Description: Throughout the twentieth century, the natural world has been assaulted as never before by advancing technology and unbridled economic growth. Cheaper fuel, bigger factories, more cars, pesticides -- all promised such rewards that their byproducts were tolerated as the price of progress. For many, however, evidence of industry's environmental toll emerged in the late 1950s -- in Minamata, Japan, where thousands were poisoned over many years by the outflow from a local aluminum factory. This was only one of many environmental disasters to hit the headlines as the cost of mass industrialization the world over was realized.
In Endangered Planet, the people remember: Minamata, Japan, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, DDT, smog, Torrey Canyon, Earth Day, Environmental Protection Agency, acid rain, ozone layer, Greenpeace, chemical accidents, Love Canal, Rio summit.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Excellent and shocking
Outstanding video that tells the story of the events that led to and were part of the environmental revolution. When I show it to my high school students they are generally in disbelief that human beings could behave the way we do.
Rating: - A Big Wake-Up Call
This highly informative documentary is winner of Emmy and Peabody awards. There are powerful, moving scenes that touch the heart. The film allows viewers to see the BIG PICTURE of how industrial wastes, corporate greed and so called "Progress" repeatedly has been harming our planet because of little or no regulation. It gives several examples of how this has been happening all over the globe and how governments and corporations will not take steps to stop it without strong pressure from grassroots activists. This documentary should be required viewing in every high school.
Rating: - The most important environmental video to show your class
If you only have time to show one environmental video then "Endangered Planet" is the one. Right away it grabs you with vintage film of the Minamata victims in spasms from mercury poisoning. You follow them over the years as they struggle to have their plight addressed and mitigated. The scenes of Love Canal and the whale harvest add breadth to this video's coverage of the history of environmentalism. In the end, you should be left with an appreciation for the damage and tragedy we humans have caused and with the ambition to begin repairing our endangered planet. This film is well edited, ... Read More
Rating: - A Real Eye Opener
Endangered Planet takes you on a journey of the environmental effects from industrialism on a global scale. Every American should see this film. From the Love Canal to the Union Carbide disaster in India this film truly shows just how precious our planet really is. I was moved by the graphic details, community and family devastation revealed by this documentary.
