Environmental documentary films offer a way to absorb educational and entertaining content while teaching us how to Restore Our Earth from the comfort of our own homes. However, with a wide variety of streaming services available, the diverse array of nature documentaries can make it difficult to find one to your liking.

Whether you’re an avid documentary film fan, or simply trying to broaden your content horizon, here’s a rundown of some of the most extraordinary and impactful environmental documentaries that may pique your interest.

1. 8 Billion Angels (2021)

This award-winning documentary examines the effects humans have on the planet. Our multiplying numbers are impacting our oceans, land, rivers, and air while accelerating climate change. Director Victor Velle and Producer Terry Spahr use breathtaking cinematography and startling emotion to take the viewer on an immersive and emotional journey into the lives of farmers, fisherman, and others as they witness an unfolding global crisis. 

From August 10-17, when you make a $10 donation to support our work to safeguard our planet, EARTHDAY.ORG supporters will receive a complimentary viewing of the new film.

2. Earth Definition (2021)

We can’t talk about streaming without talking about carbon emissions, and Earth Definition does just that. Streaming high definition (HD) on your phone releases almost four times more carbon emissions than necessary. This animated short film shares a greener alternative to HD that helps you stream responsibly.

3. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

It was inevitable that Sir David Attenborough would make an appearance on this list. In this documentary, the 93-year-old renowned natural historian not only narrates, but also delivers what he calls “his witness statement” by reflecting on his vast professional life spent investigating countless corners of the Earth. Attenborough’s first-person narrative is at the heart of this documentary film, where he shares not only his experiences, but also his hopes and fears for the future of our planet if humans are to continue to ignore pressing environmental issues.

4. My Octopus Teacher (2020)

The winner of the 2020 EarthxFilm Festival, this film documents a year-long relationship between filmmaker and conservationist, Craig Foster, and an octopus he befriended in the kelp forests near the coast of South Africa. This incredible, uniquely shot film sheds insight on animal intelligence and the intricacies of human-animal and human-nature relationships as a whole.

5. Night on Earth (2020)

This six-part Netflix series captures exactly what the title says: Night on Earth. Utilizing various forms of infrared technology and moonlight camera techniques, the series illuminates different terrains and creatures in never-before-seen ways. Narrated by actress Samira Wiley, engaging commentary is added to the description of the behaviors and happenings among these nocturnal beings.

6. Extinction: The Facts (2020)

Extinction: The Facts is a dire call to action. Another Attenborough production, this documentary explores the consequences of biodiversity loss, such as the increased presence of diseases and viruses. In contrast to some of the past documentaries Attenborough has narrated, this one explicitly addresses large corporations as the drivers of consumption and states the economic changes that must be made.

7. Public Trust: The Fight for America’s Public Lands (2020)

There are 640 million acres of public land in the U.S., but the threat of privatization from politicians, extractive industries, and big business corporations looms heavy. Through the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, this documentary focuses on how the fierce competition for land in the U.S. came to be, and how citizens are fighting back to protect access to their ancestral or historical lands for future generations.

8. Mossville: When Great Trees Fall (2020)

To educate yourself about long-standing issues of environmental racism in the U.S., this 2020 W Festival’s Spirit of Activism award winner is a good place to start. The film centers on Mossville, Louisiana, a once-thriving town home to generations of African American families that has been decimated by petrochemical plants. Stacey Ryan is one of the few who has refused to be pushed out of the area, and it is through his bold defiance that we witness the undeniably destructive symptoms of environmental inequity and racism.

9. 2040 (2019)

For something a little more optimistic, Damon Gameau imagines our planet in 2040, if regenerative processes, innovations, and inventions to curb climate change are widely implemented. Changing the pessimistic and hopeless narrative of the future of our planet, this documentary focuses on the economic, political, and scientific solutions and practices, such as energy subsidies and regenerative farming, that could solidify real change for our planet and future.

10. Jane Goodall: The Hope (2020)

Continuing Jane Goodall’s story, Jane Goodall: The Hope explores Goodall’s life beyond her best-known gorilla behavioral research work. We learn how her advocacy, activism, and non-profit work dedicated to inspiring the younger generations has remained strong, due to her persistent optimism and awe of nature.

Environmental documentaries have the powerful potential to influence the narrative of conservation by educating audiences on the complex threats to nature and how to actively participate in environmental protection efforts. EARTHDAY.ORG’s Artists for the Earth program highlights artists that communicate complex environmental issues through their work.

