Episode 1 Arctic Live

Good evening from Arctic Canada. This is one of the most hostile,

most challenging and utterly beautiful environments on earth, and

over the next three nights we are going to be taking you on a journey

across this extraordinary region and introducing you to its most

charismatic resident, the polar bear. Ladies and gentlemen, this is

Arctic Live. It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon here

in Canada. The temperature is a balmy minus 8, cold enough to freeze

your mascara. We are on the shores of Hudson Bay. This is a very

important area, because over the next few weeks this will be the

first place in this region where the sea ice will form. Understand is a

winter event that can't come soon enough for one of the animals here.

George Buchanan will tell us more. Good evening indeed, and that animal

is the polar bear. The most recognisable animal on the planet. A

real true Arctic I con. I have two just behind me here. They are

Without a doubt one of the most impressive animals I have ever spent

time with. Our cameras have been here for the last ten days trying to

film their every move. I've been lucky enough to spend time in the

company of these animals before. Over the next hour, over the next

couple of days we'll be bringing our cameras and all of ow much closer to

these incredible creaturers. Thank you Gordon, as well as being home to

polar bears this area is also home to people. People live and work

here. There are also some of the world's most valuable resources

here. The Arctic is changing fast. It is a place that people want to

exploit. It is a place that people want to conquer. 20 miles from where

Gordon and I are, here in the tundra, is a small town call

Churchill. And that is where Simon Reeve is. Yes, hello everybody I'm

on the edge of the town of Churchill. Very excited that you've

got bears. This is a small town, 700 or 800 people roughly. But what

makes this town very special is it lies smack bang on the migration

route for polar bears as they head to their winter hunting ground.

Polar bears can and do come into this town. It is dangerous for them

as they come into interaction with humans and for us, which is why we

have an armed guard. Hello Brady. Say hello. He is watching the brush,

because that's where lots of polar bears lurk. Before we talk to him

let's have some context of where we are. Most of the town is over there.

That's where the high street is, the main street as they call it. Down

there is the port of Churchill, which you can't see because it is

snowing heavily. Hudson Bay is enormous. It is five times the size

of the United Kingdom. I'm at the railway station. Over the next few

nights we'll try to introduce you to people as well in the Arctic. Tell

you a little bit about their lives, the joys and the challenges of

living here. This railway station, this train for example is a lifeline

for people in the north. There is no road connection with the road of

Churchill, so many of the goods and food people rely on has to come in

by train. Train. This is a region we are going to explore and try to

explain a little bit over the next three nights live on BBC Two. This

is the Arctic! Head north on our planet, the

temperature drops and you enter the realm of the Arctic. Remote and

distant, it's a mystical place that looms large in our imaginations.

Spanning all 24 time zones this is a region dominated by the vast expanse

of the Arctic ocean. Over 5 million square miles of frozen sea

surrounding the North Pole. This is a place of extremes. Above the

Arctic Circle the year starts in total darkness. Temperatures fall to

minus 50 degrees. While in summer the sun shines brightly through the

night. The ice is a crucial habitat for wildlife. Providing shelter and

food for whales and seals. And for the polar bears, a place to hunt.

And they are not alone. 4 million people call this national place

home, this incredible place home. This is not just a show or anything.

This is part of our life. It is part of who we are. Here life is ruled by

ice. Every year the ocean freezes through the winter. Until the sun

climbs over the horizon and temperatures rise, bringing the

great melt. In the autumn, the cycle begins again. And the world of ice

returns. This delicate balance helps regulate the earth's temperature.

But the Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else. It feels like it

has been here forever and that it will last until the end of time. But

actually it is so fragile. This last great wilderness has

become the last great frontier. For some, less ice means great

opportunities. There's a promise of new shipping routes and the prospect

of untapped oil and gas. But for others, it could bring huge

sacrifices. Have you put at risk a way of life, is that more valuable?

