Louisiana is learning from Hurricane Katrina. Forecasts are dire for Louisiana to experience the second-highest sea level rise in the world. There is a big movement brewing in New Orleans to build adaptive "resilience zones." In Southeast Louisiana, the native peoples of the Isle de Jean Charles have become the first U.S citizens moving within their homeland displaced by climate change.
Populations are dramatically shifting as climate change drives migration. Droughts and floods are driving many people away from their rural, farming communities into big cities. We see how this is manifesting in Mongolia and examine the factors leading to the new community of Haitian people living in limbo at the border between Mexico and the U.S.
Two cities, San Francisco and Freetown, brace for climate change using vastly different methodologies. San Francisco's developers are building expensive real estate on floodplains as officials try to heed expert projections on future sea levels. On the other side of the world, a deadly mudslide caused by torrential rains and deforestation in Sierra Leone shows the consequences of city planning that doesn't take climate change into account.
Anticipating future water needs, two regions on opposite sides of the world turn to technology for answers. Western Morocco, near the Sahara Desert, is currently facing unprecedented drought and groundwater mismanagement. But an ancient method of gathering moisture from fog is being taught to 13 villages, allowing people to have a level of local control over their most basic need. In Central Valley, California, the food basket of the world uses nearly 80 percent of the entire state's water supply. Yet, there are still close to one million people who don't have access to clean drinking water. Researchers at UCLA may change that through a technology that would allow unincorporated rural communities to control how contaminated water is treated.
Communities and innovators all over the world are creating new sustainable food sources that are resilient to climate change and growing populations. In Madagascar, we see how villagers are closing off marine areas to allow the fish supply to replenish at a natural pace. In San Diego, California, aquaculturists are exploring open ocean farming as a more sustainable model for the fishing industry.
Los Angeles is one of the biggest biodiversity hotspots in the world, despite its smog, urban sprawl and snarling freeways. At least 20,000 native and non-native plant and animal species are thriving despite human interference, and in some cases because of it. How can people help make urban habitats more welcoming to non-human urban dwellers?
This episode of "Earth Focus" examines how the worldwide demand for oil and gas is impacting the communities that supply it. We travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska. The area is being opened for oil exploration and drilling. The plan is facing opposition but there are powerful native community leaders who view oil exploration as an essential addition to their economy. Closer to home, we visit the oil-rich, historic town of Taft, California. The neighboring town of Arvin is actively lobbying to pass regulations for the oil and gas industry as a result of resident health risks. Meet the mayors of both towns, who share vastly different opinions on the most sustainable path to the future.
The popular demand for avocados, once considered an “exotic” item, is having a devastating impact on a drought-stricken community in Chile. Lying within one of the largest avocado producing regions in the country, Petorca avocado plantations are in a battle over water rights, where claims of illegal water diversion are creating civil unrest.
Wood is found in countless products consumers use every day. In fact, lumber is closely connected to the world’s economy – a country’s lumber imports tend to rise in correlation with gross domestic product. Following groups like Guardians of the Forest, this episode explores lumber poaching in the forests of Brazil and Oregon, where citizens and scientists are working together to combat the illegal lumber trade.
The realities of milk production are forcing dairy communities across the globe to rethink the dairy production process. In this episode, we travel to a village in Kenya where the commercialization of camel milk is proving a sustainable solution in the face of drought. In Northern California, the heart of the U.S. dairy industry is finding innovative alternatives to limit the use of water and manure emissions.
Solar power is changing lives in unexpected places. At the Barefoot College in Zanzibar, Muslim women who have traditionally been marginalized in the workforce are learning solar installation and bringing it back to their villages, which are primarily powered by candles and paraffin lamps. In East Los Angeles, formerly incarcerated individuals are finding green job opportunities as they transition underserved communities into solar power.
The ocean is a sponge for all the greenhouse gas emissions we produce, and entire aquatic ecosystems are beginning to collapse. Off the California coast, declining abalone populations are raising flags about ocean health and the lasting impact of rising sea temperatures, acidification and pollution. Teams of scientists, volunteers and businesspeople are collaborating to protect underwater species.
In 2019, 16 children from across the world including Greta Thunberg filed a historical, global lawsuit petitioning the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to hold five of the world’s leading economic powers accountable for inaction on the climate crisis. All 16 young people are alarmed by the changes they see in their homelands. This episode includes an interview with Greta and in-depth profiles of four of these young environmentalists: Alexandria Villaseñor in California, Carl Smith in Alaska, Ayakha Melithafa in South Africa and Litokne Kabua in the Marshall Islands.
South Africa faces a stark reality as the continent’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. More than 80% of power generation comes from coal, with 11 coal power plants turning the province of Mpumalanga into one of the most polluted areas of the world. As the world moves away from fossil fuels and major global investors pull out, renewable energy fights to forge the future. The tension is palpable among the government, coal producers, workers, and the environment in a post-apartheid South Africa facing pressing developmental challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
When Peru’s President Martín Vizcarra came to power in 2018, one of his first priorities was to gain control over the devastating outbreak of illegal gold mining operations. In February 2019, the government launched Operation Mercury, a decisive action to shut down an entire town built around an illegal gold mine.
Through the stories of the patients and doctors of AltaMed, a community health organization serving more than 300,000 people across LA, this episode exposes the socio-environmental determinants of health in the city of South Gate, California.
Discussing mental health has historically been taboo in many rural communities. As climate change pushes farmers, homesteaders and herders to the edge, this film pierces the mental health taboo through personal, poignant stories of struggle, resilience, and hope.
