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Explore the pressing global issues of border security and climate change in this insightful video! Join us as we delve into the complexities of these critical challenges shaping our world today.
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00:00The world's largest fence spans over 3,100 miles from Queensland to South Australia.
00:07If stretched out, it could easily connect London to New York.
00:11And if you'd walk next to it, you'd need six months to complete the journey.
00:15It wasn't built to safeguard the Australian border.
00:18Why would it, since Aussies are just surrounded by water?
00:22It wasn't meant to protect some important building either.
00:25Its purpose is to keep some animal species away from each other.
00:31It was back in the late 1800s when Australians started building parts of this fence.
00:37They wanted to create a barrier separating the lively, bustling part of the country
00:42where cities like Melbourne and Sydney's thrive from the harsh, dry outback.
00:47They used wooden posts dug deep into the ground, linked up with wire mesh standing about six feet tall.
00:55Some parts of the fence even have a second electrically charged layer.
01:00To make sure this fence did its job, they added some red and white lights to help guard things even
01:06at night.
01:06A team of over 20 people work full-time to keep things in check here.
01:11And every year, local authorities chip in around $750,000 to keep the construction in shape.
01:19Why all this trouble?
01:21The main reason was dingoes.
01:23These gingery, wolf-like creatures are Australia's largest carnivore mammals, and they're also apex predators.
01:31They were causing a lot of trouble to local farmers, especially in southern Queensland, where they often go after sheep.
01:38For the most part, the fence has been doing its job okay, but it's not foolproof.
01:43Some dingoes still manage to sneak through.
01:46Other times, wild camels end up crashing into it.
01:50That's because Australia has quite a massive camel population roaming around.
01:55But this man-made solution did more than locals expected.
01:59They thought there would just be fewer dingoes within the fence, but fewer dingoes mean more kangaroos.
02:06And more kangaroos mean more competition with the sheep for food.
02:10It's not just the bigger species feeling the squeeze.
02:13The smaller animals and the greenery also went through changes.
02:17With all this competition in a smaller space, locals noticed less diversity in the plant life and small animals.
02:25The soil became less nutritious over time, affecting plant growth.
02:29Plus, the fence acts as a roadblock for animal migration and seed dispersal.
02:35Even the sand dunes are feeling the effects, with less grass cover to hold things together.
02:41When scientists looked at kangaroos on both sides of the fence,
02:45they noticed that the young pups inside were lighter and tinier on average.
02:50The outsiders had bigger feet and heads for their age.
02:53And it wasn't because they were eating a different diet.
02:56The kangaroos that were stuck sharing the land with dingoes had to bulk up faster to survive.
03:02On the flip side, those inside the fence took it slower,
03:05because they weren't under the same type of pressure.
03:08These had to compete with a lot of other creatures for food,
03:12so a bigger size wasn't a priority anymore.
03:15Researchers are still not sure if this difference is a quick fix or a long-term gene adaptation.
03:22What about domesticating dingoes?
03:24Wouldn't that help?
03:25Many think dingoes were once pets in Australia, but it's not known for sure.
03:31These days, they're pretty wild, just like wolves, hyenas, or coyotes.
03:36Most of them don't need packs to survive and are solitary hunters with sharp instincts built in.
03:41So tamming them isn't going to be easy.
03:44Still, taking down the construction is not an option for now.
03:48Australians are so strict when it comes to making sure dingoes are kept away
03:51that they even put laws in place for people who mess up with the fence.
03:56Leaving a crossing gate open can put people behind bars for up to three months.
04:02Damaging the fence can cost people six months' worth of their freedom.
04:06It wasn't the first time Australians thought a fence could help with animal issues.
04:10Before they needed it for dingoes, they experienced a serious bunny invasion.
04:16Cute as they are, rabbits were damaging the land used for farming,
04:20so locals thought of a three-part fence.
04:22The first one stretched all the way from Ravensthorpe in the south
04:26to Pardew Station on the Pilbara coast.
04:29It was over 1,100 miles long,
04:32making it the longest unbroken fence globally at the time.
04:36All these bunny problems could have been traced back to a man named Thomas Austin.
04:41Back in 1859, when he first came to the land down under,
04:45he thought it would be a good idea to release a few rabbits into the wild,
04:49thinking it would add a bit of charm to the place.
04:52But since rabbits aren't native to Australia,
04:55they didn't have any natural predators at the time.
04:59They're also pretty adaptive creatures,
05:01needing just some grass for feeding.
05:03They reproduce at astonishing speeds, too.