How do you even price such a thing? In a place where life is driven by

ice, what happens when it disappears? In Churchill every year

polar bears gather on the shores of Hudson Bay to wait for the big

freeze. And every year they're waiting longer. Living with these

Arctic icons is a huge challenge. He's coming back. Any closer and I'm

getting into the car. But the prospect of a future without them is

impossible to imagine. Out here on the tundra I'm on one side of this

lake. If you can see that enormous buggy over there, that is where

Gordon is and we have been watching some entrancing footage of the polar

bear. Gordon, we are going to come straight to you to see this bear.

And spoil my lovely quiet moment I was having with this beautiful bear?

I'm trying to do three things at once. Watch this bear, think and

operate the camera at the same time. We have another bear over there. I'm

going to whizz round. Let's look at this one. There you go. Go. A lovely

big bear. This is polar bear central. This one is on the move.

And this fella is lying down. These bears are doing the same thing, they

are waiting for the sea ice to freeze. You might be forgiven for

thinking this is the sea ice. This is actually a pond, frozen fresh

water lake. It is practically frozen solid, so all of the bears in this

area are just killing time, waiting for the sea to freeze, trying to

conserve energy. And wait for them to feed again. Nearer these bears,

they've probably not had a substantial meal for three months

now. They are a creature, let me just see if I can zoom in. It will

be a little bit bouncy, because there's a few of us on this. They're

a very patient creature, the polar bear. They are physiologically

adapted to put up with these long periods without food. This bear is

just stunning. I'm blown away be it. Kate, I don't know if you've got any

other bears on your side but we'll see what you've got there. It is

beautiful. Thank you Gordon. I'm seeing yours from a different

angling but haven't got quite the close-up lens. If you would like the

ask us any questions while on air you can e-mail [email protected].

Or contacting us on Twitter use the #ArcticLive. There are roughly 19

populations of polar bear. About 25,000 animals in total, scattered

across the Arctic. But Churchill likes to call itself the polar bear

capital of the world. Gordon went to find out whether it deserves that

title or not. Churchill might be remote, but once a year this small

town becomes the centre of the polar bear world. Thousands of people come

here with one thing on their minds. We've come to see polar bears! It's

so awesome to be able to see them in the wild. Once a trading post and

the military stronghold, Churchill sits on the western shores of Hudson

Bay. The town lies right on the migration route the bears take every

year to reach their frozen hunting grounds. This is a regular town, the

school bus is there. Just a regular town with some polar bears wandering

around. When ice breaks up in spring, they come ashore. Fasting

through summer, conserving energy where they can. But every autumn

when temperatures drop, hungry bears head back to the Bay, waiting for

the ice to form so they can head out to hunt once more. Living side by

side with polar bears obviously has its dangerers but Churchill has its

very own polar bear cops. Manitoba conservation runs patrols day and

night. Call-outs get a rapid response and bears are chased away.

Problem bears are taken to polar bear jail and held for up to a

month. Before being relocated by helicopter and released further up

the coast. Now that is something you don't see every day. Unless you live

in Churchill. It is fair to say Churchill has embraced its status as

the polar bear capital of the world. It is not the easiest of

relationships. But this tiny remote town remains one of the best places

on the planet to see one of earth's most extraordinary animals. Hello

again. We are live in the town. As I said, bears do come right into the

town. Sightings and encounters, as they call ate, are reported to a

polar bear alert hotline. I have some statistics for the season.

Polar bears have come into the area around the town 22 times just this

week. 184 times this year. Brady, I was pointing at your dog. This is

your dog. What breed is she? If you are an album for jobs. View

can, volunteer firefighter 's bear guard. Today. 'S dangerous are they?

