Michelle with u. S. President Donald Trumps recent backing out of the paris climate accord, all eyes are now on germany to set a better example and take the lead on the future of the environment. Germany already has an image as a frontrunner in the transition towards clean energy, with strong commitments to reducing co2 and using renewable power. But the country stills relies on coal for a quarter of its energy needs. Some environmental activists say that its time this stops. Reporter this tree is currently home to sascha, as well call her. She doesnt want to tell us her name, because living 12 meters above the ground in this oak is illegal. She moved into hambach forest in western germany six months ago. Residing here could have serious consequences for her. Sascha its a protest. Of course its nice to live in the trees and be connected with nature, but were doing it as a protest, and we accept the fact that the police will remove us. So its important for us to stick together, because its not just about being evicted we will be arrested and put in jail. Reporter jailed for trying to protect the forest against its owner, energy giant rwe. This is no temporary treehouse for children. About 30 activists live up here summer and winter to send a signal. They are determined to prevent the mining of lignite coal here, which they see as a gross injustice. Only a few are willing to show themselves openly or speak with us. Kim, on the left, is wearing a mask as he explains his views. Kim theyve been cutting this forest down and driving the local people away for 40 years. For 40 years, theyve been risking local Peoples Health with the emissions from the mine and all that is completely legal. But what were doing occupying the forest and trying to keep it from being destroyed thats forbidden. Reporter the occupiers shot this video documenting their struggle for the trees. Here they confront the security personnel of rwe, who are trying to evict people from a treehouse. The situation escalates. It was supposed to be a peaceful protest, as the demonstrators are saying here. The Energy Company insists on making full use of its ownership rights. It has complete backing from the government to mine lignite or brown coal for decades to come. Guido the people sitting in the trees in hambach forest will not stay there much longer, because our Mining Operations have been approved. Climate protection is one goal of German Energy policy, but at the same time, policy must also ensure that a densely populated and highly industrialized country like germany is supplied with reliable and affordable sources of energy. Reporter but lignite is a dirty source of energy, argue sascha and kim. If the government continues to support its extraction, they say, those muchvaunted climate goals will never be achieved. Sascha this mine is the biggest producer of co2 in all of europe. And co2 concerns not only us, but the whole world. I dont trust the Political Parties to change anything. Its time we took the future into our own hands. Reporter its a symbolic struggle, because most of hambach forest was cut down long ago. The Open Pit Mine is a gigantic crater 400 meters deep. It has devoured not only the forest, but many villages as well. Thousands of people have had to resettle. Kurt classen grew up here and has been shocked to see the area decimated. He has entered into an Unusual Alliance with the tree occupiers. He lets them use his meadow beside the forest for their struggle against rwe. Classen is also fighting against the Energy Company. Kurt the primary approach is via legal means suing. And there are various options, but i couldnt manage it alone i need to cooperate with the activists. Consciously or unconsciously, we have a division of labor. They provide publicity, and i provide the arguments. Reporter up to now, Neither Court action nor treehouses have stopped the excavators. Germanys government doesnt plan to finish phasing lignite out until 2050. But sascha and kim arent giving up. For them its about more than lignite mining theirs is a battle against exploitation of people and nature. For them, hambach forest symbolizes both. Sascha on the one hand, there is this beautiful forest here, where everything is living and green and harmonious. And next to it is the mine, which is just a gigantic nothing its dead. Thats a sound starting point for this broader battle. Reporter its also a fight against time. Rwes security observes everything that happens in and near the forest. Sascha expects that her treehouse could soon be demolished, although she and her companions are prepared. Michelle while the debate over coal rages on, chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear that Nuclear Power is a thing of the past. After the Fukushima Nuclear disaster, half of germanys reactors were shut down, with all set to be permanently closed by 2022. It seems that a countrys preferred Energy Source is often tied to whoever is in power. All that the sun provides light, warmth, energy are free, right . Yet some people in spain say that their government is making them pay for it. Antonio alcaraz is a spanish farmer, who in planning for the future, invested in Renewable Energy, which made sense given that spain is one of the sunniest countries in europe. But with a levy on solar power imposed by the conservative government, he says his future is no longer so bright. Reporter the broccoli harvest is in full swing here in murcia. Antonio alcaraz is one of the regions many vegetable farmers. The yield is plentiful thanks to the spanish sunshine, but antonio has also invested in solar energy to improve his pension, and to do something for the environment. Antonio farming has been part of my life since i was a boy, with my parents and grandparents. And ive always had Great Respect for nature, because as farmers, we live off the land, it nourishes us. And this philosophy fits the concept of Renewable Energy, because ultimately its the same thing. You transfer the agricultural way of thinking to a more advanced technology. Reporter Antonio Alcaraz invested 180,000 euros in two of these solar modules. He and more than 400 other small investors created spains biggest cooperative solar park. But the modern facility is currently losing