05:07A mama rabbit can have four litters a year,
05:09with as many as five bunnies each.
05:12Pretty soon, their numbers boomed.
05:14By the late 1880s,
05:16the bunnies had caused so much damage
05:19that local authorities came up with a proposal.
05:21They'd offer the equivalent of almost $2 million today
05:25to anyone who could come up with a solution to this long-eared problem.
05:29Nobody claimed the prize,
05:31but a commission did gather a bit over a decade later
05:34and came up with the fence idea.
05:37Maintaining those fences was complicated.
05:40They had inspectors keeping an eye,
05:42with each one responsible for a stretch about 500 miles long.
05:46There were also these boundary riders patrolling smaller sections,
05:50using bikes at first,
05:51then switching to camels or using camels to haul buggies.
05:54They even tried using cars at one point,
05:57but they couldn't handle the rough terrain
05:59and constantly had punctured tires.
06:02In terms of its effectiveness,
06:04well, by 1902,
06:06rabbits were already hanging out on the wrong side of the fence.
06:09That's why, four years later,
06:11they put up another one.
06:13It worked for a while,
06:14so much so that the local authorities
06:17didn't bother helping out farmers
06:18pass that second fence with rabbit netting loans.
06:21Those caught between the two fences, however,
06:24still had a rough time dealing with rabbit trouble.
06:27Soon enough,
06:28rabbits spread even over fence number two,
06:30and it was clear the solution didn't work.
06:33In some areas,
06:34even while the fences were being built,
06:36those sneaky bunnies found their way past them.
06:39To this day,
06:40the rabbit population still sometimes
06:43puts the Australian officials through rough times.
06:46The dingo fence may be the longest one,
06:49but it's not the weirdest.
06:51The aquarium fence in Turkey might take that prize.
06:54This 164-foot aquarium fence
06:57was built to make sure
06:58the expensive villa's ocean view
07:00would be visible from every one of its levels.
07:03These days,
07:04it gathers a lot of tourists from all over the world,
07:08eager to see the variety of fish it contains,
07:10and even the octopuses.
07:13Putting up a see-through structure
07:15wasn't hard.
07:16The real challenge was connecting the aqua fence
07:18to the Aegean Sea
07:19through a buried pipeline
07:21stretching across 13,000 feet of land.
07:24This ensures water constantly flows,
07:27keeping the aquarium clean
07:29and the fish happy.
07:30To make sure no one damages the delicate fence
07:33or steals any of the fish or two,
07:36the owner also invested in security.
07:38He installed a network of 17 cameras
07:41equipped with facial recognition.
07:43Visitors are free to look and take pictures,
07:46but step too close
07:47and you're likely to trigger alarms.
07:50Another one of those weird fences
07:52is New Zealand's bra fence.
07:54If you ever find yourself through central Otago,
07:57you might stumble upon a fence
07:58adorned with bras of all kinds of shapes,
08:01sizes, and patterns.
08:03Its story takes us back to 1999
08:06when people in the area found four bras
08:09mysteriously hanging on the fence
08:11near Cardrona Valley Road.
08:13Some were a bit surprised,
08:15but then others started adding their bras
08:17to the decor.
08:18Some more bras appeared
08:20and it became a must-see spot for tourists.
08:23Its popularity was so high
08:25that at times it caused traffic problems
08:27in the area.
08:29Meet Hulamale,
08:31also known as the City of Hope.
08:33This nickname makes total sense
08:35since this artificial island
08:37is part of the Maldives' big plan
08:38to avoid being completely submerged
08:40in the near future.
08:42Hulamale was created
08:44by placing sand from the seafloor
08:46onto a submerged coral platform.
08:48And it worked!
08:49This city sits about six feet above sea level,
08:52which means it's twice as high
08:54as the Maldives' capital, Malay.
08:56While more and more people
08:58are moving there to live,
08:59the island was also designed
09:00to serve as a temporary evacuation site
09:03during dangerous storms and typhoons.
09:07Seychelles is another gem
09:08in the Indian Ocean
09:09that's at risk of disappearing.
09:12Unfortunately,
09:13coastal flooding is becoming
09:14a common issue there,
09:16especially during spring tides
09:17and heavy rainfall.
09:19The problem is that their main island,
09:21Mahay,
09:22hosts about 90%
09:23of the country's population.
09:25Along the coast,
09:27it's only about six feet
09:28above sea level.
09:30Fiji is the third tropical paradise
09:33on our list,
09:34and it's also a top pick
09:35for travelers.
