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Let's explore the most urgent climate challenges facing our planet. From Europe’s potential mega-dam to prevent flooding, to extreme weather events and environmental changes around the world, these stories reveal how climate change is reshaping life on Earth and what solutions experts are considering. Animation is created by Bright Side.
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00:00Closing the North Sea in a nearly 400-mile-long dam may save Europe from complete disaster.
00:07This is not some sci-fi stuff. It's real, and it's called NEED, Northern European Enclosure Dam.
00:15It's a last-ditch plan to save over 25 million people from 15 European countries from the rising sea levels.
00:22To build this giant bathtub, humans need one dam between England and France, another one between Norway and Scotland, 51
00:32billion tons of sand, and almost 600 billion euros.
00:36As crazy as it may sound, this project is totally feasible, except for one teeny-tiny detail.
00:43The scientists who had this literally life-saving idea don't want the dam to be built.
00:50First and foremost, the NEED needs two dams, one that is 100 miles long and almost 334 feet deep in
00:59the English Channel,
01:00and another that is 300 miles long and more than 1,000 feet deep in the North Sea.
01:06Building something like this requires a crazy amount of materials, like the 51 billion tons of sand we mentioned before,
01:14which is basically all the sand everyone on the planet uses in a year.
01:19And yes, this dam would obviously be the biggest in history,
01:24smashing records like the Netherlands' 19-mile Afslut Dijk and South Korea's 20-mile Seamangum Seawall.
01:31The NEED dam would be 19 times bigger than Seamangum.
01:35It sounds ridiculous, but it's not impossible.
01:39You see, humans are pretty good at building big stuff.
01:43Oil rigs, for example, operate at depths of up to 6,500 feet,
01:47and the NEED dam would only go down more than 1,000 feet.
01:52Plus, China has a 102-mile-long bridge, and the dam would only be four times longer.
01:58Besides, projects like this dam were done before for the exact same reason.
02:03It's our friend Afslut Dijk in the Netherlands, which was built almost 100 years ago.
02:10The idea here was to shut off a part of the North Sea called Zijderse
02:14and protect the Netherlands from all the flooding because most of the country is below sea level.
02:19They even drained one of the lakes formed by the dam and created a whole new province, Flevoland.
02:26Today, the Netherlands has more than 2,200 miles of flood protection,
02:31but it's only designed for a 15-inch sea level rise.
02:35Without it, the country would be underwater.
02:38So yeah, we could do it, but it's really, really expensive.
02:43How expensive?
02:44Well, it would cost around 550 billion euros if the project is wrapped up in about 20 years.
02:50One wrong step and humans can spend 100 years building this dam and a couple of billion euros more.
02:56The good news is that this much money can be diluted over the 20 to 100 years it takes for
03:02the dam to get finished.
03:04Besides, the 15 countries it would protect could share the expenses,
03:08reducing the amount to only 0.1% of the GDP of all the countries.
03:13Not a bad deal to save millions of people, right?
03:16Okay, but is this monstrosity really necessary?
03:19Well, unfortunately, humans have managed to turn the ocean against us.
03:23This means that by 2100, the sea levels are expected to have risen between 1 to 2 feet.
03:30If we keep acting like it's none of our business, the rise can reach more than 16 feet by 2300.
03:36It may sound like a distant future, but NASA has just discovered that the ocean rose way more than they
03:42expected in 2024,
03:44which means global disaster is breathing down our necks as we speak.
03:51Let's go back to our geography classes for a moment and learn why sea levels are rising altogether.
03:57First, because land can sink.
03:59The city of Norfolk, Virginia, for example, was built inside a massive crater,
04:04and the earth there can erode and sink.
04:06Then, the soil can get compacted.
04:09Because of that, the city is literally sinking into the ground, making it more vulnerable to flooding.
04:14In California, some areas are sinking too, but this time, it's because of the movement of tectonic plates.
04:22Some of the land that is underwater goes up.
04:24Some of the land over the water goes down.
04:27The consequences?
04:28Again, heavy flooding.
04:31Sea levels also rise if the planet gets too hot.
04:35This happens because of a thing called thermal expansion.
04:38It has a very scientific name, but it basically means that things like water get bigger if the temperature rises.
04:46Half of the reason why sea levels are rising is because of this.
04:50This is why the level of the ocean increases almost 10 feet every time the average temperature of the planet
04:56rises by 33.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
04:59Since 1880, the sea has risen more than 8 inches.
