1 00:00:06,900 --> 00:00:11,100 Satellite cameras can now look down on every part of our planet... 2 00:00:16,380 --> 00:00:19,300 ..revolutionising the view of our home. 3 00:00:25,140 --> 00:00:28,700 By combining images taken over days... 4 00:00:31,460 --> 00:00:32,500 ..weeks... 5 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:36,540 ..and years... 6 00:00:39,780 --> 00:00:42,980 ..we can see Planet Earth change. 7 00:00:50,340 --> 00:00:54,980 From space, we can watch cities grow... 8 00:00:58,060 --> 00:01:01,340 ..Earth's natural resources shrink... 9 00:01:07,820 --> 00:01:11,100 ..and the weather become more extreme. 10 00:01:19,540 --> 00:01:22,980 As we alter the surface of the planet 11 00:01:22,980 --> 00:01:26,460 faster than at any time in human history... 12 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:35,540 ..this new perspective allows us to track the speed of this change... 13 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:43,340 ..to see the impact of our actions... 14 00:01:48,020 --> 00:01:52,900 ..and inspire us to look after our fragile home. 15 00:02:21,940 --> 00:02:25,300 Humans now inhabit every landmass on the planet. 16 00:02:28,860 --> 00:02:33,900 And the extent of our colonisation is most obvious at night. 17 00:02:39,220 --> 00:02:43,860 Scientists have combined images to reveal a detailed view 18 00:02:43,860 --> 00:02:46,620 of the entire globe at night. 19 00:02:56,220 --> 00:02:57,900 Our cities and towns... 20 00:02:59,820 --> 00:03:02,140 ..reaching out across its surface. 21 00:03:18,580 --> 00:03:22,780 Using images taken over years, 22 00:03:22,780 --> 00:03:26,740 we can see just how fast these cities are growing. 23 00:03:54,140 --> 00:03:56,340 In the last 40 years, 24 00:03:56,340 --> 00:03:59,540 Las Vegas has tripled in size... 25 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:08,580 ..its suburbs sprawling into the Nevada desert. 26 00:04:13,220 --> 00:04:17,700 Tokyo is now home to 38 million. 27 00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:27,180 More people than any other city on Earth. 28 00:04:34,180 --> 00:04:35,900 And, in just 35 years... 29 00:04:37,460 --> 00:04:40,620 ..the small fishing village of Shenzhen in China... 30 00:04:42,060 --> 00:04:44,100 ..has grown to a modern city... 31 00:04:45,700 --> 00:04:46,740 ..of ten million. 32 00:04:53,900 --> 00:04:57,060 It has joined with nine neighbouring cities, 33 00:04:57,060 --> 00:05:00,340 creating one giant megatropolis... 34 00:05:04,460 --> 00:05:07,740 ..home to more than 60 million people... 35 00:05:12,380 --> 00:05:16,020 ..across more than 50,000 square kilometres. 36 00:05:27,940 --> 00:05:30,220 As new land is claimed each day... 37 00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:34,500 ..nature is being pushed out. 38 00:05:44,820 --> 00:05:45,820 From above... 39 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:51,660 ..India's streets are a densely packed maze 40 00:05:51,660 --> 00:05:52,940 of grey concrete. 41 00:06:00,820 --> 00:06:03,660 But zoom in over Chennai, 42 00:06:03,660 --> 00:06:05,780 one of India's largest cities... 43 00:06:07,420 --> 00:06:11,060 ..and we can see a flash of bright green. 44 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:24,540 Wild parakeets. 45 00:06:32,580 --> 00:06:36,620 In this ever-sprawling city, one man 46 00:06:36,620 --> 00:06:38,580 has made room for wildlife. 47 00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:45,820 15 years ago, Joseph Sekar saw a pair of parakeets 48 00:06:45,820 --> 00:06:49,420 struggling to find food in the city streets. 49 00:06:55,540 --> 00:06:57,180 He put out rice for the birds. 50 00:07:03,020 --> 00:07:04,860 Others came, 51 00:07:04,860 --> 00:07:07,900 so each day he put out even more. 52 00:07:16,980 --> 00:07:20,140 Every day, he and his granddaughters 53 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:24,980 turn his rooftop into a giant bird table... 54 00:07:28,460 --> 00:07:30,060 ..awaiting the arrival... 55 00:07:31,860 --> 00:07:35,060 ..of 4,000 birds. 56 00:08:29,060 --> 00:08:32,900 Joseph spends nearly 50% of his income on feeding the parakeets. 57 00:08:55,980 --> 00:09:00,700 They come twice a day, without fail. 58 00:09:04,940 --> 00:09:08,740 Joseph has not only given a lifeline to these birds 59 00:09:08,740 --> 00:09:10,500 when they needed it most... 60 00:09:12,820 --> 00:09:18,100 ..he has brought a little bit of nature back into the city streets. 61 00:09:47,420 --> 00:09:50,740 In a world where nature is being pushed out... 62 00:09:52,540 --> 00:09:57,100 ..Joseph is supporting a whole population of animals... 63 00:10:03,060 --> 00:10:06,660 ..showing that one person in five million 64 00:10:06,660 --> 00:10:08,700 can make a huge difference. 65 00:10:30,460 --> 00:10:33,700 As the planet's urban landscapes grow by the day... 66 00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:39,780 ..its most important wild spaces are shrinking. 67 00:10:50,820 --> 00:10:54,820 In South America, trees are cleared for farming. 68 00:11:11,620 --> 00:11:17,940 In the Amazon, small patches of green, protected by local tribes... 69 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:23,260 ..are all that remain of a once-great forest. 70 00:11:30,620 --> 00:11:34,220 And on the island of Madagascar, 71 00:11:34,220 --> 00:11:36,380 images taken over 30 years... 