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Satellite cameras can now look
down on every part of our planet...
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00:00:16,380 --> 00:00:19,300
..revolutionising the
view of our home.
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00:00:25,140 --> 00:00:28,700
By combining images
taken over days...
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00:00:31,460 --> 00:00:32,500
..weeks...
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00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:36,540
..and years...
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00:00:39,780 --> 00:00:42,980
..we can see Planet Earth change.
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00:00:50,340 --> 00:00:54,980
From space, we can watch
cities grow...
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00:00:58,060 --> 00:01:01,340
..Earth's natural resources
shrink...
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00:01:07,820 --> 00:01:11,100
..and the weather
become more extreme.
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00:01:19,540 --> 00:01:22,980
As we alter the surface
of the planet
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00:01:22,980 --> 00:01:26,460
faster than at any time
in human history...
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00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:35,540
..this new perspective allows us to
track the speed of this change...
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00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:43,340
..to see the impact
of our actions...
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00:01:48,020 --> 00:01:52,900
..and inspire us
to look after our fragile home.
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00:02:21,940 --> 00:02:25,300
Humans now inhabit every
landmass on the planet.
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00:02:28,860 --> 00:02:33,900
And the extent of our colonisation
is most obvious at night.
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00:02:39,220 --> 00:02:43,860
Scientists have combined images
to reveal a detailed view
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of the entire globe at night.
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00:02:56,220 --> 00:02:57,900
Our cities and towns...
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..reaching out across its surface.
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00:03:18,580 --> 00:03:22,780
Using images taken over years,
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00:03:22,780 --> 00:03:26,740
we can see just how fast
these cities are growing.
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00:03:54,140 --> 00:03:56,340
In the last 40 years,
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00:03:56,340 --> 00:03:59,540
Las Vegas has tripled in size...
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00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:08,580
..its suburbs sprawling
into the Nevada desert.
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00:04:13,220 --> 00:04:17,700
Tokyo is now home to 38 million.
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00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:27,180
More people than any other
city on Earth.
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00:04:34,180 --> 00:04:35,900
And, in just 35 years...
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00:04:37,460 --> 00:04:40,620
..the small fishing village
of Shenzhen in China...
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00:04:42,060 --> 00:04:44,100
..has grown to a modern city...
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..of ten million.
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It has joined with
nine neighbouring cities,
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creating one giant megatropolis...
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00:05:04,460 --> 00:05:07,740
..home to more than
60 million people...
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00:05:12,380 --> 00:05:16,020
..across more than 50,000
square kilometres.
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00:05:27,940 --> 00:05:30,220
As new land is claimed each day...
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00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:34,500
..nature is being pushed out.
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00:05:44,820 --> 00:05:45,820
From above...
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00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:51,660
..India's streets are a
densely packed maze
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of grey concrete.
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00:06:00,820 --> 00:06:03,660
But zoom in over Chennai,
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one of India's largest cities...
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..and we can see
a flash of bright green.
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Wild parakeets.
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00:06:32,580 --> 00:06:36,620
In this ever-sprawling city,
one man
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has made room for wildlife.
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00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:45,820
15 years ago, Joseph Sekar saw a
pair of parakeets
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00:06:45,820 --> 00:06:49,420
struggling to find food
in the city streets.
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He put out rice for the birds.
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Others came,
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so each day he put out even more.
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Every day, he and his granddaughters
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turn his rooftop
into a giant bird table...
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..awaiting the arrival...
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..of 4,000 birds.
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Joseph spends nearly 50% of his
income on feeding the parakeets.
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They come twice a day, without fail.
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00:09:04,940 --> 00:09:08,740
Joseph has not only given
a lifeline to these birds
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when they needed it most...
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00:09:12,820 --> 00:09:18,100
..he has brought a little bit of
nature back into the city streets.
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00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:50,740
In a world where nature
is being pushed out...
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..Joseph is supporting
a whole population of animals...
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00:10:03,060 --> 00:10:06,660
..showing that one person
in five million
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can make a huge difference.
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00:10:30,460 --> 00:10:33,700
As the planet's urban landscapes
grow by the day...
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..its most important
wild spaces are shrinking.
