National Geographic Channel 2016 TV Series
Years Of Living Dangerously
Episode 3: The Uprooted
Nowhere To Run
Hosts: Don Cheadle and Tom Friedman
Actor Don Cheadle and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman tackle the problem of what happens to people when the earth’s climate begins to warm, ocean waters rise and drought begins to plague more and more land. Don Cheadle investigates the situation in California with the aquifers depleted or depleting, due to irrigation. Tom Friedman goes to Europe and the Middle East to discover what is happening to people and land.
The episode begins with Don Cheadle driving through the Napa Valley of California and seeing areas that haven't had rain in years. The land is parched. He finds that getting water from an aquifer used to be going down 60 feet, but now, after years if irrigation and no rain, you go down 800 feet or more and if your well goes dry, be ready to pay upwards of $500,000 for a new one. The summer temperature is 108 degrees. California loses 4 trillion gallons of water a year which is enough for Chicago and New York for 5 years. When the aquifers are depleted and there are no crops being grown, what then?
Meanwhile, on another continent, Tom Friedman sees refugees going to Europe from land that is parched. They cannot feed themselves or their families and country leaders seem hesitant to help. 60% of children born now could be displaced by drought conditions in their lifetime. Friedman then accompanies a UN representative to the middle of Africa, near Libya, where the daytime temperature is 117 degrees. This is a dangerous territory, though with local wars. 100,000 hectors of land are gone every year to drought and there is actually an invasion of sand dunes.
The water you readily have available from the faucet in your home would be a luxury to people in arid conditions. When you brush your teeth and let the water run, this could be a day’s supply of drinking water for someone. Washing your car watering the lawn, golf courses---all seem trivial compared to what is happening in other countries. Drought, with global warming, could happen anywhere.
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*National Geographic TV Series “The Years Of Living Dangerously” concerns climate and how it effects the Earth and humanity. There are eight episodes in the series which began on Oct. 30,, 2016 and then continues through Wednesday, December 14, 2016 on the National Geographic Channel. Composer is Richard Marvin. Each episode is hosted by two celebrities and each episode has a specific theme, per the following:
Episode 1 (October 30, 2016)
"A Race Against Time" with David Letterman and Cecily Strong
Episode 2 (November 2, 2016)
"Gathering Storm" with Jack Black and Ian Somerhalder
Episode 3 (November 9, 2016)
"The Uprooted" with Tom Friedman and Don Cheadle
Episode 4 (November 16, 2016)
“Fueling The Fire” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gisele Bundchen
Episode 5 (November 23, 2016)
“Collapse of the Oceans” with Joshua Jackson
Episode 6, November 30, 2016)
“Priceless” with Nikki Reed and Aasil Mandvi
Episode 7,December 7, 2016
“The Road Before Us” with Ty Burrell and Bradley Whitford
Episode 6, December 14, 2016
“Uprising” with America Ferrera and Sigourney Weaver.
For more information see www.yearsoflivingdangerously.
Copyright 2016 Marie Asner
