A Follow Up For A Follow Up
It was an amazing snapshot of what the Earth is going through, human, nature, and how they are so closely connected. It was a two part series special by CNN and it is coming back December 11th. Still don’t know what I am talking about? Well here’s what I said about last years part one:
Well what can you say about last nights first installment of “Planet in Peril” than wow! I’ve gotta say a job well done thus far to CNN. Some interesting facts presented, great shots and views, and they did a great job showing connection between the different ecosystems. So just to highlight some parts of what was covered in the first episode:
The journey began with the introduction of illegal trading of endangered species in a Bangkok marketplace, which led us to the amazing island of Madagascar. It was startling to find out that less than 10% of the natural habitat remains on this amazing island off the south east coast of Africa. Another alarming point was that 350sq/miles of the habitat are destroyed every year. Essentially, the focus point on Madagascar was to highlight what would happen to a habitat when a species is lost and how it affects all other species in that habitat.
From that concluding point the show then moved to Yellowstone National Park, where the introduction of the Gray Wolf had brought the ecosystem/habitat back to harmony after its removal by government sanctioned hunting in the beginning of the 20th century. It was amazing to see how the hunting of elk by the wolves affect other animals and insects down the food chain. It also allowed for vegetation like the willow bush to grow, which creates a prefect habitat for the song bird and has allowed that species to flourish once again. It was heart warming to see some good news in this broadcast.
It was this focus on the introduction of the carnivore gray wolf that led the team to Cambodia to investigate the impact of what the dwindling tiger population would have on the Earth. Currently, there is only 5,00 wild tigers left in the world and poachers are a serious problem in the country. It was interesting to see the park rangers in action and how they have to dismantle traps from poachers, however it was very disappointing to learn that often poachers do not get punished, are minimally fined, or can bribe in order to avoid prison.
Another point worth highlighting from the program was China’s population explosion and its impact on pollution and consumption of resources. China’s population has exploded at 1000% and its consumption has as well. China is the largest CO2 emitter in the world containing 16 of the worlds most polluted cities and there are roughly 2 new coal power plants built a week. Jaw dropping!
Thats right Plane in Peril is back but this year it is entitled Planet in Peril: Battle Lines. I am really looking forward to where they are taking the special this year and what issue they will be covering. Hopefully this years special will be about how to solve some of the problems identified last year. Here’s a video to get the juices flowing.
Keep it Green,
Paul
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