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00:10:50,820 --> 00:10:54,820
In South America,
trees are cleared for farming.
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00:11:11,620 --> 00:11:17,940
In the Amazon, small patches of
green, protected by local tribes...
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00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:23,260
..are all that remain
of a once-great forest.
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00:11:30,620 --> 00:11:34,220
And on the island of Madagascar,
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images taken over 30 years...
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...show it has lost almost 80%
of its original forest.
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With so few trees left
to hold the soil in place,
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the red earth now runs into the
rivers and out into the ocean.
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00:12:02,340 --> 00:12:05,860
It looks like Madagascar
is bleeding.
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00:12:19,140 --> 00:12:20,620
The islands of Indonesia.
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An area of thick rainforest...
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..home to thousands
of plant and animal species.
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00:12:35,980 --> 00:12:39,460
But the view from space
shows it disappear.
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00:12:47,260 --> 00:12:52,820
All over Indonesia,
swathes of forest are vanishing.
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And it's having a devastating impact
on one species in particular.
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ORANGUTAN HOOTS
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This young Sumatran orangutan
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lives with her mother
in the forest canopy.
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At nearly three years old,
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she's still learning
what's safe to eat and what isn't.
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00:14:10,380 --> 00:14:14,100
There are over 300 different types
of edible plants in the forest...
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..but each fruit at different times.
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00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:23,500
Finding food here isn't easy.
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00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:28,700
She must rely on
her mother's expert knowledge.
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00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:42,700
The pair can travel for up to 3km a
day foraging for food.
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00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:47,580
Her mother knows the location of
each and every tree
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in her territory.
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Durian fruit, full of fats and
vitamins, are a favourite.
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Their smell tells her
if they're ready to eat.
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Every day is a lesson.
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00:15:23,380 --> 00:15:25,620
It will be three more years
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00:15:25,620 --> 00:15:29,100
before this young female
has learned enough to go it alone.
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00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:33,620
But with orangutan habitat
under threat,
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00:15:33,620 --> 00:15:36,980
finding enough food
is becoming more difficult.
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She may not survive that long.
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00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:52,580
This forest is home to the
highest concentration
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of orangutans on the planet.
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00:15:58,460 --> 00:16:01,380
But as the satellite
moves across the landscape...
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00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:05,580
..the forest disappears.
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00:16:12,940 --> 00:16:15,740
The last patches
of the orangutans' habitat...
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00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:23,420
..are surrounded by ordered fields.
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00:16:29,740 --> 00:16:31,780
Row after row...
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00:16:34,220 --> 00:16:35,860
..of palm oil trees.
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00:16:44,820 --> 00:16:48,900
Nuts from the trees
are made into oil
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that's found in about half
of all the products
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on our supermarket shelves.
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From toothpaste to biscuits...
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..lipstick to soap.
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00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:19,660
In the last 20 years,
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00:17:19,660 --> 00:17:23,140
orangutans have lost 80%
of their forest home.
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00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:31,540
The scale and speed
of deforestation here
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00:17:31,540 --> 00:17:34,580
makes it almost
impossible to control.
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00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:42,900
But now satellites can help.
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00:17:45,580 --> 00:17:48,060
They can monitor tree loss
in real time...
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00:17:49,620 --> 00:17:53,060
..revolutionising the fight
against illegal activity...
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00:17:55,220 --> 00:17:59,060
..allowing authorities to keep
watch on remote forests...
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00:18:00,820 --> 00:18:03,820
...and respond to
protect them faster.
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00:18:18,260 --> 00:18:21,700
It's not only forests
the humans are exploiting.
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00:18:24,500 --> 00:18:29,620
We've found ways to use natural
resources across the planet.
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00:18:39,340 --> 00:18:42,220
A mine fans out in Germany...
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00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:48,300
..producing 30 million tonnes
of brown coal a year
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00:18:48,300 --> 00:18:50,340
to fuel electric power stations.
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00:18:54,620 --> 00:18:58,460
In Chile, islands of blue
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00:18:58,460 --> 00:19:00,260
appear in a vast salt flat.