money, because the conservative government has drastically cut the subsidies for solar power. Antonio i feel swindled by my own government, by the politicians we spaniards voted into office. Its a disgrace. The politicians dont care about the wellbeing of the citizens. Unfortunately, thats how it is. Reporter once a week, the solar parks owners meet in the facilitys control room. Maintaining the park and paying the interest on their loans eats up all the revenues, while some shareholders even lose money. These people feel victimized like pawns in a bigger, political game. Francisco the Big Energy Companies regard us small investors as enemies, because we threaten their monopoly on the market. The big Spanish Companies want to maintain their monopoly and they have managed to get the government to agree to their demands. Reporter Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy has come under massive pressure because of his energy policy. Thousands of solar farmers have taken his government to court, while Foreign Investors are suing for damages. The claims add up to billions of euros. Spains politicians and the Big Energy Companies decline to make statements in front of the camera. Antonio has also filed a claim. Like thousands of other solar farmers, he feels defrauded. And his home and farm are collateral for the loans he took out. Antonio our politicians secure their pensions by joining the boards of the energy companies. Given that, its hardly surprising that they conduct this policy of weakening Renewable Energy and reinforcing Nuclear Energy and other sectors. Reporter murcia is one of europes sunniest regions. But you wont see solar panels on many roofs here. Not even solar farmers like antonio have solar panels at home. This is because the Spanish Government levies a tax on homeowners who install them. Antonio i think its appalling that the government wants money from us for using a Natural Resource like the sun. As you can see, our roofs are unused. No solar cells anywhere, unlike the countries in northern europe, where many people use solar energy for their own consumption. Reporter but Antonio Alcaraz isnt letting it get him down. He wants to be a role model for his children, and he is convinced that clean energy is possible especially in sunny spain. Michelle when you have an emergency, in many cases, you call the police. But what if the police have a problem . Who do they call . Swedens police force is in turmoil, complain some of their officers. Structures and practices that had existed for decades were abandoned in the name of improved performance and greater efficiency. Now, an already overburdened system is at breaking point. The government insists that the situation will improve, but things are looking bleak. Reporter emelie lagervall used to be a policewoman. She loved being a Patrol Officer in the swedish municipality of norrkoping. It was her dream job. But one day she gave up and quit. Emelie i became a Police Officer to prevent crimes. But the way things developed, the number of reports filed just kept on increasing. We were too preoccupied with all the emergencies to deal with preventive work. Reporter now she works for the city council. The work hours are more family friendly. But most importantly, theres enough personnel to handle the workload, which wasnt the case in the police force. Emelie we had to investigate yearold cases. Wed call people up and say, hi, were looking into this now. And theyd reply, what have you been doing til now . Witnesses would say, back then i might have been able to remember, but a whole years gone by and i dont even remember what the suspect was wearing. I wasnt taking notes. Reporter she says there are simply too few officers, though more have been hired in recent years. Sweden currently has some 20,000 policemen and women. But thats not enough to give people a feeling of security, especially in the highcrime neighborhoods of swedish cities like here in rinkeby, a suburb of stockholm. At night, gangs roam the streets. These officers who are coucting traffic checks have called for reinforcements and donned protective gear. Theyve been attacked on duty before. Many of those who live here are afraid to go out at night. Some have the impression that the police could do more when it comes to minor offenses, such as ove karlsson. One night he and his wife were watching tv when they heard a noise. Karlsson went upstairs and found that someone had broken into their home. The damage was minimal, and the thieves only got away with a few valuables. After karlsson called the police, they came by and collected evidence. Ove they registered the case and ive since received a letter saying i can collect the pieces of evidence from the breakin soon. But im assuming the police will not solve the crime. Reporter its cases of Violent Crime where police are really struggling to cope. In the Southern City of malmo, gangs involved in the drug trade have been fighting turf wars for years. Shootings are common, but investigators are rarely able to apprehend those responsible. They lack the equipment and officers. In 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, border controls were reintroduced which required extra personnel. Swedens Police Union Says a lack of staff prevents more crimes from being solved. Lena we have trouble finding enough people to fill Police Training positions people who meet the necessary requirements to perform the job of a Police Officer. Reporter though he may get more funding, swedens Police Commissioner says its not enough. Dan no matter how much money the police receives, we cant guarantee security in sweden all on our own. We need the support of other authorities the tax department, customs, the coast guard, and local governments. Reporter with that support, the police hope to regain the confidence of the swedish people. Still, emelie lagervall is certain shell never wear a Police Officers uniform again. Most of his life fighting for social justice. Whether it was trying to save forests from destruction or organizing a home owners association, this young activist truly believed individuals could change their world as long as they werent afraid to speak up. But this changed when he was arrested and convicted while attending