09:37But this nation is in a tough spot
09:39since it's located
09:40right in the middle
09:40of the Pacific Ocean,
09:42where huge storms
09:43can really turn things into chaos.
09:46Take Cyclone Winston.
09:48It hit Fiji back in 2016
09:50and ended up costing them
09:52over a billion dollars
09:53in damage.
09:54So one thing they're doing
09:56to protect themselves
09:57is planting mangroves
09:58along the coast
09:59and preserving the ones
10:00that already exist.
10:02These trees are awesome
10:04since they help reduce wind speed
10:05during cyclone emergencies
10:07and also combat erosion
10:08by trapping sediments.
10:11Egypt might be in trouble too.
10:13I mean,
10:14it's not like the whole country
10:16is going to be underwater
10:17and we'll only see
10:18the tips of the pyramids
10:19in a few years.
10:20But things could really change
10:22for them
10:22as coastal cities
10:24are facing a serious risk.
10:26Take Alexandria,
10:27for instance.
10:2845% of its population
10:30already lives below sea level.
10:33If the city is flooded,
10:34not only will everyone
10:36have to move,
10:37but Egypt in general
10:38will suffer a major impact
10:40on its fish production.
10:42In Europe,
10:43one of the most
10:44at-risk populations
10:45is in the Netherlands,
10:46where about half the people
10:47live in areas below sea level.
10:49In the future,
10:51planning a romantic gesture
10:52with tulips for your girlfriend
10:53could become
10:54an impossible mission.
10:56The Netherlands
10:57is responsible
10:58for two-thirds
10:59of the world's tulip production.
11:00So if fields are taken over
11:02by salt water,
11:03it's game over
11:04for the blooms.
11:05But the good news
11:06is that the Dutch
11:06have centuries of experience
11:08dealing with water,
11:09so knowing how to work
11:10with storm barriers
11:11and sea walls
11:12can prevent them
11:13from a doomsday scenario.
11:16The risks of rising sea levels
11:18probably aren't higher
11:19anywhere else
11:20than here in Tuvalu.
11:22This island chain
11:24located halfway
11:25between Australia
11:26and Hawaii
11:27could be the first state
11:28to become uninhabitable.
11:30Its stunning land
11:32is only about
11:33nine feet above sea level.
11:35And just by looking
11:36at it on the map,
11:37you can see
11:38how narrow it is.
11:40In fact,
11:40the narrowest part
11:41in Fongafale
11:42is only about
11:4365 feet wide.
11:45So even before
11:47higher tides
11:47become a real problem,
11:49the country's
11:49limited farmland
11:50could be flooded
11:51with salt water.
11:52The next country
11:54on our list
11:54is the Philippines.
11:56This archipelago
11:58in Southeast Asia
11:59boasts some of
11:59the most stunning scenery,
12:01but it faces the risk
12:02of flooding
12:03for two reasons.
12:04First,
12:05due to rising sea levels,
12:06and second,
12:07because of crazy,
12:08unpredictable weather.
12:10Since 1990,
12:12events like cyclones,
12:13earthquakes,
12:14and tsunamis
12:14have cost the country
12:15over $20 billion.
12:18Have you ever heard
12:19of Vanuatu?
12:21This chain of islands
12:22spread out between
12:23Australia and Fiji
12:24could be flooded soon.
12:26Vanuatu was one
12:27of the first
12:27Pacific nations
12:28to relocate
12:29an entire community
12:30to a safer spot.
12:32Back in 2005,
12:34residents living
12:35in risky coastal areas
12:36of the northern island
12:37of Tegua
12:38moved to higher ground.
12:40Next up,
12:41the Marshall Islands,
12:43a country located
12:44in the central Pacific.
12:46Studies show
12:47that 40% of the buildings
12:49in the capital city,
12:50Maduro,
12:51could end up
12:52underwater
12:52in the future.
12:53But this country
12:54isn't throwing in
12:55the towel just yet.
12:57They've got a game plan.
12:59They are fortifying
13:00the infrastructures
13:01of their low-lying airport,
13:03relocating key buildings
13:05to higher ground,
13:06and putting up seawalls
13:07on rural islands.
13:09Heading south,
13:11we've got Nauru.
13:12This is actually
13:13one of the smallest
13:14countries in the world,
13:15covering just
13:168.1 square miles.
13:18Today,
13:19it's home to
13:1910,000 people,
13:20but it's on the brink
13:22of becoming uninhabitable.
13:23Water levels are rising
13:25about three times faster
13:27there than the global average.