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00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:08,460
These evaporation ponds
concentrate lithium
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00:19:08,460 --> 00:19:12,060
to be made into batteries
for our mobile phones.
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00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:18,780
In the deserts of Saudi Arabia,
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00:19:18,780 --> 00:19:21,620
circles appear in the sand.
135
00:19:23,860 --> 00:19:28,100
Water pumped from 1km
below the Earth's surface
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00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:30,060
is used to feed crops.
137
00:19:38,820 --> 00:19:42,900
And as we use Earth's natural
resources to fuel our industries...
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..we leave our rubbish behind.
139
00:19:50,460 --> 00:19:54,900
Thousands of old aircraft
litter the Arizona desert.
140
00:20:00,780 --> 00:20:04,300
Hundreds of ships
line the coast of Bangladesh...
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..waiting to be dismantled.
142
00:20:12,220 --> 00:20:16,500
And in Kuwait, a black patchwork
in the sand.
143
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:22,940
Millions of used car tyres
left discarded.
144
00:20:29,500 --> 00:20:32,380
The waste products
of almost everything we make...
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00:20:34,780 --> 00:20:35,860
..are gases.
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00:20:41,460 --> 00:20:44,300
They rise into the atmosphere,
147
00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:46,780
where they become trapped,
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00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:49,980
and absorb heat
from the Earth below,
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00:20:49,980 --> 00:20:52,060
making the planet hotter.
150
00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:58,180
In the last hundred years,
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00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:01,140
our planet has warmed
by almost one degree Celsius...
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00:21:02,820 --> 00:21:05,020
..enough to dramatically affect
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some of our greatest
natural landscapes.
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00:21:12,900 --> 00:21:13,940
Glaciers.
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Huge bodies of ice.
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00:21:24,540 --> 00:21:28,900
In Alaska, Bear Glacier runs for
20km down the valley...
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00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:34,460
..before it breaks up
where it meets the water.
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00:21:42,940 --> 00:21:47,540
In real time,
glaciers can move so slowly
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00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:49,060
they almost appear static.
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00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:05,940
But by combining satellite images
taken over years,
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00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:08,380
we can see the ice retreating.
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00:22:14,460 --> 00:22:16,100
Over 30 years...
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..12 miles of ice is lost
from Alaska's Columbia Glacier.
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00:22:32,420 --> 00:22:34,860
Mountain glaciers
are also under threat.
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00:22:41,540 --> 00:22:46,660
In the centre of Ecuador,
South America, lies Chimborazo.
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00:22:53,340 --> 00:22:58,100
At more than 6,000 metres, it is
the country's highest mountain.
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00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:10,140
For millennia, its peak has been
covered in snow and ice.
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00:23:16,860 --> 00:23:19,300
But in the past three decades,
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the view from space
has started to change.
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Chimborazo is losing its ice.
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00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:43,260
One man living in its foothills
knows this only too well.
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Balthazar is an ice harvester.
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00:24:16,260 --> 00:24:20,060
For generations, his family have
collected glacial ice
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from the mountain to sell to
the towns and villages below.
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He used to be one of 40
working here.
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Now he's the very last one.
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00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:12,660
As the glacier melts,
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he's had to climb higher and higher
to find the ice.
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On the top of the mountain,
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scientists use drones to monitor
the change in the depth of ice
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00:25:46,380 --> 00:25:50,780
to calculate just how fast
Chimborazo's glaciers
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are retreating.
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00:25:54,460 --> 00:25:57,340
But a drone can only go so high.
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00:26:08,940 --> 00:26:11,900
Combining these images
with satellite data...
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..reveals the whole picture.
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Since 1976,
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21% of Chimborazo's surface ice
has gone.
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00:26:40,180 --> 00:26:43,420
Glaciers act as
the world's water towers...
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..feeding the streams
and rivers which we rely on.
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If they dry up,
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the effect could be severe.
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For Balthazar,
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this could be the end of the only
way of life he's ever known.
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In the old days,
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he delivered ice to towns
all over the region.
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00:27:29,260 --> 00:27:33,780
But now he supplies
just a handful of local cafes...
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THEY EXCHANGE GREETINGS
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..who, like him, believe that his
ice is the best money can buy.
