60 mins, 2008
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Much is heard about the impact of climate change - but what's actually happening? Three films, made for international television, offer shocking and dramatic evidence of the way global warming is causing the world's ice to melt and the impact on people's lives.
FILM 1: BOLIVIA
Bolivia's Andes glaciers, which provide water for millions of people and power the country's hydroelectric plants, are melting at an unparalleled rate. It's estimated that the country will face water shortages within two years.
The Chacaltaya glacier, once the highest ski run in the world, is now a sad sliver of ice. Within the next two years, it will disappear completely. "In twenty years all the glaciers will be gone", predicts glaciologist Edson Ramirez.
For millions of people in the cities below, this spells disaster. Glaciers provide 60% of their water. Already, taps in the shanty towns regularly run dry. "There's nowhere for us to get water", despairs one woman. "The global warming problem is being produced by industrial nations and we are facing the consequences", complains official Javier Gonzales.
FILM 2: GREENLAND
Greenland's ice caps are melting faster than predicted - and local farmers couldn't be happier. Thanks to rising temperatures, they can now grow new crops and raise cattle. For the first time since the Vikings, farmers can now raise cattle. Warmer seas are bringing huge catches of cod and growing seasons are up to a month longer. "A little bit of extra warmth is good for us", states agricultural consultant Kenneth Hoegh. "We're growing things we would have hesitated to grow in the past." But not all farmers are happy. With so little snow, Stefan Magnusson finds it hard to herd his reindeer. Previously, he used a snowmobile but now he has to do it by helicopter.
FILM 3: THE ANTARCTIC
Of all the places affected by global warming, Antarctica seems to be experiencing the most dramatic climate change. The landscape has been transformed, leaving animals struggling to adapt.
"On really hot days, penguins are gasping for air", says Antarctic historian Dave Burkitt. Nearly 90% of glaciers here are retreating and ice shelves are collapsing at an alarming rate. With less ice available, seals have moved inland, where they disrupt nesting birds and damage plants. In 1914, the explorer Ernest Shackleton set out to explore Antarctica on foot. The film compares pictures of his historic voyage with the current situation revealing the dramatic scale of the changes.
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