Environment

The realities of milk production are forcing dairy communities across the globe to rethink the dairy production process. In this episode, we travel to a village in Kenya where the commercialization of camel milk is proving a sustainable solution in the face of drought. In Northern California, the heart of the U.S. dairy industry is finding innovative alternatives to limit the use of water and manure emissions.

Gar Alperovitz, co-founder of The Democracy Collaborative and co-chair of its The Next System Project, shows how we can begin to build together for the systemic change we need to save both democracy and the planet.

Desert tortoises are a threatened species. Habitat destruction, diseases and other factors have reduced their numbers by up to 90 percent. Now flocks of ravens, that often live off human trash, are eating baby tortoises, reducing the odds of tortoise survival as a species. This documentary explores that impact, pointing out how people can change the environment through seemingly innocent actions.

Kandi Mossett (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara), Native Energy and Climate Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against environmental racism at Standing Rock and beyond. Kandi will share the powerful story of how her community drew on its cultural resilience to resist fracking in North Dakota, and how the re-assertion of tribal sovereignty, revitalization of language and restoration of traditional foodways can point the way to a just transition to a clean energy future for all of us.

Anticipating future water needs, two regions on opposite sides of the world turn to technology for answers. Western Morocco, near the Sahara Desert, is currently facing unprecedented drought and groundwater mismanagement. But an ancient method of gathering moisture from fog is being taught to 13 villages, allowing people to have a level of local control over their most basic need. In Central Valley, California, the food basket of the world uses nearly 80 percent of the entire state's water supply.

Deep in the Amazon, George is determined to retrace Theodore Roosevelt’s legendary expedition and witness first-hand how deforestation and climate change are affecting one of the earth’s most critical ecosystems.

explore.org is a philanthropic media organization and a multi-media division of the Annenberg Foundation. Created by filmmaker and philanthropist Charles Annenberg Weingarten to champion the selfless acts of others, inspire lifelong learning and help people fall in love with the world again, explore.org is home to more than 300 original films and a massive library of world-class photography from all over the globe.

In this special episode from explore.org, "The Challenge of Change," join Charles Annenberg Weingarten and the explore.org team on their journey around the world to discover the selfless acts of others. Witness the challenge of change in its various forms from the Middle East to the U.S. and the Arctic.

Craig Sholley of the African Wildlife Foundation describes his organization's efforts to preserve the 720 gorillas that remain in Rwanda. Learn about the species that is 98.6 percent similar to human beings in one of the most popular episodes of "Explore."

Ground zero for climate change and literally at risk of being wiped off the map, George is in Bangladesh during monsoon season to see how resilient and creative locals are adapting to their increasingly hostile environment.

Solar power is changing lives in unexpected places. At the Barefoot College in Zanzibar, Muslim women who have traditionally been marginalized in the workforce are learning solar installation and bringing it back to their villages, which are primarily powered by candles and paraffin lamps. In East Los Angeles, formerly incarcerated individuals are finding green job opportunities as they transition underserved communities into solar power.

Michael Pollan shares his luminous insights from what began as investigative reportage and became a very personal interior journey into the mystery of consciousness and the nature of spirituality at this perilous moment when only a shift in human consciousness can alter the deadly trajectory of our societies.

Gray wolves once ranged across North America. But by the 1930s, they were nearly extinct — trapped, poisoned and hunted by ranchers, farmers, and government agents. With protection under the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the wolf population rebounded. But wolves lost federal protection in 2011. Now, with hunting permitted in many Western states, the future of this once endangered species may again be in question. Can we live with wolves? "Earth Focus" travels to Montana and Wyoming to find out.

Racialized violence injures all of us — not just those who are being “othered” but also those who perpetuate that “othering.” These painful injuries happen on many levels, including on the individual, structural, and societal spheres, so healing must also happen on many levels, but we can’t truly heal these deep wounds while the injuries are still being perpetuated. Professor John A.

Communities and innovators all over the world are creating new sustainable food sources that are resilient to climate change and growing populations. In Madagascar, we see how villagers are closing off marine areas to allow the fish supply to replenish at a natural pace. In San Diego, California, aquaculturists are exploring open ocean farming as a more sustainable model for the fishing industry.

Off the coast of West Africa, George heads to a remote volcanic island where a river of molten lava is engulfing a mountain village. For locals, the consequences are disastrous, and it’s up to George to get as close as possible to provide emergency crews with critical information.

Meet John Singh, Rajisthani Maverick, who is single handedly trying to save traditional Indian music from going extinct.

explore.org is a philanthropic media organization and a multi-media division of the Annenberg Foundation. Created by filmmaker and philanthropist Charles Annenberg Weingarten to champion the selfless acts of others, inspire lifelong learning and help people fall in love with the world again, explore.org is home to more than 300 original films and a massive library of world-class photography from all over the globe.

