58,257
Soil is complex.
558
00:29:58,299 --> 00:30:00,176
It's creating
the perfect conditions
559
00:30:00,218 --> 00:30:04,055
for plants to grow and thrive.
560
00:30:04,097 --> 00:30:06,099
If we're not careful,
561
00:30:06,140 --> 00:30:09,352
soil dies
and turns back into dirt.
562
00:30:09,394 --> 00:30:11,145
That's exactly what happened
563
00:30:11,187 --> 00:30:13,231
during the Dust Bowl
of the 1930s.
564
00:30:13,272 --> 00:30:16,025
In fact,
the seeds of the Dust Bowl
565
00:30:16,067 --> 00:30:19,862
were planted a long time ago,
literally.
566
00:30:19,904 --> 00:30:21,531
* *
567
00:30:21,572 --> 00:30:25,159
One of our early ancestors,
like our friend Kor here,
568
00:30:25,201 --> 00:30:27,370
had a remarkable realization.
569
00:30:27,412 --> 00:30:29,664
Instead of eating all
the fruits and seeds
570
00:30:29,705 --> 00:30:31,249
from a nutritious plant,
571
00:30:31,290 --> 00:30:33,584
you could hold onto a few seeds
572
00:30:33,626 --> 00:30:36,045
and carefully place them
in the ground.
573
00:30:36,087 --> 00:30:39,257
There they would grow
into new plants.
574
00:30:39,298 --> 00:30:41,801
Sometimes
the biggest leap begins
575
00:30:41,843 --> 00:30:43,261
with an accidental step.
576
00:30:43,302 --> 00:30:44,846
Isn't that right, old friend?
577
00:30:44,887 --> 00:30:48,015
- [grunting]
578
00:30:50,977 --> 00:30:53,187
- Hmm, cool.
579
00:30:53,229 --> 00:30:55,815
By around 10,000 years ago
580
00:30:55,857 --> 00:30:59,444
we really had it going on
with our gardening skills.
581
00:30:59,485 --> 00:31:03,281
Most of us stopped the hunter,
gatherer, scavenger lifestyle
582
00:31:03,322 --> 00:31:05,366
and settled down
to till the soil
583
00:31:05,408 --> 00:31:08,911
and grow our food
right where we lived and slept.
584
00:31:08,953 --> 00:31:11,330
Without a doubt,
this was a huge idea.
585
00:31:11,372 --> 00:31:14,125
We could work the same land
year after year,
586
00:31:14,167 --> 00:31:16,044
generation after generation.
587
00:31:16,085 --> 00:31:18,337
More importantly,
that finally meant
588
00:31:18,379 --> 00:31:21,174
we could install
home entertainment centers.
589
00:31:21,215 --> 00:31:24,135
Back then,
the scythe was a symbol
590
00:31:24,177 --> 00:31:26,054
of harvest and abundance.
591
00:31:26,095 --> 00:31:30,141
* *
592
00:31:30,183 --> 00:31:33,311
Hey, James Francis Reaper,
593
00:31:33,352 --> 00:31:35,855
I told you, man,
get out of here.
594
00:31:35,897 --> 00:31:37,732
[thunder rumbles]
595
00:31:37,774 --> 00:31:39,317
[light music]
596
00:31:39,358 --> 00:31:41,903
Settled agriculture
changed our planet
597
00:31:41,944 --> 00:31:44,363
and our diet forever.
598
00:31:44,405 --> 00:31:46,741
We figured out how
to grow just about everything.
599
00:31:46,783 --> 00:31:49,243
If we saw it in the wild,
it tasted good,
600
00:31:49,285 --> 00:31:50,912
and it didn't kill us,
601
00:31:50,953 --> 00:31:53,289
we made it work
in our backyard.
602
00:31:53,331 --> 00:31:55,500
Backyards grew into farms,
603
00:31:55,541 --> 00:31:57,502
then into bigger
and bigger farms,
604
00:31:57,543 --> 00:32:01,672
with more and more crops
crowded side by side.
605
00:32:01,714 --> 00:32:04,133
We even learned how
to crossbreed plants
606
00:32:04,175 --> 00:32:06,844
to create new
and more robust crops.
607
00:32:06,886 --> 00:32:09,514
* *
608
00:32:09,555 --> 00:32:12,141
By the 1930s
we'd already been farming
609
00:32:12,183 --> 00:32:14,018
the planet for quite a spell.
610
00:32:14,060 --> 00:32:17,355
So when people saw the chance
to snatch up a piece of land
611
00:32:17,397 --> 00:32:20,525
to call their own,
how could they resist?
