Earth from Above

This special episode explores a variety of threats to the planet, including melting glaciers, rising sea levels and carbon emissions.

From microscopic bacteria to the largest animals, this installment explores the incredible biodiversity of the Earth, highlighting the interdependence of the planet's inhabitants.

Discover why fresh water is the most precious resource on Earth, vital to life and prosperity, but is also one of the most threatened, with spectacular scenery of canyons, glaciers and waterfalls, as well as man-made structures.

Covering 72 percent of the planet, the sea is an extensive, but not inexhaustible, resource. This episode sheds light on how to protect it and explores humankind's interdependence with the sea.

Meet farmers who are fighting against the excesses of modern and intensive agriculture, including pesticides and genetically modified organisms. To foster sustainable development, consumers can influence agricultural practices by changing their eating habits.

Visit South Africa, an exemplary country for the protection of biodiversity, where cohabitation with the wild introduces a new humanistic philosophy. Yann Arthus-Bertrand meets individuals who have taken on the protection of wild animals such as the elephant, the seal and the white rhino.

Many of the world's waterways are dried up or polluted. In Argentina, a dam at Iguazu Falls affects the local population and environment. Yann Arthus-Bertrand also visits China and its disproportionate Three Gorges dam, as well as the Botswana Okavango, the Aral Sea and New York.

Traveling to Japan, Yann Arthus-Bertrand addresses waste and the overconsumption of food, electronics and other products by wealthy countries. The repercussions of excessive consumption are examined, including its significant -- and perhaps irreversible -- harm to the environment.

With the world's energy supplies dwindling, host Yann Arthus-Bertrand heads to the most oil-dependent country on Earth: the United States, where he looks at life without oil and the production of alternative energy resources for the future.

In this installment, the team looks at ways to achieve equilibrium between sustainable development and the growth needed to support 7 billion people.