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When the Rain Stops Falling

January 30, 2020

The growing scarcity of water and rain on earth is a grave danger to humans and nature. Climate change is altering the precipitation cycle. Groundwater levels are falling.

Symbolbild Mädchen Scheibe Regentropfen nachdenklich
Image: Fotolia/fotosergio

"Clearly we’ve messed up the show. Nature will always be here however. And nature can and will restore these ecosystems. The only question is, will we help her do that? Or will she do it by herself, after we are gone?"

Water is the foundation and the source of life. Water governs the subtle interactions of the Blue Planet’s ecosystem and its climate. It is a miracle. But by overusing water resources, the human species risks wiping itself out. Fresh water in particular is key for life on earth, but supplies are less plentiful than one might think. The increasing destruction of large areas of land is causing groundwater supplies to dwindle. Human intervention is undermining the most valuable and vital of all resources.

Water plays a significant role in the climate. As temperatures rise and the atmosphere warms, evaporating water acts as a greenhouse gas, fuelling the spiral of climate change. Scientists are trying to devise methods of using water to cool the atmosphere to reverse the trend. This documentary sheds light on the careless use of water, a finite resource we take for granted but without which life on earth isn’t possible.

 

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

FRI 20.03.2020 – 01:15 UTC
FRI 20.03.2020 – 05:15 UTC
SAT 21.03.2020 – 15:15 UTC
SUN 22.03.2020 – 19:15 UTC
MON 23.03.2020 – 09:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3

 

DW Deutsch+

MON 22.03.2020 – 09:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3 

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