Television

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TELEVISION

In 2005 Matt Damon narrated Journey to Planet Earth on PBS. A year later Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth was released theatrically, opening the door to numerous climate change documentaries, the bulk of which were viewed on television, releasing and often being produced by Discovery, Showtime, National Geographic, Thirteen and Netflix. There is now even the world’s first broadcaster, Climate Change TV, dedicated entirely to climate change issues. Focused on interviewing influential voices in the field, it is produced by Climate Home.

Released by Netflix in the Fall of 2020, is David Attenborough’s stunning A Life On Our Planet. Called a “majestic documentary” by the New York Times, it travels through the life of the planet as it travels through the decades of Attenborough’s own life as a famed naturalist. Now, in his 90’s, he calls it his “witness statement.” Interweaving footage of his own explorations into the wilderness, footage of the planet being eroded and charts memorializing the rising temperatures, the population growth, and the destruction of our forests, he curiously remains upbeat about the possibilities for regrowth.

In the spring of 2023, AppleTV released Extrapolations with a great ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep. It opened to mixed reviews. NYT television critic James Poniewozik and Manuela Andreoni talked about the challenges it encountered and so much of what they said speaks to the difficulty of solving climate change altogether – its abstractness.

And, watch for an HBO Max produced series by VICE creator Adam McKay, called The Uninhabitable Earth, based on the book by David Wallace-Wells. Green lit in January 2020, there is an interesting interview with him by Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton here.

NEWS

A New Generation Of Inspiring Environmental Documentaries

By Grace Lyons 04/28/23
The power of film is in its capacity to transport viewers to places we might not have been able to go before. Nature documentaries in particular bring us close to ecosystems and species that are…
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The Real Sci-Fi Is Ignoring Climate Change, Say ‘Extrapolations’ Creators

By Todd Woody 04/27/23
Over eight episodes, the star-studded cast of the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations grapples with an increasingly dire future as climate change transforms a 2037 existence resembling our own into a 2070 dystopia, where oxygen-toting denizens…
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TV show illuminates forgotten story of female solar energy pioneer

By Erin Blakemore 04/01/23
Mária Telkes isn’t a household name. But after watching “The Sun Queen,” premiering on PBS’s “American Experience” on Tuesday, you may ask yourself why.
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‘Extrapolations’ is the climate TV show we’re finally ready for

By Whitney Bauck 03/17/23
Full of Easter eggs for environmental nerds, Apple TV's sprawling series depicts the "messy middle" of climate change....
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Apple’s climate change drama Extrapolations is earnest and plausible but also has talking whales

By Andrew Webster 03/10/23
It takes a while for Extrapolations to get going. The Apple TV Plus drama has an intriguing premise, exploring the future of climate change through various perspectives, with each episode jumping forward a few years…
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The Power of Big Oil

04/19/22
Beginning Tuesday, April 19, FRONTLINE examines the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change. This three-part docuseries traces decades of missed opportunities and the ongoing attempts to hold Big…
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Netflix Launches New Collection of ‘Sustainability Stories’ in Partnership with COP26 Organizers

By Mary Mazzoni 10/05/21
Stories unite us, inspire us and persuade us, and this month one of the biggest modern storytellers is betting on the power of story to move the world to action. Ahead of the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Netflix released…
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Are We Really Doing This?

By Molly Taft 09/22/21
On Wednesday night, the country’s Funniest People™ will deign to make jokes about the climate crisis for a full night of hilarity. Seven late-night shows across five networks hosted by James Corden, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy…
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Late-Night Television Hosts Bring Some Levity to Climate Week

By Mary Mazzoni 09/21/21
As heads of state, business leaders and civil society organizers come together for Climate Week in New York, late-night television hosts have their own idea for pushing climate action forward. Some of the top late-night hosts…
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Sustainable Streaming Services Lead Industry Into Carbon-Free Future

By Olivia Gieger 08/25/21
“Streaming” sounds like something that would make the transcendentalists proud. Though our blue-lit reality is far from the streams and babbling brooks that inspired Walden and Self Reliance, recently, streaming services and the studios attached…
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Earth Day TV: Programs on the environment, climate change and nature

By Chuck Barney 04/22/21
Thursday, April 22 is Earth Day — a time to demonstrate our support for, and appreciation of, our planet. In its own way, television is heeding the call to action with an array of programs…
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Cher Fights to Save ‘The Loneliest Elephant’ in New Documentary

By Jon Blistein 04/22/21
Products featured are independently selected by our editorial team and we may earn a commission from purchases made from our links Cher embarks on a journey to help relocate an elephant who’d been living alone in…
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  • _The Last Generation