An extremely, especially this time of year, they are very hungry,

looking for position in the eyes as it forms. A loss of action on the

tundra. They were here first in the town is in the first-half. His

position on the ice. We've been chatting to do that, that, you

rather love the full affairs. That is the main driver while I'm here, I

feel responsibility to try to help preserve the species is not of my

function is to help them in this that this is your garden is from the

fares but is it fair garden and bears

What if worst comes as you are how can you protect themselves if they

encounter in bears? On one thing to do is to live in pictures live with

a friend of the pathogen. The Trek Factory

you have a starting pistol to scare them away. I have this nine

millimetre pistol. It works... That goes on the top like that. The

climate in the Arctic is changing rapidly, something we'll talk about

much more tomorrow. As the ice melts, communities in the far north

have to take tough decisions about their future and whether they

exploit them was his. I headed to Greenland to find out more. It's

late summer in Greenland. I'm on a boat heading to a small town. There

are a few obstacles in our way. It is absolutely incredible here.

Greenland, the biggest island in the world, is almost nine times the size

of the UK. Almost the entire country is covered by a fast, thick ice

sheet, so the population of 56,000 lives around the coast. It looks

spectacular. I headed to Narsaq. The people traditionally relied on

fishing and hunting for their living. Nina Jensen a teach in the

school here shows me around. It's a small community, people know each

other and they care about each other. You might even somehow be

related to them. Does it feel everyone is extended family? Yeah.

I'm just realising, it is currently quarter past six on Monday, and if

we just turn on all the way around, you can see there is not a lot going

on here, is there? No. Very quiet. The charm of ice in a summer

disguises the fact life here is tough, declining fish stocks and

collapse of the fishing industry means high unemployment and an

exodus. The town population has fallen 20% in the last decade. It

kind of looks like a ghost town. It's quite sad, isn't it? There are

still families living here but most of them are closed. This is the

other side of Narsaq. It seems like people kind of lost hope about

Narsaq. Have you lost good friends who have moved away? Yeah, all those

who I went to school with, I might be the only one who moved back.

Really? Greenland is a young country that became largely independent from

Denmark in 2009. Many here now want to capitalise on the fact the Arctic

is warming and the ice retreating. There are plans to develop huge

mines across Greenland. This man is from Denmark. He works for the worm

that wants to mine the mountain behind Narsaq, he hopes new industry

can stop the exodus. How much of a challenge if it to keep youngsters

in Greenland? My daughter is 23, she is studying in Denmark, so is my

son, my wife is down there, you know, taking care of them. That's

tricky. It is a big challenge. We have this Spain drain, if there is

no job or future for them, with education. I hope my children are

coming back but I don't know for sure. Is it one of the reasons he

wanted to get involved in the company behind the mine? The

resources is not fish or hunting. I also think the resources is

minerals. Geologists say the mountain here contains huge deposits

of extremely valuable rare earth minerals. Mining is a huge story

across the Arctic with enormous environmental and social

consequences. The plan is for the next 37 years to move about 3

million tonnes a year. For 37 years. We could go on for even longer. What

sort of scale are we talking about for the pit? Not a small hole. It's

going to be a huge hole in the ground. Mining in Greenland has

split the country, the economic potential is clearly massive, but

the environmental risks worry many. Here there is the presence of

radioactive uranium which the miners will have to dig up to get to the

rare earth minerals. Does the worry about the uranium here keep you

awake at night, are you concerned about that aspect? I've been talking

to the chemical engineers and people who've worked in this industry many

years, they are saying it is doable. If we look to other countries, if

you can do it in Canada with similar climatic challenges, we can do it in

Greenland. What a place. When I look at this,

of course, a major part of my mind thinks, this is a beautiful

wilderness. Leave it as it is. Keep the stuff in the ground. Of course

every country uses its resources as best it can for the benefit of its

people. Greenland is no different. People here need jobs.

Among those arguing against the mine are some of the area's sheep those

Now we have to gather all the sheep from the mountains and then we will

have the lambs given to the store, what do you call it?

Are you talking about the slaughterhouse?

Naasu's husband, Pitak, inherited the farm four years ago after his

His family have been farming here for how long?

This way of life hasn't changed for generations.

But Naasu and Pitak are worried it's now at risk.

Managed to get the sheep, including the very

They fear radioactive dust from the mine

Some local people already told us, we won't be

buying your meat if the

Because we know that the sheep will get affected.