05:04Okay, so we build the Knee Dam and the problem is solved, right?
05:09Well, building this dam comes with massive consequences.
05:13First, the ocean currents, think of them as underwater highways that deliver nutrients to tiny creatures like planktons,
05:20not the SpongeBob villain, and give rides to animals like lizards and tortoises.
05:25A dam this big is capable of messing up the ocean currents that bathe Europe,
05:30disrupting the food chain not just inside the dam, but outside too.
05:35The currents are also responsible for the climate of coastal areas.
05:39The Gulf Stream, for example, is a warm current that comes all the way from Mexico
05:44and makes the weather in northwestern Europe a bit more bearable.
05:48If the Gulf Stream got interrupted by a gigantic oceanic barrier,
05:52it could make parts of Europe even colder.
05:58Another problem is that the North Sea would turn into a gigantic freshwater lake.
06:02This would happen because the saltwater that used to flow from the ocean would now be blocked,
06:07and the North Sea would only be fed by the freshwater coming from inside the continent.
06:13This process would eventually lead to a thing called desalination,
06:17when saltwater gets less salty.
06:19And it's really terrible, because saltwater animals would start to absorb more water than they should,
06:25making the cells of their bodies swell.
06:28The consequences can be fatal.
06:31The disruption of the ocean currents by the dam can also affect the renewal of oxygen in the water.
06:37Think of the ocean as a giant recycling system.
06:40Surface water needs to sink to deliver oxygen to the deep sea,
06:44keeping creatures dwelling at the bottom alive.
06:47Without the movement of ocean currents, oxygen would run out and toxic bacteria would take over,
06:52creating a poisonous environment for sea creatures.
06:56And this is not just a theory.
06:58It happened before, 250 million years ago.
07:02The ocean got so toxic, it wiped out 95% of marine life and caused a mass extinction.
07:10If it's not bad enough, the fishing industry would collapse,
07:13and the busiest trading ports of Europe like Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg would be stuck inside the dam.
07:20Sure, we could build sluice gates, but imagine all those traffic jams.
07:24The rain patterns of the countries protected by the dam would change too,
07:28affecting farming lands and food production.
07:32On the other hand, if we do nothing about rising sea levels,
07:36permanent flooding could make whole countries disappear.
07:39Three million people on the islands of the Pacific would need to move away by the end of the century.
07:44The Maldives would lose 77% of its territories,
07:47and cities like Jakarta, Bangladesh, and Lagos would go underwater.
07:53Storms would get more dangerous too,
07:55destroying treatment plants for sewage and power stations and contaminating farmlands.
08:01Rising salt water could also contaminate freshwater supplies,
08:05and it's not just happening in Asia and Europe.
08:08Philadelphia, for example, is already developing plans to deal with this bleak scenario.
08:14This is why the scientists who developed this big red button shaped like a dam
08:18don't want people to actually build a dam.
08:21They know how bad things can get,
08:23which is why they came up with a plan so wild,
08:26it's basically the engineering version of screaming,
08:29Hey, stop ignoring the planet!
08:31It's a warning.
08:32If we don't act now,
08:34we'll be stuck building mega dams just to keep our cities from becoming Atlantis 2.0.
08:39And let's be honest,
08:41nobody wants to live in a future where the apocalypse looks like the deep web version of the Little Mermaid.
08:50Now, if you were to check out the Sahara from space right now,
08:54instead of a barren wasteland,
08:56you'd spot a surprising sight.
08:58Dry land sprinkled with some lakes and rivers in Morocco and Algeria,
09:02all thanks to some heavy rains in early September 2024.
09:06These aren't oases.
09:08This is just the Sahara going back to the factory settings.
09:12Believe it or not,
09:13eons ago,
09:14one of the biggest deserts on Earth was actually a lush paradise full of greenery.
09:19Let's first see how the Sahara turned into a desert.
09:22During the last ice age,
09:24Earth was much colder,
09:25and big ice sheets covered a lot of the land.
09:28At that time,
09:30the Sahara desert was significantly bigger than it is today,
09:33and on our planet,
09:34there were fewer tropical forests,
09:36and the cooler temperatures changed how rain was distributed in the tropics.
09:41Now, normally,
09:42warm air rises in the tropics,
09:43which helps create rain.
09:45Since it was colder during the ice age,
09:47this system got, well,
09:49messed up,
09:49and less rain fell in some areas.
09:51This caused more dry and desert-like conditions
09:54in places that are usually wetter.