Consider becoming a member to support environmental artists and to turn your awareness into action.

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere reached 419 parts per million in May. These are the highest carbon dioxide levels in over four million years.

The last time that the atmosphere held comparable levels of CO2 was during the Pliocene period, when the Earth looked completely different from what it does today. Sea levels were 78 feet higher, temperatures were 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer and large forests covered parts of the Arctic tundra.

What do these record CO2 emissions mean for climate change? The atmosphere acts as a heat-trapping blanket. Greenhouse gases, like CO2, keep temperatures on Earth comfortable for human survival.

However, we are emitting record amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere due to transportation, electrical generation, deforestation, agriculture and more. This excess amount of human-induced CO2 causes average temperatures to rise over time, resulting in what is known as climate change.

Climate change is already impacting life as we know it. Rising temperatures, changing seasons, altered rainfall patterns and stronger hurricanes are but a few of its tremendous effects.

“We are adding roughly 40 billion metric tons of CO2 pollution to the atmosphere per year,” said Pieter Tans, a senior scientist with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory. “That is a mountain of carbon that we dig up out of the Earth, burn, and release into the atmosphere as CO2 – year after year. If we want to avoid catastrophic climate change, the highest priority must be to reduce CO2 pollution to zero at the earliest possible date.” 

We must also grapple with the CO2 already present in the atmosphere. Known as “legacy emissions,” this represents the CO2 that has been accumulating over the past 200 years.

Enter climate restoration. It would provide for removal and sequestration of the trillion tons of CO2 emissions previously emitted into the atmosphere. Restoration efforts could lower atmospheric carbon to pre-industrial levels.

We have the opportunity to turn a grim headline into an opportunity if we Restore Our Earth. We’re running out of time, but if we act now and act together, we can turn the tide on the climate crisis.

Sign up for updates on how you can take action year-round. Donate to help us Restore Our Earth.

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When you work in Antarctica, as I have for 36 of the last 40 years, every day is Earth Day. Or World Penguin Day. This place, these animals, have left indelible impressions and emitted darts of light that have changed my life and changed my way of thinking about everything.

In Skype chats with schoolkids, I encourage their getting outside to get to know their own backyards. I was lucky. That’s what I did in the woods near my childhood Pennsylvania home, breathing some fresh air, gaining some independence and starting to conjure how I fit into the scheme of things.

Fast forward a few decades and I’m camping with my team at remote Petermann Island in the vastly warmed Antarctic Peninsula, counting penguin nests and chicks as part of Oceanites’ Antarctic Site Inventory project, assessing changes in these populations.

For example:

It’s a cold, 6 am, 25˚F. morning, it’s blowing a ‘hoolie’ outside my warm tent, I’ve just awakened and all I can think about is racing up to our larger office tent, 50 yards away, to make some coffee. Unzipping the tent, I unexpectedly find myself face-to-face with one of the island’s gentoo penguins. These two-and-a-half foot tall, twelve pounders are the most common nesting penguin here and are the one Antarctic penguin species that’s managed to adapt quite well in this climate-changed region.

My very plump, morning acquaintance won’t move. It is spiffy clean, having just returned from a feeding run and, between feverish bouts of feather-preening and shaking salt drip off its bill, it leans in, rolls its head back and forth and stares at me. On land and out of the water, they’re quite near-sighted and this one is definitely so, inching forward to the point where it almost careens into the tent and onto my lap. It starts nibbling on my legs, ankles to knees.

At one point, it raises its tail and shoots a frothy white stream of fishy guano onto the snow beyond. Then comes a loud mooing call to which its mate, I presume, responds from a distance. Then back to me. I put my right hand on the tent jamb and my fingers become a new object for its bill-poking. And, then, my favorite part. It backs off, bows deeply for a couple of seconds, turns and starts waddling inland.

Nothing better than a near-and-dear gentoo before breakfast! As often happens during these up-close-and-personal encounters, my heart is racing and pounding. This creature has just shared a bit of its life and routine with me, without fear, with obvious curiosity and little drama, and I am touched. In a fashion, I am flying, though my penguins can’t. And I am humbled, which we all should be each April, celebrating our planet and all who inhabit it.

My thoughts swirl to that question of how I — or we — fit and the messages my penguins are sending.

The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than almost anywhere else on the planet.  The response has been disparate — gentoo numbers soaring and their breeding range expanding, and Adélie and chinstrap populations significantly declining.