    By Katie Worth and Michelle Mizner
    The Marshall Islands, a low-lying island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is home to fifty thousand people. The seas are rising around the islands, and floods, once a rare occurrence, have become common.
  • Bluff City Law: Season 1, Episode 5

    Sydney and Elijah help a 12-year-old girl find justice for the failed levee system that flooded her town on the Mississippi.
  • Ice on fire

    Produced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, George DiCaprio and Mathew Schmid and directed by Leila Conners, Ice on Fire is an eye-opening documentary that focuses on many never-before-seen solutions designed to slow down our escalating environmental crisis. The film goes beyond the current climate change narrative and offers hope that we can actually stave off the worst effects of global warming.  
  • Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip

    In Jonathan Scott's Power Trip, the HGTV home makeover guru shines a light on the obstacles and opportunities for America’s solar industry, following fossil fuel monopolies that halt the growth of renewable energy while visiting with politicians, coal miners, solar panel installers, the Navajo Nation building its own solar plant, and others at the forefront of the battle for energy freedom.
  • Life in Colour with David Attenborough

    Using innovative technology, this docuseries explores nature from a fresh perspective as animals use color to survive and thrive in the wild.
  • Meteorologist on receiving death threats over his climate crisis reports

    Some scientists believe that July 4th may have been one of the hottest days on Earth in 125,000 years, and we keep breaking these records. The earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that was already rated as the hottest on record. Meteorologist Chris Gloninger discusses receiving death threats for reporting on the climate crisis before leaving the
  • One Strange Rock

    The extraordinary story of Earth and why it is special and uniquely brimming with life among a largely unknown but harsh cosmic arena; astronauts tell the story of Earth through a unique perspective.
  • Secrets of the Whales

    Secrets of the Whales plunges viewers deep within the epicenter of whale culture to reveal the mysterious and beautiful world of whales.
  • VIDEO from the Daily Show: Greta Thunberg – inspiring others to take a stand against climate change

    Climate activist Greta Thunberg talks about her decision to no longer travel by plane and describes how a lack of understanding of climate change is impacting the planet....
  • Wildlife Warriors

    Documentary series that looks at how conservationists around the world are attempting to catalog globally endangered wildlife animals. Add to Watchlist
  • 60 Minutes: The climate change lawsuit that could stop the U.S. government from supporting fossil fuels

    by CBS News
    On 3/3/19, 60 Minutes covered in exquisite detail the first children’s lawsuit over climate change in the US.
  • 60 Minutes: The Dutch Solution

    by CBS News
    On 9/23/18 (season 50, episode 54), Stewart Whitaker interviewed Henk Oving, the world’s only water ambassador, and discussed the ways in which New York City can be protected from sea level rise — based on what The Netherlands have already learned. Oving concludes, “ It’s a choice in the end. It’s a human choice. We can think about the future as an opportunity or close our eyes and do nothing and let it happen to us and see more death and despair, more assets and people lost."
  • Blue Planet

    More is known about the surface of the moon than the deep oceans on Earth, yet the sea constitutes two thirds of our planet. The oceans are an integral part of our lives. Their influence dominates the world’s weather systems. They support an enormous range of life, from the largest whales to the smallest plankton, from hordes of sea birds to lonely, deep-sea fish. All this is governed by a complex system of biological and physical forces. Each 50-minute programme peers into this watery world, with spectacular footage exploring shores and shallows teeming with life and uncovering unseen depths.
  • Blue Planet II

    Blue Planet II is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, The Blue Planet (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, while the main music score was composed by Hans Zimmer.
  • Chernobyl

    Starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the 1986 nuclear accident — one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history — and the sacrifices made to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
  • Down to Earth with Zac Efron

    Zac Efron explores solutions to climate change around the world in this documentary series on Netflix.
  • Green New Deal: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

    by HBO
    With the Green New Deal sparking a national conversation about all the ways to combat climate change, John Oliver looks at a few potential solutions.
  • Hostile Planet

    Extraordinary Accounts of Animals Who Have Adapted To The Cruelest Evolutionary Curveballs. The Six-Part Series Continues Monday at 9/8c On National Geographic. Premieres April 1st, 2019. Hosted By Bear Grylls. Six-Part Series.
  • Life Below Zero

    National Geographic’s fan-favorite series Life Below Zero gives viewers chills as it captures the extreme lifestyles of tough Alaskans living off the grid. For more than 100 episodes, viewers have been captivated as individuals battle whiteout snowstorms, unpredictable frozen terrain and man-eating carnivores in one of the most isolated regions in the world. With temperatures as low as -40, crew members face their own unique challenges filming in the wilderness as they brave some of the world’s most dangerous conditions. Since its debut in 2013, the series has received 9 Primetime Emmy® nominations — including three in 2019 — and has won three Emmys for its craft in cinematography and picture editing.
  • Life on Earth

