EARTH - THE DOCUMENTARY

Prior to researching the debate around offsetting my automobile and airplane emissions, I sat down to watch the documentary Earth – to learn and be inspired by the amazingly beautiful planet and its inhabitants whom we are fighting to keep in existence (along, of course, with the survival of the human species). As you can see in the trailer below, it was marketed to coincide with this year’s Earth Day, and thus, I thought it an appropriate follow-up to my previous posting about the importance of April 22.

As I watched the DVD, not only was I moved by the cinematography, but also by the poetic words spoken throughout. I have taken some of those words and reproduced them down below. I hope they remind us to always keep an eye on the bigger picture that is earth.

1 minute: “Of all the planets in our universe, there is only one we know that can support life. Just the right distance from its sun, with a perfect climate – it’s been called the ‘lucky planet.’”

2 minute: “All life on earth is built on chance and powered by the sun. But the delicate balances of our world are faltering as the planet struggles to support our growing demands. This is the time to take stalk of what we have, and what we stand to lose. We follow a year on earth, joining our fellow creatures as they battle to raise their young in a world that is rapidly changing.”

13 minute: “There are as many trees here [in the taiga forests] as in all the world’s rainforests combined: one third of all the trees on earth. As spring creeps from the south, the taiga is unveiled. It’s known that this forest produces so much oxygen that it refreshes the atmosphere of the entire planet.”

22 minute: “What will the rest of the year hold for our planet’s latest recruits?”

24 minute: “Here [in the tropics] the sun shines for 12 hours a day, everyday of the year. This is what allows the jungle to grow unchecked and support so much life. Rainforests now cover a third of what it once did – a mere three percent of our planet’s surface. And yet, it contains more than half of all the animals and plants on earth.”

29 minute: “Three percent of our planet, 50 percent of its plants and animals – nowhere is there more at stake. These tropical forests enjoy 12 hours of sunshine all year round, but they also need lots of rainfall. As weather patterns change, there are already signs that these forests are starting to dry.”

30 minute: “Deserts cover one third of the land’s surface on planet earth – and they’re getting bigger every year. This is a land where only few can survive – only a special few. And the challenges are becoming greater than ever.”

36 minute: “Where dust meets water, the march of the deserts is halted. Sand dunes give way to prairies and savannah. Grass is a great unsung hero of our planet: it keeps deserts in check, and fuels many of earth’s great spectacles.”

38 minute: “Everyday on wide open plains the world over, a timeless ritual plays itself out: the drama of hunter and hunted. This is the circle of life, that most of us – in our urban lives – have lost touch with."

47 minute: “The sun that scorches the deserts also brings water to the land. As it beats down on tropical seas, moisture rises from the warming oceans powering our global weather system. Moist winds from the Indian Ocean sweep north towards the Himalayas; as the air rises, so it cools and the water falls as snow."

53 minute: “The sun melts the snow and the waters go on their way again – a start of their long journey back to the oceans. This is the great unending cycle: sunlight and fresh water bringing life to every corner of planet earth.”

55 minute: “For generations humans and animals alike have come to depend on the great rivers and their seemingly endless flow.”

61 minute: “Like the elephants, these waters have travelled great distances to reach here. And all along the way their flow is threatened by extractions for towns and farmland. In its long life, the calf will make this journey many times. Whether the flood will always arrive is far from certain.”

62 minute: “The seasonal cycle that drives the lives of elephants on land, is just as important in the ocean."

64 minute: “To find food, she [sperm whale] will have to lead her calf on an epic 4,000-mile journey to richer feeding grounds in the southern extremes of our planet. This is the longest migration by any marine animal and it depends entirely upon a healthy ocean all along the way.”

67 minute: “Strong winds and currents draw nutrients up from the depths and life blooms wherever the sun’s rays can penetrate.”

70 minute: “These magnificent predators [sharks] – at the very top of the food chain – are a vital part of a healthy ocean, and yet we slaughter almost 100 million of them every year. There populations are in free fall.”

72 minute: “Glacial melt waters pour from the land, mix with the sea and speed up the thaw. Each year, as the climate warms, there is less and less ice in the arctic. This is a disaster for polar bears: without a solid platform, they struggle to hunt the seals they need to survive.”

78 minute: “These whales, as most of the life in Antarctica, ultimately depend on krill. Without it, the far south would be almost deserted; but krill depend on ice – and ice is in decline.”

89 minute: “The polar bear has become an emblem for the state of our planet – and for all the creatures who are struggling to live along side us. Finally, we’ve begun to understand how precarious it is – the state of our once ‘lucky planet.’ If we are to go on sharing earth with such a rich variety of life, and preserve its fragile balance for our own children, now more than ever – it is in our hands.”