We’re living a critical and historical moment, and therein lies my Earth Day and World Penguin Day wish. We — like all living things on this planet — must realize that we have the same four requirements for life and survival: Food to eat. A good home. An environment free of pandemics and disease. And more kids and grandkids.

Let’s resolve to get involved.

Let’s Restore Our Earth and make Earth Day every day.

Photo credit for image at top: Ron Naveen

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Over the past few years, the climate action movement has seen a new set of young faces take the reins, from Swedish activist Greta Thunberg to Nisreen Elsaim from Sudan, who chairs the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. To position the younger generation as a major player in climate action and demand world leaders undertake environmental reforms, the youth-led group Earth Uprising is hosting a Youth Speaks 2021 Global Climate Summit on Tuesday, April 20 from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm ET.

The summit will stream live on the Earth Uprising website as well as on EARTHDAY.ORG and across EARTHDAY.ORG social media channels. Earth Uprising encourages viewers to post their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #YouthSpeaks21.

We asked Earth Uprising International Communications Team Member and summit organizer Brooke Nelson Muzzatti what viewers can expect from the summit, what the youth role is in the climate action movement and how young people can make their voices heard. Muzzatti’s responses are recorded below.

EARTHDAY.ORG: What were your motivations for planning the youth summit?

Earth Uprising: Our motivation for planning this climate summit and our mission as Earth Uprising is to educate youth about the climate crisis because there really isn’t enough education right now. And in order to take action, people need to be educated first. Our speakers will be discussing the issues surrounding the climate crisis that matter the most to youth and that impact them the most. This is a global youth climate summit, and we will be preparing demands for President Biden and other world leaders for their summit on Earth Day. We need to hold them accountable and make sure that our voices are heard before their summit.

EDO: What do you hope summit attendees will take away from the event?

EU: This event will be very educational and very informative for the attendees. People often don’t associate systemic issues like racism or migration with the climate crisis, but in actuality, they are very, very linked. And since this is a youth-led summit, the viewers will be able to hear from and learn from incredible youth from all over the world, who will talk about a variety of different topics, from climate literacy to preparation for the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow later this year.

EDO: What does the environmental movement mean to you?

EU: This environmental movement means everything to me as a climate activist and a part of this movement. It’s not something necessarily I want to do, but something I feel I need to do for my future and for everyone’s future. That being said, the people in this movement are amazing, and I’ve been so lucky to meet some of my closest friends who are from all over the world through this work.

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In the past year alone, monarch butterfly populations have dropped by 26%. The decline of this charismatic species is of the utmost concern, as monarch butterflies are pollinators that play a vital role in ecosystems all over North America.

One of the reasons for this drastic decrease in the number of monarch butterflies is the disappearance of the milkweed plant.

What is milkweed?

There are over 100 native species of milkweed plants found throughout North America. These various types of milkweed are able to flourish and thrive in a variety of environments. Milkweed is essential for the survival of the monarch butterfly, as monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant. Once the egg hatches, the monarch caterpillar first consumes its eggshell before beginning to eat the leaves of the milkweed. These leaves are the sole food source for the caterpillar, and supply it with the energy to form a chrysalis and turn into a butterfly.

Another important function of the milkweed leaf is that it contains toxic chemicals which make the monarch caterpillar bitter tasting, or even poisonous, to predators. This defense mechanism quickly teaches predators to avoid monarchs, and is another example of the significance of the milkweed plant in the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.

Currently, however, milkweed is disappearing due to the use of toxic pesticides, along with large-scale deforestation along the butterfly’s migratory route.

How to protect monarch butterflies

Planting milkweed creates butterfly stops for the monarch to use as it completes its annual migration, as well as helps create green spaces which Restore Our Earth. Each year, it takes three to four generations of monarchs to complete this migration from southwestern Mexico to Canada and northern parts of the United States, and one generation to make the journey southward again. Milkweed plants not only provide a place for the female monarch to lay her eggs, but the plant’s flowers also supply her with the nectar and energy to continue her journey.

Over the past 10 years, awareness has increased on the disappearance of monarchs and the significance of milkweed in the life cycle of this fascinating pollinator. Many people have begun to plant milkweed in their gardens or public areas, but neglect the fact that monarch butterflies will ignore milkweed that is within 15 feet of another plant that has been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Additionally, if a milkweed plant is sprayed with pesticides after the eggs have hatched, the leaves turn toxic for the caterpillar that consumes them. When creating your butterfly stop it is crucial to remember to avoid the use of these harmful chemicals.

Parents and teachers can use the following activity to teach children of all ages about how to plant milkweed to help protect monarch butterflies.