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00:28:11,820 --> 00:28:15,260
As the Earth's climate changes,
200
00:28:15,260 --> 00:28:18,300
our weather becomes
more unpredictable.
201
00:28:24,180 --> 00:28:27,700
Extremes of hot and cold
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are contributing
to dramatic weather events.
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00:28:36,380 --> 00:28:37,580
In Africa...
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..snow falls...
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..in the Sahara Desert.
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00:28:54,020 --> 00:28:57,900
In 2018, an unusually hot summer...
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00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:03,420
..turned the UK brown.
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00:29:12,340 --> 00:29:17,380
While in Bolivia,
Lake Poopo has all but disappeared,
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00:29:17,380 --> 00:29:20,700
partly due to severe drought.
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00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:33,060
As global temperatures rise,
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00:29:33,060 --> 00:29:36,900
water on the Earth's surface
evaporates faster...
212
00:29:38,220 --> 00:29:40,020
..creating more clouds...
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..and more storms.
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00:29:50,700 --> 00:29:52,460
Look down over the ocean...
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..and the clouds shift into shape.
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00:30:01,460 --> 00:30:03,500
THUNDER RUMBLES
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00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:04,740
They begin to spiral...
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00:30:06,380 --> 00:30:07,700
..and race...
219
00:30:10,220 --> 00:30:13,060
..picking up energy
as they spin across the ocean.
220
00:30:16,820 --> 00:30:17,980
Hurricanes.
221
00:30:25,580 --> 00:30:26,900
On average,
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00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:31,020
one hurricane hits the Gulf Coast
of the United States every year.
223
00:30:36,860 --> 00:30:40,060
But beach-side property
is still highly sought after.
224
00:30:48,780 --> 00:30:50,820
And not just by holiday-makers.
225
00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:22,420
These dunes have been hit by four
hurricanes in the last 25 years.
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00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:26,620
Just a few miles down the coast,
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00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:29,820
an entire beach mouse population
was wiped out...
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00:31:34,340 --> 00:31:36,140
..and had to be reintroduced.
229
00:31:44,420 --> 00:31:48,980
At three weeks old, every young
mouse must leave the family nest...
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00:31:50,260 --> 00:31:52,300
..and establish their own territory.
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00:31:57,260 --> 00:31:58,740
Starting with a burrow.
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00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:05,660
There's little vegetation,
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00:32:05,660 --> 00:32:07,020
barely any cover.
234
00:32:08,540 --> 00:32:10,860
A bolthole is essential.
235
00:32:18,780 --> 00:32:20,220
MOUSE SQUEAKS
236
00:32:21,980 --> 00:32:25,500
Like all real estate
on this coastline,
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00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:27,980
burrows are hot property.
238
00:32:38,540 --> 00:32:42,980
It might take several days
to find a place of his own.
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Every moment spent out here alone,
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00:32:48,860 --> 00:32:50,020
he's vulnerable.
241
00:32:51,900 --> 00:32:54,420
And not just to predators.
242
00:32:57,060 --> 00:33:00,420
Over the dunes,
the skies are getting darker.
243
00:33:00,420 --> 00:33:02,260
THUNDER RUMBLES
244
00:33:08,420 --> 00:33:10,980
Clouds are building.
245
00:33:13,660 --> 00:33:17,700
While cameras on the dunes
follow the weather as it changes...
246
00:33:20,140 --> 00:33:22,140
..at the same time
247
00:33:22,140 --> 00:33:24,820
a satellite positioned
out over the Gulf...
248
00:33:28,140 --> 00:33:30,700
..allows us to see
what a mouse can't.
249
00:33:33,140 --> 00:33:36,980
800km away from the dunes,
250
00:33:36,980 --> 00:33:39,220
a hurricane has formed.
251
00:33:45,100 --> 00:33:48,060
Like all major storms,
it's given a name.
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00:33:49,780 --> 00:33:51,020
Harvey.
253
00:33:56,500 --> 00:33:58,220
300km across...
254
00:33:59,580 --> 00:34:03,420
..and with winds of
over 100mph,
255
00:34:03,420 --> 00:34:08,580
it's predicted that Harvey
will make land in just eight hours.