Travel down the Colorado River to experience the Grand Canyon's wild splendor, and explore the connections between man and nature. With beautiful photography and deep conversations among Native American leaders, the film is a portal into the soul of the world’s largest living cathedral. "Explore" host Charlie Annenberg Weingarten was joined by Oglala Lakota activist Russell Means, Ojibwe environmentalist Winona LaDuke, Lilian Hill of the Hopi tribe, and others in rafts and canoes. Native Hawaiian Archie Kalepa navigated down most of the river gorge on a standup surfboard.

The world’s largest land predator is under threat, and George is heading to Canada’s far north to see how polar bears are coping with their rapidly changing climate.

The ocean is a sponge for all the greenhouse gas emissions we produce, and entire aquatic ecosystems are beginning to collapse. Off the coast of California, the disappearing abalone population is raising flags about ocean health and the lasting impact of rising sea temperatures, acidification and pollution. Various teams of scientists, volunteers and businesspeople are collaborating to protect underwater species threatened by the invasion of sea urchins.

What’s a surefire way to make activism more effective? Make it intergenerational. What’s the biggest obstacle? An ageist culture that pits old against young and bombards us with messages that wrinkles are tragic and old people useless. Aging is not a problem to be “fixed” or a disease to be “cured. Debunking myth after myth about late life, author and activist Ashton Applewhite passionately urges us to come together at all ages – and dismantle ageism in the process.

(Earth Focus: Episode 52) U.S. domestic gas production is on the rise because of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas from shale rock by pumping millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals underground at high pressure. Environmentalists say this gas boon threatens water supplies and pollutes air. Now, as fracking expands around the world, so does growing resistance. "Earth Focus" looks at three countries on the new fracking frontline: South Africa, Poland, and the UK.

Los Angeles is one of the biggest biodiversity hotspots in the world, despite its smog, urban sprawl and snarling freeways. At least 20,000 native and non-native plant and animal species are thriving despite human interference, and in some cases because of it. How can people help make urban habitats more welcoming to non-human urban dwellers?

Hoping to determine the effect of volcanoes on climate change, George heads to the island nation of Vanuatu where he rappels into the fiery crater of one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

In this episode of "Explore," Charlie and his team are on a fact-finding mission to learn about the obstacles and opportunities faced by those with disabilities. Meet the former mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, who survived a near fatal ski accident at the age of 19 leaving him almost completely paralyzed from the shoulders down. Overcoming his physical impairments, Sullivan has dedicated his life to working with the disabled and people struggling with addiction.

"Explore" takes you to the Northern reaches of the planet, through live high definition webcams and expeditions deep into the Arctic. On the shores of Hudson Bay, polar bears wait for the ice to harden so they can move out miles from shore to hunt for the seals that feed them over the winter.  Beluga whales gather in large pods, while the Aurora Borealis swirls overhead. Without narration or music, Explore’s “Pearls of the Planet” presents the natural sights and sounds of the Arctic in a way never before presented on broadcast television.

On a philanthropic, fact finding mission to the Arctic, Charles Annenberg Weingarten and the explore.org team dive into the unique culture of the Inuit people of Greenland and learn about their traditional cuisine, which includes raw seal meat, whale, caribou, walrus, and fish. Charles also visits the Qimaavik Women's Shelter for abused women and children, and learns about the high crime rate of Nunavut territory being tackled by extraordinary individuals in the area.

Louisiana still is learning from Hurricane Katrina. Forecasts are dire for Louisiana to experience the second-highest sea level rise in the world. There is a big movement brewing in New Orleans to build adaptive "resilience zones." In Southeast Louisiana, the native peoples of the Isle de Jean Charles have become the first U.S citizens moving within their homeland displaced by climate change.

Google Earth Outreach founder and visionary engineer Rebecca Moore says the signs are all around us, telling us that our life-support systems are in critical condition, and only recently has it become possible to monitor the health of Earth’s life-sustaining resources in a manner both globally consistent and locally relevant. She shows how satellite data, cutting-edge science and powerful cloud computing technology such as Google Earth Engine allow us to achieve an unprecedented understanding of our changing environment and put this data into the hands of those who can take action.

(Earth Focus: Episode 53) It is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems, to improve the lives of people trapped in poverty and to sequester carbon naturally. John Liu presents "Hope in a Changing Climate," which showcases approaches that have worked on the Loess Plateau in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Produced in collaboration with the Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP).

The global demand for oil and gas has long-lasting impacts on the communities that supply it. In Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, powerful native communities are at odds over an oil exploration and drilling plan that will boost their economy but have long-term consequences on native species and their environment. In California’s Kern County, the mayors of two neighboring towns face off on the economic benefits and health risks of oil production and their vastly different visions for the most sustainable path to the future.

George heads Down Under during fire season to see if climate change is slowly causing Australia to become uninhabitable. He joins a team of sophisticated firefighters in the South Australia, but what starts as a low-intensity bush fire quickly becomes a raging inferno.

The American Southwest is a complex region where cultures transcend political borders. Join Charlie and the Explore team as they meet people pursuing a life in the United States while struggling to maintain their cultural heritage and longstanding traditions.