Milkweed and monarchs activity

Supplies: 

• Milkweed seeds 
• Soil 
• Spades
• Plantable pots 

1. Start by filling each pot with soil until about ¾ of an inch from the top. Scatter six to eight milkweed seeds into the pot and cover the seeds with more soil. Make sure to pick the type of milkweed that is most suitable for your area. Water lightly. 
2. A few days after the milkweed has sprouted, it is time to place the pots into the soil. When choosing a location, remember to place your milkweed at least 15 feet away from any plants that have been sprayed with any pesticides or herbicides. You can either plant milkweed around your school, or take them home to create a butterfly stop in your garden. 
3. Dig a hole the size of the pot and place it directly into the soil. If you decide to place multiple milkweed plants within the same area, space each pot around a foot apart. Pack the soil tightly around the pot, making sure that the saplings are still visible. Continue to water daily for a month. 
4. As your milkweed continues to grow, be on the lookout for this charismatic species of butterfly. 

As with any pollinator, the disappearance of the monarch butterfly will significantly harm our environment. This beautiful species is one that must thrive for generations to come. Planting milkweed offers a simple solution to this issue, and provides an entertaining and sustainable activity for all ages to enjoy. 

EARTHDAY.ORG’s Conservation and Biodiversity campaign is working to raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction for millions of species all over the world, such as the monarch butterfly. Planting milkweed and educating others on the significance of milkweed is a great way to help protect their populations and Restore Our Earth for Earth Day 2021. 

The post What we can do to protect monarch butterflies appeared first on Earth Day.

Coral reefs are dying at a rapid rate and are threatened with extinction from the effects of climate change, over-fishing, and pollution.

The Project

A coral restoration project in Florida led by Dr. David Vaughan, a Senior Scientist and manager of the Coral Restoration program at the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration. It was while working in his lab that Dr. Vaughan discovered a process to speed up the rate of growth for coral. Using a process called microfragmentation, he and his crew are able to produce hundreds of corals in a day. Dr. Vaughan postponed his retirement to work on restoring corals at Florida’s Reef Tract.

More Information

BBC Earth video on Dr. Vaughan

EDN’s Protect Our Species campaign for Earth Day 2019

About EDN’s Spotlight Feature: We are always excited to hear about projects to address environmental issues and help communities. While it wouldn’t be possible to feature every good project, we are taking time to shine a spotlight on select examples, with the hope of inspiring others. You can share your environmental projects for consideration by emailing us at communications@earthday.org and/or tagging us in posts and using the #EDNSpotlight hashtag on social media.

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There is no doubt that a vast number of animals and plants have gone extinct in recent centuries due to human activity, especially since the industrial revolution. [1] The number of individuals across species of plants and animals[2] has declined as well – in many cases severely – affecting genetic variation, biodiversity, among other issues.

All around the world, areas where humans exploit natural resources or undergo encroaching development all have the same outcome: a deteriorating natural environment. As a result of human action, ecosystems face threats such as unhealthy production and consumption; in today’s interconnected world, it doesn’t take much to see these unsustainable forces to take hold. [3]

This is a trend that cannot continue. If ecosystems are too severely depleted, their ability to remain replenish, sustain our species, and meet human needs is drastically threatened.

Many of us have seen images depicting open prairies covered by massive herds of bison that no longer exist, enormous flocks of birds congregated in marshes and lagoons that have seen their numbers reduced dramatically, or beautiful and impressive animals such as elephants, giraffes, and whales, which — in many cases — are in danger of becoming extinct.

Other people have cherished memories of less imposing animals that nonetheless bring deeply felt emotions, such as the sound of thousands of frogs croaking in the middle of the night, birds visiting a backyard feeder year after year, or millions of bats flying to their resting place at dusk. Others might remember that when traveling by car through the countryside, their car’s windshield ended up covered with hundreds of dead insects, which sadly was a signal of abundance that now hardly ever happens.

If you lived close to the ocean or spent much time there, you have probably heard that fish stocks have declined dramatically or read stories about whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals washing up dead on beaches, [4] occasionally in large numbers.

In the last decades, we have learned countless stories of new species of plants or animals being discovered in tropical forests across the globe, giving us a sense of wonder and possibility. At the same time, millions of acres of natural forests are being destroyed every year.