612
00:32:20,566 --> 00:32:23,069
Everything was dandy
until the rain didn't show up
613
00:32:23,111 --> 00:32:25,363
for a few years in a row.
614
00:32:25,405 --> 00:32:28,366
It wasn't
entirely your fault, man.
615
00:32:28,408 --> 00:32:30,952
You were just doing what
seemed to come naturally.
616
00:32:30,993 --> 00:32:32,703
When you looked at the prairie,
617
00:32:32,745 --> 00:32:35,873
it looked like the grass
grows about yea-deep.
618
00:32:35,915 --> 00:32:38,000
How could you have known
that you were tearing
619
00:32:38,042 --> 00:32:41,212
into an ancient ecosystem
that had been holding the soil
620
00:32:41,254 --> 00:32:43,131
in place
for thousands of years?
621
00:32:43,172 --> 00:32:44,716
* *
622
00:32:44,757 --> 00:32:48,010
There's more to prairie grass
than meets the eye.
623
00:32:48,052 --> 00:32:50,263
* *
624
00:32:50,304 --> 00:32:51,889
Most
of the prairie grass plant,
625
00:32:51,931 --> 00:32:54,851
it turns out,
exists out of sight
626
00:32:54,892 --> 00:32:57,770
with roots extending
deep into the earth.
627
00:32:57,812 --> 00:33:00,481
These deep,
hidden root systems evolved
628
00:33:00,523 --> 00:33:04,736
over tens of thousands of years
to thrive in a landscape
629
00:33:04,777 --> 00:33:08,030
where water comes along
only now and then.
630
00:33:08,072 --> 00:33:11,826
Prairies develop where it's
too wet for desert-style life,
631
00:33:11,868 --> 00:33:14,746
yet too dry
to support a dense forest.
632
00:33:14,787 --> 00:33:20,251
Now, these grasses go down
almost 15 feet, 5 meters.
633
00:33:20,293 --> 00:33:23,463
You can see why wheat
and corn and other crops
634
00:33:23,504 --> 00:33:26,382
couldn't hold
the prairie soil together.
635
00:33:26,424 --> 00:33:28,301
Their roots are too shallow.
636
00:33:28,342 --> 00:33:30,261
They didn't evolve
to survive here.
637
00:33:30,303 --> 00:33:33,014
This isn't their turf.
638
00:33:33,056 --> 00:33:35,433
But when those new crops
were first planted,
639
00:33:35,475 --> 00:33:38,936
they sure could soak up
the nutrients in the soil.
640
00:33:38,978 --> 00:33:40,313
Farmers figured that out.
641
00:33:40,354 --> 00:33:42,440
So they plowed
the prairie everywhere
642
00:33:42,482 --> 00:33:44,108
to plant their crops.
643
00:33:44,150 --> 00:33:45,902
What they didn't know was
644
00:33:45,943 --> 00:33:49,072
that they were destabilizing
an entire ecosystem,
645
00:33:49,113 --> 00:33:53,534
killing ancient roots
that held the soil together.
646
00:33:53,576 --> 00:33:56,037
When the rain stopped,
and the winds picked up,
647
00:33:56,079 --> 00:33:57,914
as was bound to happen,
648
00:33:57,955 --> 00:34:03,086
the soil dried out
and took to the sky.
649
00:34:03,127 --> 00:34:06,089
[dramatic music]
650
00:34:06,130 --> 00:34:08,716
* *
651
00:34:08,758 --> 00:34:12,470
On Mars, there is no grass,
no soil as such,
652
00:34:12,512 --> 00:34:14,889
just a lot of red dirt.
653
00:34:14,931 --> 00:34:17,058
Dust storms can grow so vast
654
00:34:17,100 --> 00:34:18,935
that they engulf
the entire planet.
655
00:34:18,976 --> 00:34:20,311
I know what you're thinking,
656
00:34:20,353 --> 00:34:22,980
"We're not farming
on Mars, Bill."
657
00:34:23,022 --> 00:34:26,984
Nevertheless, there are lessons
to be learned there.
658
00:34:27,026 --> 00:34:30,530
If we are not careful,
our beautiful, blue marble
659
00:34:30,571 --> 00:34:34,867
could end up a dry, brown ball.
660
00:34:34,909 --> 00:34:36,494
As my dad always said,
661
00:34:36,536 --> 00:34:39,872
"Just don't end up
like your Uncle Mars."
