Friday, October 19, 2007

"Planet in Peril": CNN's latest investigation

CNN in their "planet in peril" press release show how easy it is to get us to cover an environmental economics related topic:
Dear Dr. Robert J. R. Elliott, As the author of leading environmental blog 'globalisation and the environment', I thought you may be interested in CNN’s upcoming environmental documentary, Planet in Peril, and have access to previews
before it airs next week.

How could we resist. More seriously, having checked it out, the CNN planet peril website is an excellent resource in its own right. There are links for educators, that include worksheets, PDFs, a quiz and short videos covering issues such as deforestation, over population, global warming and biodiversity.

The whole launch has been well thought out, planned and executed.

For example:

CNN Student News Learning Activity: Climate Change

Warming World [Video]

About the show:

CNN takes viewers around the world in a two-part, four-hour documentary that examines our changing planet. This worldwide investigation, shot in high definition, looks at four key issues: climate change, vanishing habitats, disappearing species and human population growth.

To tell this story, Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin traveled to some of the most remote and remarkable places on Earth. From exposing illegal wildlife trading undercover in Southeast Asia to seeing first–hand the devastating effects of deforestation in Brazil, they have gathered evidence on the unsettling changes taking place all around us.

Planet in Peril premieres October 24 and 25 at 1300 or 1900 GMT to watch this important documentary on CNN International.

On the surface then this looks like an excellent contribution and CNN's global reach should ensure it reaches plenty of homes especially in the US where there remains a great deal of environmental scepticism. The proof of the pudding will as always be in the eating. How many factual errors and bad science traps have CNN fallen into? Has this 4 hour documentary been spun to make the US government a good guy or a bad guy? Will the show be all glossy locations and no analysis?

Time will tell - the previews offered on the website might also give us a clue.

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1 comment:

Green Nation Gardens said...

I think this documentary will show environmental problems from around the globe. There are and have always have been environmental concerns on every corner of the planet. I'm also sure that many people will watch.

What I'm not so sure about is how it will affect American's (who have cable) sitting comfortably in their climate controlled living rooms. We are a very me society. If something does not directly affect us, we tend not to think about it.

I feel that if CNN or any other TV channel wants to increase the awareness of environmental issues and the necessity for living a Greener lifestyle, American's need to see the devastation in their own backyards.

American's also love incentives. If the general public knew that there are incentives from their state and the Federal government to use renewable energy, more people would take advantage of them. There are incentives, only they are unadvertised secrets.

We are a Nation, not millions of individuals living on islands. One person can make a difference and collectively anything is possible!

The Great thinker Ghandi said it best,
"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE".

http://www.greennationgardens.com