Let’s check some numbers: [5]

• The number of animals living on the land has fallen by 40% since 1970.[6]
• Marine animal populations have also fallen by 40% overall.[7]
• Overall, 40 percent of the world’s 11,000 bird species are in decline.[8]
• Animal populations in freshwater ecosystems have plummeted by 75% since 1970.[9]
• Insect populations have declined by 75% in some places of the world.[10]
• About a quarter of the world’s coral reefs have already been damaged beyond repair, and 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs are at risk from local and global stresses.[11]
• It is estimated that humans have impacted 83% of Earth’s land surface, which has affected many ecosystems as well as the range in which specific species of wildlife used to exist. [12]

Developed nations have seen benefits in economic growth not only from the exploitation of their ecosystems and species, but from the exploitation of the ecosystems and species of undeveloped nations as well. [13] Currently, the biggest declines in animal numbers are happening in low-income, developing nations, mirroring declines in wildlife that occurred in wealthier nations long before. The last wolf in the UK was killed in 1680. [14] For instance, between 1990 and 2008, around a third of products that cause deforestation – timber, beef, and soya – were imported to the EU.[15]

Academics and others debate if we are already facing a new process of mass extinction, such as the ones the world has experienced over the millennia. But even if that is not the case, we know that thousands of species are endangered, and most land and sea flora and fauna have seen their numbers severely reduced, with few exceptions.

Many species have disappeared already and many more are following the same path. As reported by The World Conservation Union (IUCN), there have been 849 species that have disappeared in the wild since 1500 A.D.; most strikingly, this number greatly underestimates the thousands of species that disappeared before scientists were able to identify them. [16] Most troublingly, around 33% and 20% of amphibians and mammals are in danger of becoming extinct in the coming decades. [17]

We also know that some people have argued that species have disappeared before and how the current decline is just part of a natural process. But this conclusion is way off base. All other processes of global mass extinction in the history of the planet happened because of a catastrophic natural event. They were not the result of human intervention, as is the case for the current mass extinction. According to Peter Ward from the University of Washington, what we are experiencing today is strikingly similar to the dinosaur-killing event of 60 million years ago, when a planet already stressed by sudden changes in its climate was knocked into mass extinction by the impact of asteroids. [18] This mass extinction we are going through has been unfolding because of the intervention of a single species, us. Humans are having an outsized negative impact on all other species. Human activity has caused a dramatic reduction in the total number of species and the population sizes of specific species; thousand have already disappeared, and many more are threatened with extinction.

The marine extinction crisis is not as widely grasped as the crises in tropical forests and other terrestrial biomes. [19] We do not know how many species are in the ocean as the bulk of marine species are undiscovered. Therefore, we do not know how many have disappeared or how many are in danger of disappearing. Furthermore, we are also losing species or unique types within a species (for example a type of salmon), before we even know of them.

We know that overfishing is a major global concern. Current assessments cover only 20% of the world’s fish stocks, so the true state of most of the world’s fish populations is not clear. Although, recent findings suggest that those unstudied stocks are declining, [20] and nearly three-quarters of the world’s commercially fished stocks are overharvested and at risk.

Along with species extinction, the devastation of genetically unique populations and the loss of their genetic variation[21] leads to an irreversible biodiversity loss. The evidence all points to the unfolding of a global tragedy with permeant consequences.[22]

What is driving this process of extinction?

• Overexploitation of species either for human consumption, use, elaboration of byproducts, or for sport. [23]
• Habitat Loss: [24]
  • Habitat destruction: A bulldozer pushing down trees is the iconic image of habitat destruction. Other ways people directly destroy habitat include filling in wetlands, dredging rivers, mowing fields, and cutting down trees.
  • Habitat fragmentation: Much of the remaining terrestrial wildlife habitat has been cut up into fragments by roads and development. Aquatic species’ habitats have been fragmented by dams and water diversions. These fragments of habitat may not be large or connected enough to support species that need a large territory where they can find mates and food. Also, the loss and fragmentation of habitats makes it difficult for migratory species to find places to rest and feed along their migration routes.
  • Habitat degradation: Pollution, invasive species, and disruption of ecosystem processes (such as changing the intensity of fires in an ecosystem) are some of the ways habitats can become so degraded they can no longer support native wildlife.
• Climate Change:
  • As climate change alters temperature and weather patterns, it also impacts plant and animal life. Scientists expect that the number and range of species, which define biodiversity, will decline greatly as temperatures continue to rise.[25]
  • The burning of fossil fuels for energy and animal agriculture are two of the biggest contributors to global warming, along with deforestation. Livestock accounts for between 14.5 percent and 18 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.[26] Those emissions come from cattle belches, intestinal gasses, and waste; the fertilizer production for feed crops; general farm associated emissions; and the process of growing feed crops. [27] According to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project, animal waste releases methane and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gases that are much more potent than carbon dioxide. As people increase their level of income, they consume more meat and dairy products. The populations of industrial countries consume twice as much meat as those in developing countries.[28] Worldwide meat production has tripled over the last four decades and increased 20 percent in just the last ten years. This information suggests that we should cut back on our consumption of meat and dairy. “The privilege we have over these animals, it would appear, now comes at a hefty price [to the planet].”[29]