662
00:34:39,914 --> 00:34:42,542
The Dust Bowl
was the first example
663
00:34:42,583 --> 00:34:45,670
of wide-scale,
human-caused climate change,
664
00:34:45,712 --> 00:34:48,381
and it nearly destroyed
American agriculture.
665
00:34:48,423 --> 00:34:50,591
So how did we get
out of that mess?
666
00:34:50,633 --> 00:34:53,678
How did we restore the
heartland that feeds us now,
667
00:34:53,720 --> 00:34:57,515
and how can we avoid causing
the same disaster again?
668
00:34:57,557 --> 00:35:00,810
Well, for that,
we'll need science.
669
00:35:00,852 --> 00:35:02,979
* *
670
00:35:08,151 --> 00:35:11,237
- When the black blizzards
hit the Great Plains
671
00:35:11,279 --> 00:35:14,282
farmers and many
meteorologists were shocked.
672
00:35:14,323 --> 00:35:17,285
They had no idea
why this was happening,
673
00:35:17,326 --> 00:35:19,912
but a handful
of scientists recognized
674
00:35:19,954 --> 00:35:22,415
if the farmers
didn't change their ways
675
00:35:22,457 --> 00:35:25,918
the precious soil
would soon die and blow away.
676
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,964
Farmers were thinking of soil
as an inanimate medium,
677
00:35:30,006 --> 00:35:31,924
like a mineral to be mined,
678
00:35:31,966 --> 00:35:35,219
rather than a living ecosystem
to be nurtured.
679
00:35:35,261 --> 00:35:38,890
At first, no one would listen
to a bunch of science nerds,
680
00:35:38,931 --> 00:35:41,434
but eventually,
as the disaster worsened,
681
00:35:41,476 --> 00:35:44,228
people were willing
to accept the facts.
682
00:35:44,270 --> 00:35:46,230
I guess listening
to the experts
683
00:35:46,272 --> 00:35:49,817
was less bad than death.
684
00:35:49,859 --> 00:35:52,236
I was being sarcastic.
685
00:35:52,278 --> 00:35:57,158
Get back to your cubicle,
James.
686
00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,453
A task force was created
by the U.S. government
687
00:36:00,495 --> 00:36:03,289
to rethink how
we farmed the land.
688
00:36:03,331 --> 00:36:07,085
They invested in new ways
to maximize each harvest
689
00:36:07,126 --> 00:36:10,004
while minimizing the impact
on the environment.
690
00:36:10,046 --> 00:36:12,131
At one point,
the government mounted
691
00:36:12,173 --> 00:36:14,300
an effort to save the topsoil.
692
00:36:14,342 --> 00:36:17,678
It was called
Operation Shelterbelt.
693
00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:19,680
To be fair, back then,
694
00:36:19,722 --> 00:36:23,226
we were still new
at naming operations.
695
00:36:23,267 --> 00:36:25,520
The project called
for planting trees
696
00:36:25,561 --> 00:36:27,647
to block the winds
and prevent erosion.
697
00:36:27,688 --> 00:36:33,152
By 1941, the Shelterbelters
had planted 220 million trees
698
00:36:33,194 --> 00:36:35,321
stretching 100 miles.
699
00:36:35,363 --> 00:36:37,323
It was the largest effort
to address
700
00:36:37,365 --> 00:36:39,742
a climate problem
ever attempted.
701
00:36:39,784 --> 00:36:43,079
Using nature to protect
nature, genius!
702
00:36:43,121 --> 00:36:45,832
Or should I say, tree-nius.
703
00:36:45,873 --> 00:36:47,583
[laughs]
Sorry.
704
00:36:47,625 --> 00:36:49,669
Not sorry, not sorry.
705
00:36:49,711 --> 00:36:53,256
Wind-blocking tree walls
are a concept still being used
706
00:36:53,297 --> 00:36:55,383
to this day on modern farms
707
00:36:55,425 --> 00:36:58,344
all over the Great Plains
and beyond.
708
00:36:58,386 --> 00:37:01,347
The newly established
Department of Agriculture
709
00:37:01,389 --> 00:37:04,559
taught farmers a new way
to plow their fields.
710
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,353
Furrows that run straight
up and down a slope
711
00:37:07,395 --> 00:37:10,231
can be easy to plow,
but when it rains,
712
00:37:10,273 --> 00:37:13,443
they become water channels
that wash away seeds
713
00:37:13,484 --> 00:37:15,528
and topsoil like rivers.
714
00:37:15,570 --> 00:37:18,156
Watch.
715
00:37:24,454 --> 00:37:26,748
This is not good.