09:57There was also a lot of dust blowing around in the Sahara desert,
10:01which scientists found in old ocean sediments.
10:04But about 12,500 years ago,
10:08something surprising happened.
10:09The dust levels went way down.
10:12This meant that the Sahara got a lot wetter,
10:14which is a sign that the climate suddenly warmed up for a while
10:18before cooling down again.
10:20After 12,500 years ago,
10:22the Sahara became a much greener place,
10:25like a savannah,
10:26because a weather pattern called the Intertropical Convergence Zone,
10:30a mouthful indeed,
10:32moved north during summer.
10:33This wet period was at its best around 4,000 years ago,
10:37when temperatures were a bit warmer than today.
10:39At that time,
10:41more rain fell in the Ethiopian highlands,
10:43which made the Nile River carry more sediment.
10:46However,
10:47there was another big change called a Heinrich event,
10:50which caused the Intertropical Convergence Zone to move back south.
10:54This led to the Sahara and Arabian regions drying out quickly.
10:58Because of this,
10:59the Nile River had much less flooding
11:01between 2700 and 2100 BCE.
11:05Long story short,
11:07well, too late for that,
11:08the Sahara has gone through wet and dry cycles
11:11due to changes in the climate and weather patterns
11:14over thousands of years.
11:16Up until recently,
11:17we've known about the Sahara in its dry era.
11:20But in September 2024,
11:22an unusual cyclone rolled through.
11:25It hit Morocco,
11:26Algeria,
11:27Tunisia,
11:28and Libya,
11:28and filled those dry lakes and rivers.
11:31The satellite images from NASA
11:33of before and after the rains are stunning.
11:35It's like the Sahara has had a makeover.
11:39Some areas in North Africa
11:41received up to 8 inches of rain.
11:43For comparison,
11:45Seattle gets about 40 inches per year,
11:47only 5 times what the Sahara received.
11:50I say only for one simple reason.
11:52Seattle has a reputation
11:54for being quite rainy,
11:55while the Sahara does not.
11:58The tricky part is those 8 inches.
12:01Essentially,
12:01the entire yearly quota for this area
12:03fell in a matter of moments.
12:05So, in a way,
12:07it might have felt rainier in the Sahara
12:09than in Seattle.
12:10The mountains funneled the water
12:12into ephemeral lakes
12:13in northern Algeria,
12:15which recently expanded
12:16to over 70 square miles
12:18and reached depths
12:19of more than 7 feet.
12:20That's enough water
12:21to sustain it for a year.
12:23So, what exactly are
12:25these ephemeral lakes?
12:26Well, they're basins
12:27that fill up for a short time each year,
12:30but might stay dry
12:31for several years
12:32if the rain doesn't cooperate.
12:34Sometimes,
12:35water flows into them
12:36from a small surrounding area,
12:38or it can just be
12:39good old-fashioned rain.
12:41Now,
12:42a big question arises.
12:43How come these lakes exist
12:45in the first place?
12:46Well, generally,
12:47they form because
12:48there's excess water
12:49trapped on the surface.
12:50But the soil in the Sahara
12:52is incredibly dry.
12:54Shouldn't it act like a sponge?
12:55It must be thirsting for moisture.
12:58Well, think about how eagerly
12:59your potted plant
13:00drinks up water
13:01when you return home
13:02from a vacation.
13:03However,
13:04no matter how parched it is,
13:06dry soil can only absorb
13:08a limited amount of water,
13:09which is often quite small.
13:11And just like your potted plant,
13:13it doesn't necessarily
13:14drink at all.
13:15You might simply
13:16be overwatering.
13:17Or,
13:18if you check the saucer below,
13:20you could find a mini-flood.
13:22Another significant factor
13:24preventing the soil
13:25from absorbing water
13:26is the lack of vegetation.
13:28Under normal conditions,
13:30trees, shrubs,
13:31and various plants
13:32help retain moisture.
13:33In the desert, however,
13:35it's nearly impossible.
13:36There may be a few palm trees,
13:38but that's about it.
13:39This also explains
13:41the formation
13:41of those temporary lakes.
13:43Precipitation
13:44that isn't held
13:45by plants
13:46accumulates
13:47in low-lying valleys
13:48and depressions,
13:49creating these
13:50fleeting bodies of water.
13:53These lakes
13:54may only last
13:54for a limited time,
13:56but that doesn't mean
13:57they shouldn't have names.