    David Attenborough's groundbreaking study of the evolution of lifeon our planet.
  • Meet the Press

    by NBC News
    Extraordinary conversation when NBC News produced a Special Edition of Meet the Press on December 30, 2018, in which host, Chuck Todd introduced the show by saying, “We're going to take an in-depth look at a literally Earth-changing subject that doesn't get talked about this thoroughly on television news, at least: climate change. But just as important as what we are going to do this hour is what we're not going to do. We're not going to debate climate change, the existence of it. The Earth is getting hotter. And human activity is a major cause, period. We're not going to give time to climate deniers. The science is settled, even if political opinion is not.”
    It featured an interview with Michael Bloomberg vowing to elevate its role in the White House race. When asked about President Trump’s views on climate change, Bloomberg said, “It would be a lot more helpful if we had a climate champion rather than a climate denier in the White House. You know, I've always thought Trump has a right to his opinions but doesn't have a right to his own facts. And the truth of the matter is this country and this world is in trouble.” Watch the full interview. Watch the panel of experts.
  • Occupied

    In the near future, Russia initiates a "silk glove" invasion of Norway to restart oil production, but soon uncertainty, chaos and danger erupt.
  • Oil | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj

    by Patriot Act
    On the latest Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj analyzes how America became the number one producer of oil in the world. Hasan examines how the fossil fuel industry and government, through its goal of "energy dominance," are pushing for greater oil production and what that could mean for the environment.
  • Our Planet

    Our Planet is a global event that reminds us we're all on one team. The upcoming series, from Netflix—created in collaboration with Silverback Productions and WWF and narrated by David Attenborough—features jaw-dropping nature stories, grounded in the best science, and highlighting the most pressing challenges facing nature today. The eight-part original documentary series will be released globally on Netflix April 5, 2019. See some bizarre coverage here and additional coverage here.
  • Paris to Pittsburgh

    From coastal cities to America’s heartland, Paris to Pittsburgh celebrates how Americans are demanding and developing real solutions in the face of climate change. And as the weather grows more deadly and destructive, they aren’t waiting on Washington to act. The show premieres December 12, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT on the National Geographic channel. Starting on December 13, the film will be available for free on digital platforms on National Geographic’s website (https://NatGeoTV.com), mobile app (Nat Geo TV App), Video On Demand and connected devices (such as Roku, AppleTV). Also starting December 13, the film will be available for one week on National Geographic’s YouTube channel. Read Mike Bloomberg’s remarks about Paris to Pittsburgh at a special screening in Washington, D.C.
  • Peril & Promise: The Challenge of Climate Change

    Peril and Promise: The Challenge of Climate Change is a public media initiative from WNET in New York reporting on the human impact of climate change, designed to provide context, scientifically sound information, and fact-based journalism to audiences across every platform of public media. It also focuses on stories of exciting new frontiers of scientific innovation in resilience, mitigation, and clean energy. We are partnering with some of public media’s most prestigious programs to use broadcast television, digital video, social media and public radio to tell these stories to the widest possible audience… locally, regionally, and nationally, on-air and online.

  • Planet Earth

    David Attenborough celebrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this epic documentary series, filmed over four years across 64 different countries.
  • Planet Earth II

    Experience the world from the viewpoint of animals themselves. From spellbinding wildlife spectacle to intimate encounters, Planet Earth II takes you closer than ever before.
  • Sinking Cities: A Four-Part Series on the Threat of Climate Change

    Weeks after Hurricane Florence ravaged the Carolinas, and on the sixth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy in New York, the four-part series examines how cities are preparing for the real-time effects of climate change.
  • WaterBear Network

    WaterBear, the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet. Whatever you feel passionately about in the world of climate action, biodiversity, sustainability, community, diversity and more, WaterBear provides access to award-winning and inspirational content that empowers members to dive deeper, learn more and take action.
  • Years of Living Dangerously

    by The Years Project
    First season launched in 2014 on Showtime; Second season on National Geographic in 2016 Years of Living Dangerously reveals emotional and hard-hitting accounts of the effects of climate change across the planet. Featuring some of Hollywood’s most influential stars, from Harrison Ford to Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalists like Thomas L. Friedman, Lesley Stahl and Mark Bittman, each documentary explores a different impact of climate change and the solutions to combat it. You can learn about the stories covered, from the effects on our military to the arguments for a carbon tax, here. Watch the entire series of documentaries on YouTube.