716
00:37:26,789 --> 00:37:30,126
With guidance, farmers
learned how to shape the soil
717
00:37:30,168 --> 00:37:33,004
into terraces and then how
to plow their fields
718
00:37:33,046 --> 00:37:36,257
with furrows following
the contours of the land,
719
00:37:36,299 --> 00:37:39,761
running at right angles
to the slopes of hills.
720
00:37:39,802 --> 00:37:41,846
This protects topsoil.
721
00:37:41,888 --> 00:37:44,307
Watch.
722
00:37:44,348 --> 00:37:47,310
[light music]
723
00:37:47,351 --> 00:37:50,772
* *
724
00:37:50,813 --> 00:37:52,023
It might seem obvious,
725
00:37:52,065 --> 00:37:53,941
but I guess
it wasn't at the time.
726
00:37:53,983 --> 00:37:56,444
Billions of tons
of soil were lost
727
00:37:56,486 --> 00:37:58,905
due to destructive
plowing patterns,
728
00:37:58,946 --> 00:38:00,698
but within a few years,
729
00:38:00,740 --> 00:38:07,163
contour farming reduced topsoil
losses by more than 65%.
730
00:38:07,205 --> 00:38:10,541
Soil conservation methods
restored a large swath
731
00:38:10,583 --> 00:38:11,751
of the Great Plains.
732
00:38:11,793 --> 00:38:14,712
In total 11.3 million acres
733
00:38:14,754 --> 00:38:17,757
of dusted-over farm fields
were revived,
734
00:38:17,799 --> 00:38:19,384
but it couldn't all be saved.
735
00:38:19,425 --> 00:38:23,304
To this day dunes of dirt
from the original Dust Bowl
736
00:38:23,346 --> 00:38:27,517
still cover millions
of acres of abandoned land.
737
00:38:27,558 --> 00:38:30,269
* *
738
00:38:30,311 --> 00:38:33,898
All of these changes were
made in just a few years.
739
00:38:33,940 --> 00:38:36,150
Some worked.
Some didn't.
740
00:38:36,192 --> 00:38:39,487
And then we found a way
to tap into the vast source
741
00:38:39,529 --> 00:38:43,491
of water that was literally
right beneath our feet.
742
00:38:43,533 --> 00:38:46,327
Ten years after the Dust Bowl
came to an end
743
00:38:46,369 --> 00:38:50,123
we started drilling down
into the Ogallala Aquifer.
744
00:38:50,164 --> 00:38:52,917
Industrial-scale extraction
of the aquifer
745
00:38:52,959 --> 00:38:55,837
made irrigation possible
and continues
746
00:38:55,878 --> 00:38:58,506
to hydrate the entire region,
747
00:38:58,548 --> 00:39:02,093
but we're draining the aquifer
at least six times faster
748
00:39:02,135 --> 00:39:05,221
than rain is able
to refill it.
749
00:39:05,263 --> 00:39:08,891
You might think this story
is about dust and dirt,
750
00:39:08,933 --> 00:39:10,768
but it's really about water.
751
00:39:10,810 --> 00:39:13,479
Some scientists think
the groundwater could be gone
752
00:39:13,521 --> 00:39:17,108
within ten years,
and once that water runs out,
753
00:39:17,150 --> 00:39:22,739
the Great Plains will
once again be facing ruin.
754
00:39:22,780 --> 00:39:25,700
And it's not just
in our own backyard.
755
00:39:25,742 --> 00:39:29,620
Aquifers around the world
are in danger of running dry,
756
00:39:29,662 --> 00:39:32,248
but scientists
are finding better ways
757
00:39:32,290 --> 00:39:35,710
to distribute groundwater,
and even refill them.
758
00:39:35,752 --> 00:39:37,211
The best example of this
759
00:39:37,253 --> 00:39:40,089
channels floodwater
into aquifers,
760
00:39:40,131 --> 00:39:42,550
which limits damage
to populated areas
761
00:39:42,592 --> 00:39:46,012
while replenishing
our underground lakes.
762
00:39:46,054 --> 00:39:48,347
Practices
like these are working
763
00:39:48,389 --> 00:39:50,141
in places like California,
764
00:39:50,183 --> 00:39:51,851
where water tables
would have dropped
765
00:39:51,893 --> 00:39:54,937
hundreds of feet deeper
without aquifer management,
766
00:39:54,979 --> 00:39:57,648
but this doesn't mean
we've solved the problems
767
00:39:57,690 --> 00:39:59,692
created in the 1930s.
768
00:39:59,734 --> 00:40:03,279
A new generation is at risk
of repeating history,
769
00:40:03,321 --> 00:40:06,783
but they've got hindsight
on their side.