Actually touchy to talk about this because

Like, this is the worst thing that could happen to us, that we

If the mine comes, do you think you'll

I think we can find another way of living.

We don't know what, but we

The mining firm says the risks will be minimal

and indications are the government will give the go-ahead.

Mining in Greenland and across the Arctic is

There are some really massive changes coming here and happening

Life in Greenland will never be the same.

stunning film. We'll be talking more about the changes happening in the

Arctic, programme. Now I want to introduce you to Doctor Steve and

strap, chief scientist at polar bear international. Thank you for joining

us. -- Steve Anstrup. You've been studying polar bears a long time,

you studied brown bears before polar bears, what is it about these

animals that makes them so compelling? Polar bears are, like

other bears, have captured the human imagination. These in particular,

the largest of all of the bears roaming around in an environment

that looks like the surface of the moon. How could they even make an

existence out there, let alone become the largest of all of these

bears? It seems like a ripe plum and the wildlife profession I then very

happy to have been able to do it. You must have seen, talking about

changes, some tremendous changes over your career. I know you were

responsible for getting the poll bear classified as a threatened

species. -- polar bear. What was it that drove you to urge the US

government to pacify them that way? When I first went to the north slope

of Alaska to study polar bears, in summertime the ice was right against

the shore. Years later the ice was hundreds of miles offshore, now if

you go there in summer you can't see the ice. We could see these changes

and new because polar bears depend on ice to make a living, that they

were having an impact. The work we did in 2007 protected we could lose

two thirds of the world's bears in the middle of the century. We could

lose them all by the end. That was the evidence that compels the

secretary of the interior to list polar bears as threatened. You say

polar bears depend on the ice. Val Walker e-mailed us to say why do

they depend on ice to look back at sea ice? They catch mainly wind and

bearded seals, it's what they eat. Seals which are basically giant fat

pills on the ice, high energy, allowing diverse be large. The bears

have evolved a system of catching them from the ice. If the ice isn't

there they can't swim fast enough to catch seals and the seals don't come

onto the land. The ice is what allows the Bears to reach prey. This

is the concern, as ice forms later every day, and perhaps doesn't hang

around so long, polar bears have a shorter window to feed themselves. A

longer period when they are food deprived, stuck on land, an distant

pack ice, and a shorter period on the ice hunting for seals. Gordon

has said maybe many of the Bears here may not have eaten for three

months. Another question that came in from Rupert in London is how long

polar bears can go without eating. We're doing analysis. It looks like

females with young calves are the most vulnerable and their calves

will start to suffer by getting less meat from their mother deprived of

food for 110 days. All females that comes ashore after Rifat, they could

go over 200 days without eating. A remarkable ability to fast, but not

an unlimited ability. We'll come back to you later in the programme.

Thank you for your programmes. Keep them coming.

Something in the region of 10,000 tourists visit Churchill doing polar

bear season. They stay for a few days. What is the reality of living

in a place like this full time? Simon Reed want to find out.

Churchill, like communities across the Arctic, endures extremes. The

town is more than 600 miles from the nearest city, and winter

temperatures here regularly plummet to minus 30 degrees centigrade. I'm

growing around in a circle at the moment, round the block, because

that's all there is! In many ways this town is a bit of an island. The

roads go a few miles around the town and a few miles outside the town,

and then that is it. The only real way to get here is by plane or

train. The railway links Churchill to the city of Winnipeg, 48 hours to

the south, with other stops along the way. Welcome to Churchill! Thank

you. Careful coming down. Hundreds of tourists arrive here during bear

season, but because prices in Churchill are up to double what they

are in less remote parts of Canada, the train is of critical importance

to other locals like Charlie. This is the only way out, because they

can't afford the plane. Plane. They go out usually once or twice a month

and bring their groceries back. Thompson is 300 miles by train,

about a 12-hour ride. It is a lot cheaper than the price are here. The

railway was built in 1929 to move grain from the prayeries in the

south to here in Churchill's port. From Churchill the edge of the

Arctic it was shipped to other parts of Canada and around the world. The

port's owner has just stopped using it and its future is now uncertain.