256
00:34:10,860 --> 00:34:12,420
To tell where it will hit,
257
00:34:12,420 --> 00:34:14,780
we can track its movement
from satellite.
258
00:34:22,980 --> 00:34:26,820
As it reaches the coast,
it spins away from the dunes.
259
00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:37,460
The beach mice are safe.
260
00:34:43,580 --> 00:34:45,420
But where Harvey makes landfall...
261
00:34:46,980 --> 00:34:50,700
..images reveal the aftermath
of devastating flooding...
262
00:34:53,580 --> 00:34:56,100
..caused by over
120 centimetres of rain.
263
00:35:01,020 --> 00:35:05,940
Harvey was the most powerful storm
to hit the US in 12 years.
264
00:35:14,060 --> 00:35:16,900
And the wettest in American history.
265
00:35:26,780 --> 00:35:29,340
But Harvey was just the beginning.
266
00:35:32,020 --> 00:35:34,700
Next came Irma,
267
00:35:34,700 --> 00:35:36,660
Jose
268
00:35:36,660 --> 00:35:38,060
and Katia...
269
00:35:39,820 --> 00:35:42,940
..in one of the worst
hurricane seasons on record.
270
00:35:49,020 --> 00:35:51,460
It's predicted that
an ever-warming planet
271
00:35:51,460 --> 00:35:53,700
will produce more powerful storms.
272
00:35:55,780 --> 00:35:58,940
But with satellites mapping
the path of hurricanes,
273
00:35:58,940 --> 00:36:02,020
they can help us to prepare
for when they hit.
274
00:36:11,460 --> 00:36:14,180
It's not only hurricanes
that are increasing.
275
00:36:15,860 --> 00:36:19,300
Another weather event leaves
indelible marks on our planet.
276
00:36:22,300 --> 00:36:26,020
California, 2018.
277
00:36:29,540 --> 00:36:34,100
A huge burn mark covering
more than 1,400 square kilometres.
278
00:36:39,820 --> 00:36:43,260
These scars are found across America
every summer.
279
00:36:52,140 --> 00:36:54,260
And the view from space
280
00:36:54,260 --> 00:36:57,500
gives us a brand-new perspective
on one of their causes.
281
00:36:57,500 --> 00:37:00,620
THUNDER RUMBLES
282
00:37:04,660 --> 00:37:07,060
Look down on the planet at night...
283
00:37:10,500 --> 00:37:13,700
..and the globe
crackles and sparks...
284
00:37:19,260 --> 00:37:22,620
..each bright spot
a strike of lightning.
285
00:37:27,580 --> 00:37:32,180
Our world is struck
up to 50 times every second.
286
00:37:42,620 --> 00:37:46,380
As the energy of each strike
hits the Earth's surface...
287
00:37:48,900 --> 00:37:50,500
..they create deadly sparks.
288
00:37:53,180 --> 00:37:57,980
THUNDER CRASHING
289
00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:05,300
In North America,
more than 10,000 wildfires a year
290
00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:06,940
are caused by lightning.
291
00:38:12,860 --> 00:38:14,540
SIRENS BLARE
292
00:38:14,540 --> 00:38:18,580
This number is increasing
as the climate changes,
293
00:38:18,580 --> 00:38:21,980
so these fires must be monitored.
294
00:38:33,020 --> 00:38:36,020
HE BREATHES HEAVILY
295
00:38:47,780 --> 00:38:50,820
Usually, I get up at about
six o'clock in the morning.
296
00:38:52,220 --> 00:38:54,700
I get up, have a cup of coffee...
297
00:38:57,740 --> 00:38:59,620
..and then I'm ready to go.
298
00:39:06,460 --> 00:39:08,780
Every day of each summer,
299
00:39:08,780 --> 00:39:15,180
85-year-old Billy Ellis
climbs the 143 steps to his office.
300
00:39:28,620 --> 00:39:32,660
I get to the radio about 9.25.
301
00:39:33,860 --> 00:39:36,940
Hello, Dispatch, this is
Devil's Head Tower, in service.