• The spread of non-native species around the world; a single species (us) taking over a significant percentage of the world’s physical space and production; and, human actions increasingly directing evolution.[30]
  • The first factor is also known as the global homogenization of flora and fauna. Biotic homogenization[31] is an emerging, yet pervasive, threat in the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Originally, ecologists defined biotic homogenization as the replacement of native species by exotics or introduced species, but this phenomenon is now more broadly recognized as the process by which ecosystems lose their biological uniqueness and uniformity grows.[32] As global transportation becomes faster and more frequent, it is inevitable that species intermixing will increase. When unique local flora or fauna become extinct, they are often replaced by already widespread flora or fauna that is more adapted to tolerate human activities. This process is affecting all aspects of our natural world. For example, we grow the same crops anywhere in the world at the expense of the local varieties that in many cases disappear; introduce animals into places where they did not exist, and often do not have natural enemies, becoming a plague, such as rats introduced to the Galapagos Islands; or destroy other species that cannot defend themselves from the new predator, such as in Guam where over the years ten of Guam’s twelve original forest bird species have been lost due to the introduction of the brown tree snake.[33] Biological homogenization qualifies as a global environmental catastrophe. The Earth has never witnessed such a broad and complete reorganization of species distribution, in which animals and plants (and other organisms for that matter) have been translocated on a global scale around the planet.
  • Over the last few centuries, humans have essentially become the top predator not only on land, but also across the sea. In doing so, humanity has begun using 25-40% of the planet’s net primary production for its own. [34] As we keep expanding our use of land and resources, the capacity of species to survive is constantly reduced.
  • Humanity has become a massive force in directing evolution. This is most apparent, in the domestication of animals and the cultivation of crops over thousands of years. But humans are directing evolution in numerous other ways as well, manipulating genomes by artificial selection and molecular techniques, and indirectly by managing ecosystems and populations to conserve them, said co-author Erle Ellis, an expert on the Anthropocene with the University of Maryland. He added that even conservation is impacting evolution.[35]
• Other: In countries around the world, policies have been enacted that have led to extinction or near extinction of specific species, such large predators in the US and Europe. Also, chemical products associated with agriculture or other productive processes have affected many species such as honeybees and other pollinators.

The post What You Need to Know About Declining Species appeared first on Earth Day.

With a commitment of some 460 million trees coming from the State of Telangana in India, Earth Day Network can confirm that we have reached the one billion mark on our march to 7.8 billion. EDN had previously collected a massive commitment from the World Boy Scouts to plant over 500 million trees by 2020. That in conjunction with dozens of other smaller pledges put our total to date at just over one billion. And it took slightly less than seven months.

“We knew going into it that reaching 7.8 billion trees by 2020 was going to be a long hard slog. But more importantly we knew it was not impossible,” explained Kathleen Rogers, President of the Earth Day Network. “Nations are now beginning to realize the critical, central roles that trees and soil will play in greenhouse gas reduction. We will reach 7.8 billion trees planted by Earth Day 2020.”

“It was striking that over 60 countries mentioned reforestation in their climate commitments last year in Paris. The tremendous potential and affordability of the land sector is becoming much more widely understood,” said Orion Cruz, Earth Day Network’s Deputy Director of Forest and Climate Policy. “The big question is, can we act cooperatively and quickly enough to reap the benefits of this knowledge by 2020? We believe so.”

Trees for the Earth focuses on those regions of the world most affected by deforestation. In order to achieve our goal of 7.8 billion trees, we will work with partners from all levels of society, integrate trees into all of our existing campaigns, and create coalitions with national and subnational governments, mayors, faith leaders, businesses, and civil society from all across the globe.

Our goals for planting these trees are as simple as they are important:

• Fight climate change and pollution;
• Support communities, their local economies, and their way of life;
• Protect biodiversity; and
• Inspire millions of people to join us in environmental citizenship and stewardship.

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