Over the last decade, the Inland Empire has become the most polluted city in the United States. As e-commerce has exploded, so have toxic pollutants in the air. Tracing the supply chain from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, all the way to the Inland Empire, this film investigates the struggle for clean air, where grassroots organizations are coming together to fight polluting giants.
The L.A. River is reimagined through explorations of history, hydrology, and architecture. Designs by local visionaries hope to transform the channel in new ways that benefit both the environment and people. But some residents along the river wonder if these changes will bring more harm than good to their communities.
A transformed L.A. River is envisioned by the communities that live at its edge. In the process, residents also must reconcile with the river channel's past. From artists in Elysian Valley, to store owners in Chinatown, to Indigenous leaders, these communities are working to ensure everyone is included in new plans for the river's 51 miles.
Ravens threaten Mojave Desert tortoises, and solutions call on shifts in human behavior. While they are one of the smartest birds in the world, their success can pose an existential threat to other wildlife. Scientists and community members work to provide solutions to this increasing environmental problem, which are revealing deep insights into humanity in the process.
Love for Joshua Tree endangers the local life—both people and ecosystems. The allure of the high desert has drawn generations to the region, from socialites of the early 20th century to social media users today. Amid a boom of tourism and short-term rentals, conservationists and locals hope this love for Joshua Tree can be practiced more sustainably for everyone—and everything—that calls it home.
Diablo Canyon ignites conversations about nuclear power in the state’s energy future. Challenged by extreme weather events and eyeing clean energy goals, California reversed its decision to close its last nuclear power plant. This is a set-back for anti-nuclear activists, welcome news for climate activists, and a minor detour in the YTT Northern Chumash’s journey to reclaim their ancestral lands.
(Earth Focus: Episode 52) U.S. domestic gas production is on the rise because of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas from shale rock by pumping millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals underground at high pressure. Environmentalists say this gas boon threatens water supplies and pollutes air. Now, as fracking expands around the world, so does growing resistance. "Earth Focus" looks at three countries on the new fracking frontline: South Africa, Poland, and the UK. Reported from South Africa by Jeff Barbee and Andrew Wasley from Poland and the U.K.
“Vanishing Coral” presents the personal story of scientists and naturalists who are working with local communities to protect coral reefs that are being destroyed by warming seas, pollution, and destructive fishing practices. Featured in the documentary is the President of the Biosphere 2 Foundation Abigail Alling, marine biologist and coral expert Phil Dustan, captain of the Mir research sailing vessel Mark Van Thillo, and Nono Suparno, a leading conservationist in Bali.
Toms River had a problem. Children in this coastal New Jersey town were coming down with rare types of cancer. And because of the unusual number of cancer cases, the town was designated a "cancer cluster." For more than 40 years, the town's drinking water was polluted by chemicals like styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) trimmer and by-products from dye manufacturing--chemicals thought to cause cancer. Their source? Dumping by Ciba Geigy and Union Carbide. But the town's people — like Linda Gillick and her son Michael, who was born in 1979 with neuroblastoma — fought back. And it's largely because of the heroic efforts of its citizens, that the water in Toms River today safe and clean. "Earth Focus" visits Toms River to tell the story.
Across California, communities and companies are tackling power outages and wildfires by upgrading outdated infrastructure—from burying power lines in La Jolla to building solar microgrids on tribal lands. Learn how local efforts are shaping a safer, more resilient energy future.
“Fast fashion,” a phenomenon where clothing can be purchased and delivered almost instantaneously, is followed from the wash machine to a recycling option reimagining ways to reduce the impacts on climate and the environment.
Southern California’s San Clemente Island is home to both endangered species and critical naval activities. Learn how military and conservation missions have come to operate in complete harmony.
Community organizations are planting trees in long-neglected neighborhoods to cool them down. These efforts are aiming to create healthier, more sustainable environments across Southern California.
Every year, millions of people visit Los Angeles stadiums driving economic benefits, but also higher emissions, waste, and energy use. To address these climate change issues, venues like the LA Memorial Coliseum and Crypto.com Arena are testing innovative sustainability solutions, from food waste reduction and cup recycling to water conservation and energy storage.
As ocean industrialization increases underwater noise from shipping, naval activity, and energy development, scientists are racing to understand how sound affects marine life. Off Catalina Island, marine mammal experts are gathering new data on how small whales and dolphins respond to Navy underwater exercises—research that could shape how sound beneath the waves is managed to reduce harm.
Los Angeles sits atop the largest urban oil field in the world, with dozens of wells located near homes and schools. Supported by growing scientific research, South L.A. residents have pushed back against oil drilling linked to serious environmental and health risks. This episode highlights one hard-won victory while examining what it takes to address L.A.’s broader oil legacy.
Climate change is intensifying pressure on California agriculture as water scarcity, heat, pests, and extreme weather strain farms across Southern California. Deepening existing food insecurity, some farmworkers are unable to afford the food they grow. This episode examines inequity, the programs addressing it, and the farms testing new agricultural technologies to secure food access for all.
After the devastating L.A. fires of 2025, we explore what’s being done to rebuild smarter and with greater fire resiliency in mind so homes can survive future wildfires.
Even as people go hungry, millions of tons of often perfectly edible food is thrown away annually. We explore how people are fighting back by rescuing food before it gets trashed, turning food scraps into valuable composting and more effective shopping and home kitchen organization.
California’s more than 800 miles of coastline is under siege from coastal erosion, rising sea levels and threats to marine habitats. We meet the people fighting to save Golden State’s coastline for future generations.
California’s deserts, rivers and forests are increasingly under assault from development, invasive species and climate change. From the mountains to the Mojave, we meet the people protecting and restoring the wild places of the Golden State.