ARLINGTON, VA – DYNAMIC PLANET, a monumental four-part series filmed over three years, travels to the most extreme places on all seven continents to explore the work and lives of extraordinary people and animals on the front lines of climate change. Highlighting what is under threat but also how the natural world is adapting in surprising ways, the series reveals how science, nature, and Indigenous knowledge can prepare us for the future. Featuring stunning cinematography of wildlife in some of the most remote places on Earth, DYNAMIC PLANET premieres on four consecutive Wednesdays, June 19-July 10, 2024, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.With the Earth heating twice as fast as it was four decades ago, the implications for our planet and everything living on it are ominous. As temperatures rise, icecaps and glaciers melt, oceans warm, forests burn, and weather patterns change, leaving the world as we know it under threat. Ancient connections between plants, animals and people are undermined. The rules that dictated stability have been re-written with new climate change winners and losers exposed. Although the scale of the problem can seem overwhelming, local conservationists, scientists, and Indigenous leaders offer hope for the future. Their efforts show that it’s not too late to adapt, correct past mistakes, and care for and protect our world.“DYNAMIC PLANET shines a needed light on the incredible ways our planet and its inhabitants, both human and animal, can work together in some of the most extreme places on earth,” said Diana El Osta, PBS Sr. Director, Multiplatform Programming & Development. “We are so excited to take our PBS audience around the world through the awe-inspiring stories of DYNAMIC PLANET.”“Working across seven continents certainly presented challenges — particularly in the age of Covid and increasing climate instability. But we wanted to contextualize the global scale of change and the ways people and animals are meeting it. We were deeply inspired by what we saw and hope our viewers will be too,” said Sue Woodfield, DYNAMIC PLANET Executive Producer.Episode 1: “Ice” (June 19)An extraordinary team of global experts journey from the frozen polar oceans of Antarctica and the Arctic to the vast plateaus and soaring peaks of the Himalayas, documenting how melting icescapes are changing human and animal life. Researchers get up close to seals and humpback whales to understand how nature is adapting. Polar bears adjust to a life with less ice as they hunt beluga whales from the shorelines, captured for the first time on film. An Inuit seal hunter in Greenland navigates his dogsled over thinning ice, Tibetan yak herders move their animals higher up the mountain into snow leopard territory to find food, and in Ladakh, India, where glaciers retreat, village engineers construct an ice mountain 90 feet tall to store water for their spring crops.Episode 2: “Fire” (June 26)Global heating is having an impact, from record heatwaves and forest fires to droughts, increased migration, and human-animal conflict. Firefighters in Colorado are learning to cope with longer and hotter fire seasons, while California’s Yurok tribe practices traditional prescribed burns to make forests safer against future fires. Scientists reveal an unexpected ally in fighting wildfires — beavers — whose damming activities help protect the environment and make it more fire resilient. In Canada, researchers have a new weapon against the devastating mountain pine beetle: hacking its communication system to help infested trees survive. In Namibia, a woman whose uncle was killed by an elephant works to build a future in which humans and elephants can peacefully co-exist. The challenges are significant. But across the globe, extraordinary people facing climate change are working to find answers, heal broken systems, and support nature as it creates its own solutions.Episode 3: “Water” (July 3)As the world warms, oceans are changing, with far-reaching consequences for the life they contain and the people who rely upon them. Marine biologists, climate scientists, Indigenous knowledge holders, conservationists and city planners are embarking on urgent voyages of discovery to understand how our oceans are changing and undertaking ambitious projects to protect what’s most at threat. City planners in Miami cope with flooding caused by sea-level rise and Florida’s Key Deer are isolated on low-lying islands with nowhere to go. Sea turtle guardians in Mexico rescue baby turtles from the effects of climate change since hotter temperatures mean more females are born than males. In New Zealand, a Maori whale rider passes down her ancestral knowledge, teaching young students how to observe the health of an entire ecosystem. And in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, scientists undertake a rescue mission to collect specimens of all coral species and conserve them in a biobank.Episode 4: “Earth” (July 10)As Earth’s climate changes, once-stable natural systems are being thrown into chaos, indications that the natural world is out of balance. In South Africa, locusts plague new areas, devouring everything in sight. The permafrost is thawing in Alaska, releasing the dangerous greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. Leopard seals in Antarctica, who once hunted other ice-dwelling seals, now prey on fur seals since the summer ice has melted away. But Indigenous people — who make up less than 5% of Earth’s population but protect 80% of its biodiversity — are healing their homelands, creating resilience and supporting nature as it finds its own solution. In Montana, the Blackfeet are bringing back the buffalo, revitalizing the landscape and making it more resistant to climate change. In Brazil, a farmer replants deforested land with organic cacao, restoring biodiversity and making the area more resilient to climate change. Monarch butterflies begin their epic journey in a New York City sanctuary and find shelter 3,000 miles away in a Mexican town that protects the only trees where the butterflies will rest. To succeed against climate change, we need not only biodiversity, but a diversity of thought. By combining traditional knowledge with cutting-edge science we will be better prepared for a fast-changing future.DYNAMIC PLANET will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.DYNAMIC PLANET is produced by NHNZ Worldwide in association with ARTE France, SKY NZ and Blue Ant International for PBS. Sue Woodfield and Martha Jeffries are the Executive Producers. Ben Lawrie is the Series Producer. Executives in Charge for PBS are Diana El-Osta and Bill Gardner.About PBSPBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 42 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 15 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, and 56 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X (formerly Twitter).– PBS –
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