302
00:39:36,940 --> 00:39:39,020
MUFFLED REPLY
303
00:39:39,020 --> 00:39:43,660
I'm a fire lookout, and I've been
doing it now for 33 summers.
304
00:39:54,620 --> 00:39:59,700
After a long, hot summer,
the forest is tinder dry.
305
00:40:00,660 --> 00:40:03,940
Perfect conditions for a fire.
306
00:40:08,020 --> 00:40:11,420
I look about every 15 minutes,
I take a look around.
307
00:40:13,940 --> 00:40:16,780
You can look for days
and never see anything.
308
00:40:19,020 --> 00:40:21,220
Then, all of a sudden, there it is.
309
00:40:21,220 --> 00:40:22,460
THUNDER RUMBLES
310
00:40:22,460 --> 00:40:26,300
Hello, Dispatch, this is
Devil's Head Tower. We have a smoke.
311
00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:41,500
Within minutes, a smoke plume
can stretch across the horizon.
312
00:40:43,940 --> 00:40:47,020
Now the most effective way
to track it...
313
00:40:49,020 --> 00:40:50,300
..is from space.
314
00:40:53,340 --> 00:40:57,180
Cameras can follow a fire's path
in almost real time...
315
00:40:59,820 --> 00:41:05,620
..observing the smoke to predict
its direction, size and speed...
316
00:41:08,980 --> 00:41:12,060
..guiding those fighting it
to the heart of the blaze.
317
00:41:28,620 --> 00:41:31,980
ROLL CALL
318
00:41:31,980 --> 00:41:34,340
Using satellite positioning,
319
00:41:34,340 --> 00:41:38,820
smoke jumpers can be on the ground
within seven minutes of a call.
320
00:41:44,940 --> 00:41:48,380
Wildfire can burn
at 1,200 degrees Celsius.
321
00:41:54,820 --> 00:41:58,060
To stop it, they create
breaks in the forest...
322
00:42:01,180 --> 00:42:03,300
..taking away its fuel.
323
00:42:24,300 --> 00:42:27,420
As human actions
continue to warm the planet...
324
00:42:29,420 --> 00:42:32,820
..more wildfires tear
across the Earth's surface.
325
00:42:36,540 --> 00:42:42,780
In 2018, California had one of the
worst wildfire seasons in history.
326
00:42:46,420 --> 00:42:50,620
Satellites followed
as more than 5,000 fires
327
00:42:50,620 --> 00:42:52,140
raged across the state...
328
00:42:55,220 --> 00:42:57,900
..including the
Mendocino Complex Fire...
329
00:42:59,420 --> 00:43:02,260
..one of California's
largest-ever wildfires.
330
00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:12,060
But even in the most
devastated landscapes...
331
00:43:14,660 --> 00:43:16,180
..lies opportunity.
332
00:43:27,940 --> 00:43:30,620
Billy isn't the only lookout
in the forest.
333
00:43:33,420 --> 00:43:37,420
This wood-boring beetle
is also searching for smoke.
334
00:43:42,540 --> 00:43:47,620
Special sensors in his body detect
it from many kilometres away.
335
00:44:07,100 --> 00:44:11,140
This blackened branch is weaker -
336
00:44:11,140 --> 00:44:13,860
easier to bore into and feed on.
337
00:44:22,900 --> 00:44:25,220
And where insects go...
338
00:44:25,220 --> 00:44:26,580
..birds follow.
339
00:44:29,660 --> 00:44:31,460
A black-backed woodpecker.
340
00:44:33,940 --> 00:44:37,620
Perfectly camouflaged
in burned forests.
341
00:44:41,220 --> 00:44:43,540
Beetle grubs are full of fat.
342
00:44:48,940 --> 00:44:50,540
CHIRPING
343
00:44:50,540 --> 00:44:52,580
Food for hungry chicks.
344
00:45:03,700 --> 00:45:06,380
Within six months of the fire,
345
00:45:06,380 --> 00:45:10,460
the woodpecker holes
have new residents.
346
00:45:29,340 --> 00:45:32,300
And new trees take root.
347
00:45:41,180 --> 00:45:46,220
Infrared satellite images of this
forest show it turn from brown...