Its closure was doubtless increase Churchill's isolation and its

possible decline. But this town seems to have a way of making the

best of things. Hang on, let's look at this. An up to the minute weather

report for the town of Churchill. If the Rock is blue, it is cold. If the

Rock is gone... There's been a tornado! Life on the frontier isn't

for everyone. The climate is harsh, the costs are high. But somehow

Churchill, a town at the end of the earth, survives. We are live again

here in Churchill. You just caught me admiring this great beastie of a

train. Look at it. It has two engines at that end. You don't want

to be rolling across the tundra of Canada with polar bears and other

life around with just one, because they can break down. Down. This is a

viewing car with a conservatory on top from which you can watch the

aurora borealis, or the northern lights. Over here we've got Dwayne.

Hello Dwayne. I'm all stiff. People walk like that here don't they?

Sure, on a lovely cold day like today. Thank you for standing here

today. Much appreciated. You are from Parks Canada. What are your

priorities here in Churchill? We manage two of our national historic

sites and one of our National Parks. And what are the historic sites?

York Factory and Prince of Wales Fort. Item us about the fort, who

built it? The fort was built, owned and operated by the Hudson Bay

Company, a fur trading establishment, during the 18th

century. Does that money Churchill was originally a fur trading town?

Absolutely, the town grows up around the fur trading post and the company

has exclusive trading rights with the first nations peoples in the

area around Hudson Bay. So fur is what brought travellers here

originally. Now people come by plane and train to see the polar bears.

Has anyone got a live polar bear there? Fingers crossed. Simon, I

have a bear just behind me here. I'm going to call in Steve. Steve, can

you scoot in here? What do you think, shall I give you my

binoculars? Can you tell me about this bear, it looks quite a

youngster. I would say it could be three or four years old. From this

angle I can't tell for sure but it looks like it is a young female.

When you say a sub-adult, three to four years old, when do they

separate off from the adults? Females keep their cubs with them

for about two-and-a-half years. OK. So anything after that is considered

a sub-adult until five or six, when they begin to reproduce on their

own. And will a young bear like this have learnt this migration route

from its mother? Most likely, because they only go into dens their

first year. They are born in a den. They come out and the cubs don't go

into a den again. They are on the ice with their mother in the

wintertime. They come off the ice in the spring and go back again. They

have done that a couple of times. Thank you. I'm very excited. Lovely

to see bears. For many years humans have been battling against the

Arctic and everything that it throws at them. But now that the Arctic is

ripe for exploitation countries are preparing to battle for it.

73, 77... It's April in the far north of Canada and the Armed Forces

are on the move. Deep in the Maze of islands that form the Arctic

archipelago around 100 troops have pitched camp on Little Cornwallis

island. Their here to prove that Canada is willing and able to run an

Army in the high Arctic. Right now what we have here is Operation

Inupiat. We are patrolling for a presence patrol, keeps the presence

on the land in our territories. It shows that we want this area and we

would like to keep it. Some are in the Arctic for the first time.

You're going to work the a a few times and ensure it is working

smoothly. A year ago Private Steve Lockyer was on duty in the searing

heat of Afghanistan. All good. Here he is facing a whole new set of

problems. I've never experienced anything this cold. The last two

days we had it was just crazy wind. The whole tent was shaking. Whenever

you went on your shift you had to pace back and forth to keep that

extra blood flowing through your body. With wind-chill it gets below

minus 40 degrees here. The body restricts blood flow to exposed

extremities and if they are not reheated immediately, cells begin to

die. We've had a few guys that got a bit of minor frostbite. You never

really know when it's setting in. We watched one guy the other day

instructing something, we watched the side of his nose going white. He

didn't feel it happening. Is yours OK? Yes, it is getting a little

chilly now. You should cover up, your nose is going... Going white,

is it? That's what I mean. You never know when it's going to happen.

