State of the Planet

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State of the Planet DVD cover.
© BBC

State of the Planet is a three-part environmental documentary series, made by the BBC, transmitted in November 2000. It is presented and narrated by David Attenborough, and produced by Rupert Barrington.

Each of the programmes attempts to find answers to the potential ecological crisis that threatens the Earth.

1 Programmes
2 DVD

[edit] Programmes

[edit] 1. "Is There a Crisis?"

Together with leading experts, David Attenborough examines the latest scientific evidence in order to discover if the planet's ecosystems are really in crisis. If so, he asks how it could have come about, and what is so different now that prevents certain species from adapting to survive, as they did in the past?

[edit] 2. "Why Is There a Crisis?"

Attenborough presents some stark facts. He states that humans are now triggering a mass extinction on a similar scale to that which wiped out the dinosaurs — but at an unprecedented rate. He investigates the five main activities of mankind that are the most likely contributory factors:

Habitat loss
Introduced species
Pollution
Over-harvesting
Habitat fragmentation

[edit] 3. "The Future of Life"

As Homo sapiens relentlessly encroaches on the natural world and its inhabitants, the viewer is presented with a choice: leave behind a flourishing planet or a dying one.

"The future of life on earth depends on our ability to take action. Many individuals are doing what they can, but real success can only come if there's a change in our societies and our economics and in our politics. I've been lucky in my lifetime to see some of the greatest spectacles that the natural world has to offer. Surely we have a responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy, inhabitable by all species."

– David Attenborough, in closing

[edit] DVD

The complete series was released on DVD (BBCDVD1498) on 27 September 2004.

	v • d • e David Attenborough: Major television series
	The Life series Life on Earth \| The Living Planet \| The Trials of Life \| Life in the Freezer \| The Private Life of Plants The Life of Birds \| The Life of Mammals \| Life in the Undergrowth \| Life in Cold Blood Other work and narrated: Zoo Quest \| The First Eden \| Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives \| State of the Planet \| The Blue Planet \| Planet Earth Are We Changing Planet Earth?