348
00:45:48,380 --> 00:45:49,460
..to green...
349
00:45:50,500 --> 00:45:52,300
..in just three years.
350
00:45:54,980 --> 00:46:00,660
Wildfire is essential
for healthy forest habitat.
351
00:46:01,860 --> 00:46:04,420
It has regenerated the trees
352
00:46:04,420 --> 00:46:07,740
and supported the species
that live in them for millennia.
353
00:46:10,020 --> 00:46:12,660
But as we continue
to warm our planet,
354
00:46:12,660 --> 00:46:16,500
increasing the size
and severity of these fires,
355
00:46:16,500 --> 00:46:20,740
it becomes our responsibility
to keep them under control.
356
00:46:34,180 --> 00:46:39,620
Cameras in space are a powerful tool
with which to monitor our planet...
357
00:46:46,780 --> 00:46:49,180
..revealing landscapes under threat.
358
00:46:51,260 --> 00:46:54,020
But satellites also capture images
359
00:46:54,020 --> 00:46:59,140
in parts of the world where we are
trying to restore the balance.
360
00:47:07,700 --> 00:47:09,700
Just off the east coast
of England...
361
00:47:13,380 --> 00:47:15,820
..white dots appear in the sea.
362
00:47:19,060 --> 00:47:23,500
One of the world's largest
offshore wind-farms,
363
00:47:23,500 --> 00:47:27,780
generating enough power a year
for half a million homes.
364
00:47:33,780 --> 00:47:35,860
In China...
365
00:47:35,860 --> 00:47:37,540
..two giant pandas.
366
00:47:39,060 --> 00:47:42,220
Solar panels creating electricity
367
00:47:42,220 --> 00:47:44,660
as a greener alternative
to burning coal.
368
00:47:51,100 --> 00:47:53,780
And in Tanzania, Africa...
369
00:48:05,060 --> 00:48:07,700
..this land was cleared for farming.
370
00:48:14,620 --> 00:48:17,540
But now the view has changed.
371
00:48:18,620 --> 00:48:19,660
Completely.
372
00:48:23,820 --> 00:48:26,060
Forest has regrown...
373
00:48:29,540 --> 00:48:34,620
..a transformation helping
one of our most iconic species.
374
00:48:48,060 --> 00:48:50,060
Gombe Stream National Park.
375
00:48:59,620 --> 00:49:01,700
This is Salama...
376
00:49:04,380 --> 00:49:06,300
..and her mother, Schweini.
377
00:49:09,580 --> 00:49:13,620
They're members of
the Kasakela community -
378
00:49:13,620 --> 00:49:16,020
a troop of over 90 chimpanzees...
379
00:49:19,340 --> 00:49:23,620
..first studied by primatologist
Jane Goodall back in 1960.
380
00:49:30,020 --> 00:49:36,220
The family have been followed almost
every single day for 58 years.
381
00:49:37,860 --> 00:49:39,460
CHIMPANZEES CALL
382
00:49:41,260 --> 00:49:45,300
It's the longest-running study
of any animal on Earth.
383
00:49:50,220 --> 00:49:54,420
Their protected forest
is near the village of Kigalye.
384
00:50:00,180 --> 00:50:04,780
Here, local people cut down trees
to make space for farmland.
385
00:50:11,740 --> 00:50:15,180
But without the trees
holding the earth together,
386
00:50:15,180 --> 00:50:16,540
there were landslides...
387
00:50:22,500 --> 00:50:23,980
..and flash floods...
388
00:50:28,940 --> 00:50:33,260
..threatening the village
and their neighbours.
389
00:50:37,900 --> 00:50:41,340
CHIMPANZEES CALL
390
00:50:41,340 --> 00:50:46,020
To survive, female chimpanzees
391
00:50:46,020 --> 00:50:48,660
need to mix with other troops,
392
00:50:48,660 --> 00:50:51,260
moving territory to find a mate.
393
00:50:56,940 --> 00:51:00,220
But deforestation
isolated the community.
394
00:51:03,180 --> 00:51:06,140
Their forest had become an island.