13:29The Buada Lagoon
13:31sparks special concern,
13:32since it's the only
13:33surface freshwater resource,
13:35and it's located
13:36only 16 feet
13:38above sea level.
13:39Our next stop
13:41in the Pacific Ocean
13:42is the Republic of Palau.
13:44Rising sea levels
13:45are no joke
13:46for them either,
13:46but protecting their crops,
13:48especially taro,
13:50is a priority
13:51at this moment.
13:52About halfway
13:53between Hawaii
13:54and New Zealand
13:55lies Samoa,
13:56and this country
13:57is dealing
13:58with a unique situation.
14:00Not only is the volume
14:01of water increasing there,
14:03but their land
14:03is also sinking.
14:05You see,
14:06a couple of strong
14:07earthquakes and tsunamis
14:09hit Samoa
14:09back in 2009.
14:11So,
14:12as the crust
14:12bounces back
14:13to its original position,
14:14the overall land surface
14:16is actually going down.
14:18Because of this,
14:19their housing
14:19and main infrastructure
14:21could take a serious hit,
14:23especially since
14:24all their airports
14:25are along the coast.
14:28Let's head
14:28to Kiribati.
14:30This Pacific nation
14:31has a big problem
14:33with frequent flooding
14:34because most of its people
14:35and infrastructure
14:36are near the coast.
14:38Apart from the
14:39volcanic island
14:39of Banaba,
14:41none of Kiribati's land
14:42is more than 6.5 feet
14:44above the ocean.
14:45To tackle this situation
14:47and keep their population safe,
14:49they had this big idea
14:51of making a massive
14:52floating platform,
14:53kind of like the ones
14:54oil companies have.
14:55But the problem is
14:57is that it would cost them
14:58a fortune,
14:59as the project
15:00is estimated
15:00to be around
15:01$2 billion.
15:03If visiting Vietnam
15:05is on your bucket list,
15:06you better hurry up.
15:08The top 10 things
15:09to do there
15:09mostly involve
15:10cruising to jaw-dropping spots
15:12like down to
15:13Ha Long Bay,
15:14also known as
15:15the Descending Dragon's Bay.
15:17But by 2050,
15:19the surrounding land
15:20over there
15:21might be underwater.
15:23Another huge problem
15:25Vietnam is facing
15:26is that the main rice fields
15:27are getting salty.
15:29And if you're into
15:30Vietnamese food,
15:31you know how important
15:32rice is for them.
15:34Right now,
15:34they're especially concerned
15:36about the Mekong Delta region
15:37being vulnerable.
15:39After all,
15:40this is a highly fertile area
15:42responsible for most
15:43of Vietnam's agricultural output,
15:46with over 50% of it being,
15:48yep, rice.
15:49This nation is really
15:51putting in the effort
15:52to adjust to this new reality.
15:54They're flushing the rice fields
15:55in the Mekong Delta
15:56with fresh water
15:57to get rid of the saltiness.
15:59Our next stop
16:00is in the Caribbean Sea.
16:02Grenada is an island country,
16:04but you may know it
16:06as the Island of Spice
16:07since its tropical climate
16:08is just perfect
16:10for cultivating things like
16:11nutmeg, cinnamon,
16:13cloves,
16:14and ginger.
16:15Unfortunately,
16:16Grenada
16:17and its incredible
16:18fertile soil
16:19also face
16:20an uncertain future
16:21of being submerged.
16:23Let's talk about
16:24the last country
16:25on our list,
16:26the Solomon Islands.
16:28Five islands
16:28in this archipelago
16:30have already vanished
16:31beneath the waves,
16:32and six others
16:33are submerged
16:33by 20%.
16:35They include
16:36the Nusa Iveli Island,
16:38which was once
16:38a hot spot
16:39to go to
16:40for a picnic
16:41in the early 2000s.
16:42Even though
16:43the situation
16:44is complicated,
16:45it's important
16:45to note
16:46that more than
16:47300 of the islands
16:48there are inhabited.
16:50One thing
16:50about the Solomon Islands
16:52is that it seems
16:52like they're always
16:53in some kind
16:54of recovery mode,
16:55since the country
16:56often gets hit
16:57by tropical cyclones
16:59and flash floods.
17:00Their population
17:01is already working hard
17:02to save their homes
17:03from the rising seas
17:04by building stone walls
17:06along the coast,
17:07planting mangroves,
17:08and constructing houses
17:09in higher areas.
17:10To be continued...
17:11to be continued...
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