A trip along Chile’s National Route 7, the Carretera Austral, takes us into the stunning wilderness of Patagonia – a place that many German emigrants chose as their new home almost a century ago.
The Carretera Austral is straddled by mountain ranges, primeval forests, fjords, volcanoes and a huge ice field. It has taken decades to carve its way through the almost impassable terrain – even now a lot of traffic is forced to take a detour across the border into Argentina. The military dictator Augusto Pinochet made the construction of the road a national priority in the 1970s, sending thousands of soldiers to the region to work under the most adverse conditions. One of the last surviving members of Pinochet’s junta, former military police chief Rodolfo Stange, talks about the road’s strategic importance for the regime.
German marine biologist Vreni Häussermann tells us about a catastrophe in one of the Patagonian fjords – an event that underlines how economic expansion along the route has adversely affected the natural environment in southern Chile. On our journey we meet descendants of German emigrants who found a new home in Patagonia’s remote vastness after the First World War. An insight into the past and present of this unique region.
The government intends to expand and deepen the River Amazon’s tributaries to allow passage for large container ships and is meeting stiff resistance from the region’s indigenous peoples.
A decrepit old cargo ship is the only means of transport on the Amazon in Peru. South America’s great river is still relatively narrow here, but it’s also the only lifeline for the region’s people and economy. We travel on the Eduardo III, an overcrowded steamship on its three-day voyage up the winding river from Yurimaguas to Iquitos. Timber and other goods are loaded in chaotic ports, and people doze in hammocks on the cramped passenger deck as the ship passes through one of the last untouched natural paradises in the world. If Peru’s government goes ahead with its plans, the Amazon region in the northeast of the country will soon be developed and links to the country’s economic infrastructure significantly improved. A Chinese company, for example, is to deepen the Amazon tributaries Marañón, Ucayali and Huallaga to allow large container ships all-year passage. But the excavation project is highly controversial and the region’s indigenous peoples are putting up a stiff fight against it. Water has a deep spiritual meaning for the tribes of the Amazon, who believe the spirits of their ancestors live on in the river. But will Peru’s advocates of progress allow objections like that to get in their way of their plans?
Formula 1 was yesterday for Nico Rosberg. Today it´s green racing, environmentally-friendly and innovative technologies in Formula E motorsports: The green racing circuit in Berlin.
With Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg, Dilbagh Gil’s Indian Mahindra Racing Team, and eROCKIT CEO Andreas Zurwehme. “All lights are on and we go green in Berlin”. It’s the 10th race of the FIA Formula E season – this is where the present and the future meet. Eco-friendly Formula E motor racing is the ideal showcase for new and innovative mobility solutions and pushes the boundaries for day-to-day applicability. The green racing circuit has been coming to Germany’s capital for the past five years – and it’s a big hit. E-mobility is the future! We accompany Formula 1 world champion and Greentech co-founder Nico Rosberg, Dilbagh Gil’s Indian Mahindra Racing Team, and the electric motorcycle company eROCKIT CEO Andreas Zurwehme to learn more.