395
00:51:18,580 --> 00:51:22,620
With both people
and chimps suffering,
396
00:51:22,620 --> 00:51:25,860
the Jane Goodall Institute
began to work with the village
397
00:51:25,860 --> 00:51:27,660
to replant the trees...
398
00:51:31,580 --> 00:51:36,020
..and provide the locals with
sustainable ways to use the land.
399
00:51:41,940 --> 00:51:47,020
Emmanuel Mtiti and Lilian Pintea
400
00:51:47,020 --> 00:51:50,060
have been working on the project
for 18 years.
401
00:51:52,260 --> 00:51:53,900
And they've had a little help...
402
00:51:55,820 --> 00:51:57,340
..from satellites.
403
00:52:05,620 --> 00:52:08,540
This is a recent image of the area.
404
00:52:11,940 --> 00:52:14,580
Even the finest details are visible.
405
00:52:31,540 --> 00:52:35,820
So let's go back to this.
406
00:52:35,820 --> 00:52:38,180
By comparing satellite images,
407
00:52:38,180 --> 00:52:41,580
the villagers can see
what a difference they've made.
408
00:53:07,260 --> 00:53:09,860
The forests have been regenerated.
409
00:53:15,260 --> 00:53:19,020
Land that was infertile
has been brought back to life.
410
00:53:26,100 --> 00:53:28,180
The landslides have stopped...
411
00:53:32,020 --> 00:53:34,780
..and flash floods
are no longer a problem.
412
00:54:01,660 --> 00:54:04,780
And it's not just the people
who have benefitted.
413
00:54:04,780 --> 00:54:06,700
CHIMPANZEES CALL
414
00:54:15,860 --> 00:54:18,380
For the first time in decades...
415
00:54:20,100 --> 00:54:24,380
..new chimpanzees have been seen
using the surrounding forests...
416
00:54:27,260 --> 00:54:29,060
..to travel into the reserve.
417
00:54:34,020 --> 00:54:35,780
Potential new mates...
418
00:54:41,380 --> 00:54:46,060
..and a bright future
for this iconic species.
419
00:54:50,860 --> 00:54:53,700
Here in this small corner
of the planet...
420
00:54:57,460 --> 00:55:01,180
..conservationists and local people
421
00:55:01,180 --> 00:55:04,180
have shown just what a difference
can be made
422
00:55:04,180 --> 00:55:06,100
when we work together.
423
00:55:10,420 --> 00:55:14,380
A change so important
and so dramatic...
424
00:55:16,780 --> 00:55:20,100
..that it can be seen from space.
425
00:55:38,460 --> 00:55:44,220
This perspective allows us
to see our home in a whole new way.
426
00:55:48,980 --> 00:55:54,540
Satellite cameras now help us
to health-check our planet...
427
00:55:58,300 --> 00:55:59,860
..see where it is thriving...
428
00:56:05,380 --> 00:56:11,060
..but, crucially, where we are
upsetting its fragile balance.
429
00:56:15,340 --> 00:56:20,820
We can find and follow
our most vulnerable species...
430
00:56:24,180 --> 00:56:27,060
ELEPHANTS TRUMPET
431
00:56:29,500 --> 00:56:31,140
..and make new discoveries...
432
00:56:34,020 --> 00:56:36,860
..in extraordinary landscapes...
433
00:56:43,380 --> 00:56:47,620
..transforming our understanding
of the way Earth works...
434
00:56:51,020 --> 00:56:54,540
..and our place within it.
435
00:56:55,620 --> 00:56:58,380
RHYTHMIC SHOUTING
436
00:56:58,380 --> 00:57:01,180
This powerful new tool
437
00:57:01,180 --> 00:57:04,420
helps us protect our unique
438
00:57:04,420 --> 00:57:06,460
and fragile planet.
439
00:57:12,500 --> 00:57:17,100
The Open University has produced a
poster exploring Earth From Space.
440
00:57:17,100 --> 00:57:22,100
To order your free copy,
call 0300 303 3821
441
00:57:22,100 --> 00:57:26,620
or go to bbc.co.uk/earthfromspace
442
00:57:26,620 --> 00:57:29,060
and follow the links to
The Open University.
34294
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