13:59For instance,
14:00the beautiful lake
14:01adorned with swaying palms
14:02that you see
14:03is called Lake Yasmina,
14:05located in the oasis town
14:07of Myrtsoga.
14:08In certain areas
14:09of the desert,
14:10where the dunes rise,
14:11it may appear
14:12as though you're looking
14:13at a mirage,
14:14but it's not.
14:15The sand dunes
14:16are partially covered
14:17by water.
14:18Remember how I mentioned
14:208 inches?
14:21Well, that's not entirely
14:22accurate for some regions.
14:24In fact,
14:25there are places
14:25where the flooding
14:26is so extensive
14:27that the palms
14:28are submerged
14:29up to their crowns.
14:31Now, the last time
14:32we saw a downpour
14:33this intensive
14:33was 30 to 50 years ago.
14:36But this rain
14:37is more than welcome.
14:38After 6 consecutive
14:40years of drought,
14:41Morocco really needed it.
14:43Lakes that had been dry
14:44for decades,
14:45like Lake Ariki,
14:46are finally getting
14:47some much-needed water.
14:50A recent analysis
14:51revealed that
14:52out of the hundreds
14:53of storms
14:53that have hit the region
14:54since 2000,
14:56only 6 brought enough rain
14:58to start filling up
14:58this lake.
14:59And of those,
15:00only 2 resulted
15:02in a lake level
15:03higher than what
15:03we saw in September 2024.
15:06So, while this torrential rain
15:08seems like a blessing,
15:09the big question is,
15:10will it last?
15:12The answer is yes.
15:14When humid air
15:15from near the equator
15:16meets the hot,
15:17dry air from the north,
15:18the Sahara Desert
15:20tends to get more rain.
15:22Scientists say
15:22this collision zone
15:23is shifting further north
15:25as the planet warms.
15:26And it warms,
15:27so it's likely
15:28to keep moving that way
15:30over the next couple
15:31of decades.
15:32So, I seem a bit
15:33overly optimistic
15:34about this.
15:35And the truth is,
15:36the news isn't
15:37entirely positive.
15:39The reality is that
15:40no one was truly prepared
15:42for a flood situation
15:43like this.
15:44Moreover,
15:45remember that this
15:46isn't some
15:46Southeast Asian country
15:48where people are
15:49accustomed to
15:49dealing with water.
15:50This is the
15:51bone-dry Sahara.
15:53That said,
15:54I think you know
15:54what I'm getting at.
15:56Tragically,
15:57at least 18 people
15:58lost their lives
15:59to the intense rains
16:00in southern Morocco.
16:02The authorities
16:03are gearing up
16:04for even more
16:05heavy rain in the region.
16:06But if that's the case,
16:08could it mean
16:08the Sahara
16:09is facing extinction?
16:11And what would that
16:12even mean for us?
16:13It might sound
16:14a bit strange,
16:15but our planet
16:16actually relies on deserts,
16:18and the Sahara
16:19is no different.
16:20At first glance,
16:21it may seem like
16:22a barren wasteland,
16:23and it's nothing
16:24to write home about.
16:25But deserts play
16:26a crucial role
16:27in our ecosystem.
16:28They act as major
16:30carbon storage sites
16:31and are considered
16:32net carbon sinks,
16:34with the Sahara alone
16:35holding an estimated
16:371 trillion metric tons
16:38of carbon.
16:39In the fight
16:40against climate change,
16:42these existing deserts
16:43are like a buffer,
16:44helping to keep
16:45the temperatures
16:45within acceptable levels.
16:47Yeah,
16:48deserts are scorching hot,
16:49but they act
16:50as the world's
16:51air conditioning.
16:52Plus,
16:53desert sands
16:54are an unexpected
16:55source of nutrients
16:56for lush areas
16:57like tropical rainforests.
16:59Believe it or not,
17:01scientists have found
17:01that the sand particles
17:02from the Sahara
17:03have a hand
17:04in nurturing
17:05the Amazon rainforest.
17:07These particles
17:08travel across
17:08the Atlantic Ocean,
17:10riding the winds
17:11all the way
17:11to South America,
17:13where they enrich
17:13the soil in the Amazon basin.
17:15Without the Sahara,
17:17experts believe
17:18the Amazon rainforest
17:19could face
17:20serious collapse.
17:26That's it for today.
17:27So hey,
17:28if you pacified
17:28your curiosity,
17:29then give the video
17:30a like and share it
17:31with your friends.
17:32Or if you want more,
17:33just click on these videos
17:34and stay on the bright side.
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