Tag: DW Documentary

Turning Toxic: The Bayer-Monsanto Merger

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwllBdC0Iww&feature=youtu.be
A year after Germany’s Bayer Group took over Monsanto, and it’s struggling to deal with the US seed giant’s controversial reputation. Now Bayer is also liable for Monsanto’s legal bills – which are starting to mount alarmingly.

Roundup, a herbicide containing glyphosate sold worldwide by Monsanto has long been suspected of causing cancer. A California court has just awarded more than $2 billion in damages to a couple who had claimed that their use of the pesticide caused them to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma . Bayer’s share price halved last year, and the consequences are already making themselves felt in the company itself: Around 12,000 jobs worldwide are to be cut in the next few years, a considerable proportion of them in Germany. CEO Werner Baumann, who pushed for the merger, is coming under increasing pressure. Voicing criticism, a majority of shareholders voted against absolving Baumann and other managers of their responsibility in the merger. Bayer is in the midst of its greatest crisis.

The film traces the effects of the merger and investigates potential new health hazards emanating from glyphosate. How has Monsanto tried in the past to influence politicians, scientists and public opinion? Did the Americans actually play down or ignore the dangers? And does Bayer really distance itself from these practices?

Europe’s Melting Glaciers

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It is far too late to save the Alpine glaciers. And now, the dangers caused by tons of melting ice are rising sharply. Every year, climate change is destroying two of the currently 70 square kilometers of glaciers left in the Alps.

The permafrost in the Alps is thawing, and transforming what used to be sturdy slopes into loose screes. In addition, climate change is leading to significantly more extreme weather conditions every year, while heavy rainfall causes serious erosion. The result: avalanches and landslides like those in Bondo, Switzerland, or Valsertal in Austria.

In Switzerland, residential areas are shrinking as people are forced to leave their homes forever. The disappearance of glaciers as water reservoirs is already posing a major problem. Farmers in Engadine, who have been using meltwater for irrigation for centuries, are already facing water shortages. Last summer, they had to rely on helicopters to transport water to their herds in the Grison Alps. Above all, alpine villages depend on winter tourism to survive. Yet experts are forecasting that by mid-century, there will only be enough natural snow left to ski above 2,000 meters, which will spell out the end for about 70 percent of the ski resorts in the Eastern Alps. But instead of developing alternatives, lots of money is still being invested in ski tourism. Snow cannon are used to defy climate change, and artificial snow systems are under construction at ever higher altitudes. As usual, it’s the environment that is set to lose as the unique alpine landscape is further destroyed by soil compaction and erosion. Some municipalities are now working on new models of alpine tourism for the future. As global temperatures continue to rise, the cooler mountain regions will become increasingly attractive for tourists, especially in the summer.

The Eco-Rebels of the Himalayas

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvuFTNO9wNQ&feature=youtu.be
An Indian state in the Himalayas has completely transformed its agriculture and switched to organic farming. Sikkim has become a model for the rest of the world, because its farmers only cultivate their fields and plantations in a sustainable way.

In 2010, the Prime Minister of Sikkim launched the so-called “Organic Mission,” developing the state into a model of sustainable farming. To protect its own organic farmers and consumers, the Sikkim government has even imposed an import ban on conventionally produced fruit and vegetables. This means that the authorities have the power to bury or destroy vegetables and fruit contaminated with pesticides and agrochemical giants such as Bayer or BASF are not welcome in Sikkim.

Would that approach also work in Germany? The growing demand for organic food in this country offers farmers an opportunity to switch to sustainable farming. But in Germany the percentage of land under plough conforming to sustainable methods remains very low. Although the government has set a target of 20 percent organic by 2030, this figure had already been proposed by Gerhard Schröder’s red-green coalition back in 1998. Germany is still far from meeting its demand for organic food. That means fruit, vegetables and cereals have to be imported from Spain, Italy, Turkey or even further afield. Critics accuse the government of a lack of commitment and an excessive dependence on lobbyists from the agrochemical industry and farmers’ associations. The incentives for organic farming are extremely poor. Can Germany now learn from far-off Sikkim?