Keeping warm, it can be a matter of hours between life and death in this

environment. I couldn't believe it could be this cold anywhere! The

Arctic has long been a place of strategic importance. In World War

II, brutal battles were fought along an icy eastern front. During the

Cold War, the Soviet Union flexed its muscles with military manoeuvres

across the north. The United States and Canada stationed troops from

Alaska to Greenland, and built an early warning system in case

long-range missiles were sent over the top of the world. The Cold War

ended 25 years ago, but climate change means valuable natural

resources may be up for grabs. So some believe the Arctic could become

a frontier once more. Relations between East and West have

deteriorated of late and in the north Russia's impressive network of

bases continues to grow. While Canada has a far smaller permanent

military presence. But an indigenous Inuit population still makes a

living here in hunting communities scattered across this territory.

Their traditional knowledge has been put to use by the military as part

of a northern volunteer force called the Canada Rangers. Their job here

is to protect the camp from the oldest enemy they know. Bears. When

I hear polar bears in the not far distance I try to chase occupy with

the snowmobile. But if they keep coming back and try to attack us,ly

just shoot it right away. Their weapon of choice... It is vintage

but dependable. This is a 303 British rifle, the best gun in the

Arctic. The others... These are the best up north. I like helping

others. That's my thing. To keep everybody safe. Safe. To the

Canadian military this local expertise is ir replaceable. The

Rangers are an incredible group of people. The benefit of having the

Rangers on the ground with us here is we learn the traditional skills

that have been passed on for thousands of years. Making igloos,

snow shelters, how to survive on land, to navigation. The Rangers are

the knowledge keepers and the watchers of the north. But they are

here to make sure that we don't die on the land. Traditional knowledge

is one thing. But the military are here to show they can practise

modern warfare in the snow. If you feel unsafe at all, start shooting.

Ready! For Steve, that means target practise with some serious weaponry.

I think I've done alright. My hands are frozen. A different experience

shooting in the cold. Your hands get colder. The weapons function a

little bit differently. It is tough up here, but to create a force

capable of fighting in the Arctic there is no substitute for first

hand experience. I didn't think I would be coming to the Arctic. But

here I am. Any place really can turn into a potential campaign. We just

have to be prepared to deploy anywhere. At the moment, there seems

no immediate threat of a Russian invasion. So for now the biggest

danger remains the cold. Your nose is going again. It doesn't take

long. I think it'd be grossly unfair just to have polar bears on Arctic

Live. I'm joined by a polar bear expert. One of the world's finest,

Andy here. You are a pro perfect at the University of Alberta and you've

been studying polar bears for 32 years? Just 32. A one-trick pony. I

can understand completely why this animal has so captivated you, but

you've worked with them across the range, not just in Canada. That's

right, I was working on polar bears in the Norwegian Arctic in Svalbard

for several years. That's where I've spent time with polar bears in the

past. You can't compare one polar bear population like-for-like. They

are different. They are different, they are the same. Genetically they

are similar to the bears in Norway but the bears here do things

differently. If we went south we would find the pregnant females at

this time of year. In the high Arctic they will dig their den into

a snow bank. Here they are digging into the very thick Pete banks. When

the snow comes they will giver birth to their cubs. And you know quite a

lot about 13 bears in this area, because you've been doing GPS

collaring? That's right. We have satellite collars and we have six

locations for the bears. We can follow them for up to a year or two

depending on the bear. I was hoping that we might see one of your

collared bears. You told me yesterday that the nearest bear is

about 40 miles from here? Yes. At this time of years the females don't

want to come up to the coast. Most of the bears have cubs. Around the

coast we have a lot of adult males. They are dangerous for those small

cubs. They will kill them, so the females don't want to come anywhere

near them at this time. If you spent time with the bears in the Arctic at

this time of year you might be forgive than they don't do much,

they don't like to walk around, but as we've seen from your data they

can put on the speed and motor around.