an antifascist rally in moscow. He then saw for himself the socalled prison culture critics say is blighting russian society. One in which everyone from political dissidents like himself to even minor offenders can be incarcerated or sent to penal camps. Here, he tells us his personal story. Alexey i was accused of taking part in a protest, of assaulting a Police Officer. I went to a protest with friends. Back then, i was a member of the antifascist moment. The authorities knew about it and wanted to take me off the streets. Police officers attacked a protester near me. I saw it happen and went to help. I tried to pull him away from the Police Officer. The charge sheet said id grabbed a policeman by the arm as he tried to detain someone else the opposite of what i actually did. I couldnt understand it. I was busy with my career and didnt want to lose time. I thought that if i just signed a confession, did what they want, that perhaps theyd let me go. In the end, i spent 3. 5 years behind bars. I was 27 when they arrested me. I lost crucial years of my life. I know for sure that no court anywhere else in europe would have deprived me of my liberty for this kind of offence. Only in russia. The worst thing in prison were the deaths. 18 prisoners died while i was inside. Every two months someone died, because of the system and its problems. If someone goes mad from sheer loneliness, they dont get any psychological help. Prisoners get sadder and sadder, withdraw, and start speaking gibberish, and stop caring about things. They might, for instance, start picking up cigarette butts from the floor and eating them. That kind of behavior gets them separated from the other prisoners, and that makes everything even worse. When you ask prison officers about it, they just say that everyone has their own problems. In the middle of winter, they might put prisoners like that in an unheated, icy isolation cell. Of course, that prisoners going to get sick and then one thing leads to another. Russian prisons are inhumane. Its not about conscious evil, its just that everything is organized in such a way that no one feels responsible for individual prisoners. As time went by, i began to understand that what happened to me was unavoidable. I got stuck in the cogs of our repressive judicial system. When i saw what it looked like from the inside, that really convinced me to fight the system once i got out. To make sure that one day russia is a free country. I have no other choice. Michelle there is a place where people live where there are no police, doctors, shops, services, or even internet access. No, its not an island of makebelief, but the small greek island of arki. Yet, the 30 inhabitants who mostly make their living from fishing and raising sheep do have one tiny school for their two students. Reporter christos and panagiotis are brothers. It takes them 30 minutes to walk to school each morning they have to cross the whole island. Their school is actually in a house the home of their teacher silia and the two boys are her only pupils. First on todays schedule is greek. Writing, grammar and punctuation which are particularly important for christos. Hes only seven years old and in year two. Panagiotis should already be going to high school except the island doesnt have one. Silia it feels like im at home with my kids, not like im a teacher in school. We have a very personal relationship and talk about our feelings every day. Reporter silia thinks that its important to prepare her pupils for life off the island. The schoolbooks tend to be directed at children who live in cities. Silia has to tell her pupils all about buses or traffic lights which dont exist on arki. The two brothers dont feel lonely here, though. Panagiotis i dont have any classmates, but i have older siblings to play with at home, and my little brother is here with me at school. I can play with him on the swings or the slide. Reporter the boys have a 20 minute break to play together. But unlike at other schools, the boys miss out on team sports which is also part of education. Three people really arent enough to play basketball. Silia i can see that theyre having fun, but still im sad. I know how they would like being in a school with more pupils. I can compare this school to others, but they cant. Reporter in the afternoon, the teacher pays a visit to their parents and grandparents. She explains that panagiotis should really be attending high school now, but hed need to go to patmos the next island. Silia a child has to get an education, regardless of their later job. Michalis how will we get him to patmos . We would need a boat to go there every day, and the mayor says thats not possible. Whats the boy supposed to do on paos, ay from home . Reporter the ferry only stops at arki four times a week weatherpermitting. Its the only connection to the mainland. Theres no doctor on the island, and no government authorities. Most of arkis 30 inhabitants are either fishermen or shepherds. They have modest incomes. Silja is originally from athens. Shes spending just one year teaching on the island. Silia its as if im living in a different, parallel greece that people dont know about at all in the cities. They have no idea about the conditions and challenges that people face in isolated areas. Reporter the next day, the boys and their teacher go on an excursion. Panagiotis were taking pictures of the island to make a map for tourists, so they know where the beaches are, where the church is, and the tavernas, so they know where to eat. Reporter the pupils also have a couple of things they can teach silia how to catch fish, for example. But this idyllic setup will soon close down when christos completes his education because so far, there are no more children to follow him. Michelle its sad to think that the school will close. What does that mean for the future of the island . At least the boys seem to be relishing their very unique and personal education. Thats it for today. Thank you for watching. Send me a tweet or check out our facebook page, dw stories, to find out more about the program. Until next time, its goodbye from me and the whole team. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. 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