“We need to change what we do and how we relate to each other down here in order to stabilize the climate and that’s what ‘Drawdown’ is about. ” – Paul Hawken
Rich Roll LIVE was recorded at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 27, 2019. With special guests, spoken-word poet IN-Q and pioneering environmentalist, activist, author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken.
The video is about the Finnafjord in the northeast of Iceland because it represents a broader global challenge. While Iceland as a whole is experiencing the negative effects of climate change stronger than many other nations, this specific region actually aims to profit from the changing climate. From 2021 onwards, the construction of a large container port will begin, which is supposed to turn Iceland into a new hub for international merchant shipping.
Climate change in the Arctic is fueling not only fear, but also hope. Sea levels will rise and flood many regions. But the melting ice will also expose new land with reserves of oil, gas and minerals. New sea routes are also emerging.
The melting of the ice in the far north has given reason for great optimism, as newly-found mineral resources promise the Inuit a better life. But international corporations and self-proclaimed ‘partners’ such as China also have their eye on the treasures of the Arctic. Some even dream of a polar Silk Road. As large corporations position themselves to exploit the treasures of the far north, the indigenous people, the Inuit, are fighting for their independence.
The DW Documentary team spent four weeks with a geological expedition to the north coast of Canada – a place where no human has ever set foot before – and were present at the geologists world’s northernmost spring. A microbiologist with them also collected DNA samples that could help in the development of new vaccines against resistant germs. However, the most important resource in the far north is still fish: Greenland supplies half the world with it, yet it still doesn’t bring in enough to finance necessary investments in its underdeveloped infrastructure. And in Canada, the Inuit are also struggling with their government for the right to share in the wealth of their own land.
