45 min. / 52 min. | Documentary

Qatar used to be a dry world of sand and stone. Then, pearls and gas brought great wealth and gave rise to skyscrapers, irrigation systems and traffic networks that are rapidly changing habitats and animal behavior. Newly-established artificial islands of „nature“ may prove only temporary - the parched peninsula on one of the world‘s warmest seas is battling climate change, and international scientists come here to study how eco-systems adapt in real time. Qatar has become a laboratory for the Earth's future – and an increasingly challenging home for its many inhabitants...

34 min. | Documentary

The World Cup 2022 in Qatar: Even in November, the newly built stadiums in the country with the highest CO2 emissions in the world have to be specially cooled due to extreme heat. Thousands of Asian migrant workers have died in the construction of the stadiums, a new airport, roads and hotels for the mega sporting event. Qatar points out that reforms in recent years have significantly improved the workers' situation. Even human rights activists acknowledge progress, but caution that the reforms are insufficiently implemented. A local inspection in a country caught between tradition and modernity, between authoritarianism and the desire to play an important role on the world stage.