770
00:40:06,824 --> 00:40:08,534
* *
771
00:40:08,576 --> 00:40:11,996
Which brings us
to the modern-day Dust Bowl.
772
00:40:12,038 --> 00:40:14,082
It doesn't have to go down
that way.
773
00:40:14,123 --> 00:40:16,876
We can remember what
the soil has taught us
774
00:40:16,918 --> 00:40:19,253
and put new and better
systems in place
775
00:40:19,295 --> 00:40:21,964
to protect the land
and the water.
776
00:40:22,006 --> 00:40:24,550
We can replace
water-intensive crops
777
00:40:24,592 --> 00:40:27,553
with scientifically bred,
drought-tolerant ones.
778
00:40:27,595 --> 00:40:30,556
We can restore and preserve
even more grassland,
779
00:40:30,598 --> 00:40:33,559
which will keep
the soil moist and alive.
780
00:40:33,601 --> 00:40:35,311
We can rotate crops,
781
00:40:35,353 --> 00:40:38,064
giving the land
a chance to regenerate,
782
00:40:38,106 --> 00:40:41,234
but none of this matters
if we don't have water.
783
00:40:41,275 --> 00:40:45,238
We must give the Ogallala
Aquifer protected status
784
00:40:45,279 --> 00:40:49,117
and treat it as the finite
global resource that it is.
785
00:40:49,158 --> 00:40:51,452
The water down there
doesn't belong
786
00:40:51,494 --> 00:40:54,122
to the corporations
that own the land above it.
787
00:40:54,163 --> 00:40:57,875
It belongs to all of us.
It's not 90 years ago.
788
00:40:57,917 --> 00:41:03,923
We understand a lot more,
and we can do a lot better.
789
00:41:03,965 --> 00:41:06,134
Let me give you a hand.
- Thanks.
790
00:41:06,175 --> 00:41:08,636
* *
791
00:41:08,678 --> 00:41:12,306
- I'm hungry.
How about a hot dog?
792
00:41:12,348 --> 00:41:14,809
- Sure, hot dog sounds good.
793
00:41:14,851 --> 00:41:21,399
* *
794
00:41:25,778 --> 00:41:29,490
[dramatic music]
795
00:41:29,532 --> 00:41:31,534
- So what have we learned?
796
00:41:31,576 --> 00:41:35,288
The way we feed ourselves
is important,
797
00:41:35,329 --> 00:41:37,373
and it affects the environment.
798
00:41:37,415 --> 00:41:39,041
For most of human history
799
00:41:39,083 --> 00:41:42,170
we wandered from place to place
in search of food.
800
00:41:42,211 --> 00:41:43,963
Our ancestors rarely knew
801
00:41:44,005 --> 00:41:45,923
where their next meal
was coming from,
802
00:41:45,965 --> 00:41:48,009
and hunger
was never far behind.
803
00:41:48,051 --> 00:41:50,845
Can you imagine what they'd
make of our modern world
804
00:41:50,887 --> 00:41:52,972
with its 24-hour drive-throughs
805
00:41:53,014 --> 00:41:55,850
and 100 different brands
of breakfast cereal?
806
00:41:55,892 --> 00:41:58,561
If we want to avoid going
back to the hunter,
807
00:41:58,603 --> 00:42:01,022
gatherer, scavenger lifestyle,
808
00:42:01,064 --> 00:42:04,400
we need to respect the soil
beneath our feet,
809
00:42:04,442 --> 00:42:07,612
and we need to protect
our most precious resource.
810
00:42:07,653 --> 00:42:10,323
It isn't oil
or diamonds or gold.
811
00:42:10,364 --> 00:42:14,202
It's two atoms of hydrogen
and one of oxygen.
812
00:42:14,243 --> 00:42:15,703
It's water.
813
00:42:15,745 --> 00:42:17,371
We've got to be careful
with it.
814
00:42:17,413 --> 00:42:21,042
We've only been human for
a few hundred thousand years.
815
00:42:21,084 --> 00:42:25,088
We only invented agriculture
around 10,000 years ago.
816
00:42:25,129 --> 00:42:27,423
It's important
to keep in mind
817
00:42:27,465 --> 00:42:29,634
farming isn't natural.
818
00:42:29,675 --> 00:42:32,637
Do it badly,
and you get the Dust Bowl.
819
00:42:32,678 --> 00:42:36,224
Do it well,
and you feed the world.
820
00:42:36,265 --> 00:42:39,227
[dramatic music]
821
00:42:39,268 --> 00:42:46,192
* *