State of the Planet: Why Is There A Crisis?

State of the Planet is a three-part environmental documentary series, made by the BBC Natural History Unit. It is written and presented by David Attenborough, and produced by Rupert Barrington. It includes interviews with many leading scientists, such as Edward O. Wilson and Jared Diamond. Each of the programmes attempts to find answers to the potential ecological crisis that threatens the Earth.

"Why Is there a Crisis?": Attenborough presents some stark facts. He states that humans are now triggering a mass extinction on a similar scale to that which wiped out the dinosaurs — but at an unprecedented rate. He investigates the five main activities of mankind that are the most likely contributory factors:

Habitat loss
Introduced species
Pollution
Over-harvesting
Islandisation

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5