These bears are on vacation, waiting for the ice to come back. When it

comes back they will move north up the coast and head on the forming

sea ice onto Hudson Bay. They are hunting seals all the time. This is

where they make their living, way out on the sea ice. The interesting

thing is they will come right back here, they've got this amazing

ability to home right back into this area. The Belvedere following is 11,

she left a pub. She lost her cub over the winter but she's coming

back here. Probably where she was born as well. In total we are

talking, some Bears could move thousands of miles? Over winter.

Easily, about 800 kilometres to the other side, 500 miles, they can

easily go there and back, moving about 15-20 kilometres, ten miles a

day is nothing. Driven by food. You'll be with me for the next

couple of days. I'd like to go back to Kate to find out if that bear

with her earlier is still with her. Thank you, Gordon, we have got a

bear live just here, the most magnificent sight, I can barely tear

my eyes away from her. These polar Bears bring in thousands of tourists

to Churchill every bear season. They bring valuable revenue. For other

communities in the Arctic they have become more dependent on revenue

from some things that may give them short-term benefits but long-term

could undermine their entire existence.

At the northernmost tip of the United States, it's the middle of

June. If you were asked to imagine what the north coast of Alaska looks

like 500 miles above the Arctic Circle, I'm guessing you might think

it looks like this, a vast expanse of frozen tundra with no sign of

human habitation. The reality of the modern-day Arctic is much of it

looks like this. The Arctic is full of resources, one of the most

important being oil. With oil comes infrastructure, buildings, money and

people. This is a dead horse, the hub of

operations for the Prideaux Bay oilfield. The deposit discovered

here in the late 1960s was the biggest in the whole of North

America. My guide here is Joe. This is one of our oil trucks. Of Little

red services. Which helps customers like BP to keep the oil flowing.

Everything we're going past, is it all directly connected to the oil

industry? Yes, it is, there is nothing here that isn't oil related,

nobody lives here full-time. The only reason this place exists is to

support the oilfield. Access to the well is off-limits but on the edge

of town Joe shows me a piece of infrastructure this place couldn't

do without. This looks like the end of the road. This is the

trans-Alaska pipeline. Where that building is. It works its way before

it goes underground. It goes 795 miles that way. Over three mountain

ranges, because a couple of major rivers. Why isn't the oil taken out

by road? Presumably it can't go out by ship. The ocean freezes. It also

couldn't go out by truck because at its prime it was open 2.1 million

barrels a day down this line, a lot of trucks. From here in Prudhoe Bay

on the north coast of Alaska, the pipeline stretches right across the

state all the way to the south. Oil could now be pumped directly from

the Arctic to an ice free harbour with access to the Pacific ocean and

the rest of the world. When the oil began to flow, so did the money.

What was it like when you got here in late 1979? It was the wild West.

I mean I was a young kid working on a drilling rig. It was an

opportunity of a lifetime, I was making more money than I knew what

to do with. After my first, I went off and bought a house, great

things, the biggest thing that had ever happened in Alaska. As the

industry grew, dead horse expanded into the sprawling industrial hub it

is today. But the oil workers are relative newcomers on the north

Slope. Along the coast from Deadhorse is

the city of Barrow, home foot centuries to the indigenous Inupiat

people. This is the day that we celebrate

catching the whale. It's a nice, happy

get together party. The whole whale is shared

with everybody. We were blessed with it,

so we're going bless Bowhead whales are the prize catch

here and to mark successful hunts, the community comes together

to share in the spoils, and to take part in

the traditional blanket toss. This is how hunters once

tracked their prey on the sea ice. The higher you jump,

the further you see and the more Why is it important

for the community to That's what we have been doing

from time immemorial. Subsistence hunting is no longer the

only way to make a living. After the oil was discovered, the Inupiat

secured a share of the profit and ever since oil money has funded both

local government and individuals. In the form of an annual pay-out.

