Global Us: What connects us all

The most noticeable thing about the saiga antelope is its unusual snout. But the animals are most in demand because of their horns. A few years ago, poaching had almost rendered them extinct.

The stocks had scarcely begun to recover when a mysterious mass die-off afflicted the population. Scientists are still puzzling about why so many animals died in such a short time. To find out, a team of researchers spent several weeks traveling through the Kazakh Steppe.

"Mote con huesillos" is hugely popular in Chile, and one of its national beverages. In cities, you can get it on every corner, including at the stall belonging to Miguel Oñatelaria at the Santa Cruz bus station.

"The drink is more than a small meal: take dried peaches and fresh, cooked husked wheat, then fill the glass with the liquid in which the peaches were cooked. It's a sweet, quite heavy, but delicious treat.

Indonesia's economic power is expected to double by 2023. That's the good news. The bad news is that many people in Indonesia won't benefit from that. But in this huge island nation, increasing numbers of young people are committing themselves to social causes - for instance, as Global Shapers.

Andi Taufan Garuda Putra is 29 and brimming with ideas. Two years ago he quit his job as an engineer and has devoted himself since then to his small enterprise. It provides microfinancing to women in rural regions who need financial support but can't get loans from banks. He meets regularly in the capital Jakarta with fellow members of the Global Shapers Community, which is active worldwide.

Nicole is fifteen years old. She lives in Negros Oriental in the Philippines. She also represents her school at chess tournaments. One day Nicole hopes to study and become an eye specialist.

Mangrove trees once protected the coast of Kho Klang, an island in southern Thailand. But as their numbers reduce due to deforestation, flooding is becoming more frequent. An environmentalist is trying to convince locals to let the mangroves recover.

Lanna Idriss is half Syrian, and she's a mover and shaker. She's head of Compliance Process Management and Outsourcing at the BHF Bank in Frankfurt. A year ago she reduced her working hours to be able to look after her own non-profit company.

Gyalpa provides employment and future prospects to Syrian refugee women in countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. They make handbags, textiles and accessories by hand. These products are then delivered to Germany and sold on the internet. And Lanna Idriss has even more plans.

Peatlands store twice as much carbon dioxide as all the world's forests put together, but when they're drained they release massive amounts of greenhouse gases and are a great fire hazard. In 2010 there were terrible wildfires around Moscow. Now people in Russia are trying to rehydrate large areas of peatland.

The NGO Wetlands International specializes in that. With financial support from the International Climate Initiative, it's rehydrating some of the affected regions of Russia and in doing so, rescuing a complex ecosystem and biodiversity in the peat bogs.

Jodelin Cadet is 27 and lives in Caracol, Haiti. His dream is to find work in Canada and earn good money some day.

Right now he earns the equivalent of two euros a day driving a motorcycle taxi. Jodelin prefers to spend his free time at the seaside enjoying the breeze. When he's saved a little money, he treats himself to a helping of fish, his favorite food.

Lanna Idriss is a mover and shaker. A year ago she founded her own company. Gyalpa provides employment and prospects to Syrian refugee women in places such as Lebanon and Jordan.

Jodelin Cadet is 27 and lives in Caracol, Haiti. His dream is to find work in Canada and earn good money some day. He currently earns the equivalent of two Euros a day driving a motorcycle taxi.