Edward is an elder in this community and until 2011 he was mayor of the

North Slope Borough. There is no question our economy has been based

on oil. Airports, roads, housing, health clinics, jobs, we are

dependent on oil and gas for our infrastructure up here. But with the

oil comes a dilemma. See Inupiat can tolerate onshore drilling beneath

the tundra, but Prudhoe Bay oil is slowly running out. Companies

started looking at untapped deposits beneath the Arctic Ocean. In 2005

Shell began acquiring rights to drill offshore. For Edward this

threatened the Inupiat way of life. You opposed it, is that right? Over

my dead body, I said. What were you worried about? Valdez, the first

major oil spill in American waters. In 1989 the Exxon Valdez ran aground

at the other end of the pipeline. Over a quarter of a million barrels

of crude oil has devastating effects on marine wildlife and a similar

spill in Arctic waters could be even more of a problem. The development

Shell were doing was right in the path of a bonehead wale westward

migration. They had no oil spill equipment up here. They had no Coast

Guard. No other ships to come to their age, nothing you know, what's

wrong with you guys? -- come to their aid. How do you put at risk a

way of life, is it more valuable? Than a wail out there? How do you

even priced such a thing? Shell was forced to improve its safety plan

before test drilling was finally approved. But working offshore is

expensive so in 2015 with the oil price at rock bottom, plans were put

on hold. The dilemma, though, remains, when onshore oil runs out,

so will the money the Inupiat depend on. But going offshore risks a spill

that could be even more damaging to their way of life. That's what we're

going to be faced with. For us it becomes a matter of survival. We

going to do it. We're going to survive.

I'm living Churchill. On one of the streets. Houses around. With my

expense, mayor of Churchill. Thanks for joining us. -- with Mike Spence.

Welcome to Churchill. Pleased to have you here. I was wondering what

you are going to say. We would have seen a film where they've heard

about the challenges that people in the far north facing. What would you

say the biggest challenges you are facing here are? One of the

challenges we are faced with in our community in particular is the fact

that employment is really a critical tool for us as a community to

prosper. People need jobs. People need jobs, we're a community that

is, as you are known, well known. Tourism plays a big role. We have

turned tourism to be one of the number-1 resources that we basically

signal to northern Canada and other communities that you know, they are

faced with challenges, there are opportunities. You've had a shock

recently, what happened at the port? In July this year we were notified

the owner of the port rail line were cancelling the 20 16th shipping

season. It has put jobs into uncertainty, hasn't it? --

cancelling the 2016. We're trying to work with them,

we've not been successful, but... Fingers crossed. I'm positive we can

turn this around. The town makes good money from the tourism

industry. This is your hotel. Everybody has more than one job

here. The tourism industry, the bear industry is 5-6 weeks, you have to

provide jobs the rest of the time as well. In this community we've been

very resource for. -- resource for. We've had other

tourism opportunities. With Northern lights. We'll have to stop, lots of

good advertising for the town, we love this place, that it for

tonight. Come back tomorrow, more fascinating stories and interesting

people to meet. Let's go to the tundra.

The best advert for the town is the fact I have a polar bear over there

and there is a tundra buggy full of tourists. This is the best possible

place in the world to see polar bears and we're going to be here for

the next couple of nights. Tomorrow I promise, I guarantee, Arctic Live

are going to bring you more polar bears live.

One more quick question for you, Steve. Henry Simon, Simon from Hong

Kong, said why don't polar bears fall over on the ice? They have

really good traction for two reasons. If you look at their paws

they have bumps that increase the surface area and therefore increase

friction. And by late winter that paws are also totally covered by

for, which really gives them good purchase on the ice as they are

running across. Brilliant, there is the answer, keep questions coming

in. Tomorrow what's going to be happening? Simon back in Greenland

looking at Glaziers. Gordon will find out what happens when a polar

bear comes to town. And I'll be in Arctic Sweden with Sami reindeer

herders. We'll be back here on the tundra at 8pm tomorrow night. A very

good night. Goodbye. WAVES LAP,

WIND ROARS BIRDS SING,

CRICKETS CHIRP