72 00:11:37,780 --> 00:11:41,820 ...show it has lost almost 80% of its original forest. 73 00:11:47,580 --> 00:11:52,020 With so few trees left to hold the soil in place, 74 00:11:52,020 --> 00:11:56,980 the red earth now runs into the rivers and out into the ocean. 75 00:12:02,340 --> 00:12:05,860 It looks like Madagascar is bleeding. 76 00:12:19,140 --> 00:12:20,620 The islands of Indonesia. 77 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:25,780 An area of thick rainforest... 78 00:12:30,620 --> 00:12:33,900 ..home to thousands of plant and animal species. 79 00:12:35,980 --> 00:12:39,460 But the view from space shows it disappear. 80 00:12:47,260 --> 00:12:52,820 All over Indonesia, swathes of forest are vanishing. 81 00:12:59,540 --> 00:13:04,860 And it's having a devastating impact on one species in particular. 82 00:13:12,940 --> 00:13:13,980 ORANGUTAN HOOTS 83 00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:30,860 This young Sumatran orangutan 84 00:13:30,860 --> 00:13:34,460 lives with her mother in the forest canopy. 85 00:13:56,620 --> 00:13:59,500 At nearly three years old, 86 00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:03,580 she's still learning what's safe to eat and what isn't. 87 00:14:10,380 --> 00:14:14,100 There are over 300 different types of edible plants in the forest... 88 00:14:16,140 --> 00:14:19,180 ..but each fruit at different times. 89 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:23,500 Finding food here isn't easy. 90 00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:28,700 She must rely on her mother's expert knowledge. 91 00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:42,700 The pair can travel for up to 3km a day foraging for food. 92 00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:47,580 Her mother knows the location of each and every tree 93 00:14:47,580 --> 00:14:48,740 in her territory. 94 00:14:50,660 --> 00:14:55,540 Durian fruit, full of fats and vitamins, are a favourite. 95 00:14:59,420 --> 00:15:02,420 Their smell tells her if they're ready to eat. 96 00:15:05,140 --> 00:15:07,100 Every day is a lesson. 97 00:15:23,380 --> 00:15:25,620 It will be three more years 98 00:15:25,620 --> 00:15:29,100 before this young female has learned enough to go it alone. 99 00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:33,620 But with orangutan habitat under threat, 100 00:15:33,620 --> 00:15:36,980 finding enough food is becoming more difficult. 101 00:15:38,740 --> 00:15:41,220 She may not survive that long. 102 00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:52,580 This forest is home to the highest concentration 103 00:15:52,580 --> 00:15:55,140 of orangutans on the planet. 104 00:15:58,460 --> 00:16:01,380 But as the satellite moves across the landscape... 105 00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:05,580 ..the forest disappears. 106 00:16:12,940 --> 00:16:15,740 The last patches of the orangutans' habitat... 107 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:23,420 ..are surrounded by ordered fields. 108 00:16:29,740 --> 00:16:31,780 Row after row... 109 00:16:34,220 --> 00:16:35,860 ..of palm oil trees. 110 00:16:44,820 --> 00:16:48,900 Nuts from the trees are made into oil 111 00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,540 that's found in about half of all the products 112 00:16:52,540 --> 00:16:54,340 on our supermarket shelves. 113 00:16:55,940 --> 00:16:59,700 From toothpaste to biscuits... 114 00:16:59,700 --> 00:17:02,300 ..lipstick to soap. 115 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:19,660 In the last 20 years, 116 00:17:19,660 --> 00:17:23,140 orangutans have lost 80% of their forest home. 117 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:31,540 The scale and speed of deforestation here 118 00:17:31,540 --> 00:17:34,580 makes it almost impossible to control. 119 00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:42,900 But now satellites can help. 120 00:17:45,580 --> 00:17:48,060 They can monitor tree loss in real time... 121 00:17:49,620 --> 00:17:53,060 ..revolutionising the fight against illegal activity... 122 00:17:55,220 --> 00:17:59,060 ..allowing authorities to keep watch on remote forests... 123 00:18:00,820 --> 00:18:03,820 ...and respond to protect them faster. 124 00:18:18,260 --> 00:18:21,700 It's not only forests the humans are exploiting. 125 00:18:24,500 --> 00:18:29,620 We've found ways to use natural resources across the planet. 126 00:18:39,340 --> 00:18:42,220 A mine fans out in Germany... 127 00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:48,300 ..producing 30 million tonnes of brown coal a year 128 00:18:48,300 --> 00:18:50,340 to fuel electric power stations. 129 00:18:54,620 --> 00:18:58,460 In Chile, islands of blue 130 00:18:58,460 --> 00:19:00,260 appear in a vast salt flat. 131 00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:08,460 These evaporation ponds concentrate lithium 132 00:19:08,460 --> 00:19:12,060 to be made into batteries for our mobile phones. 133 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:18,780 In the deserts of Saudi Arabia, 134 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 136 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... 138 00:19:44,380 --> 00:19:47,020 ..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... 141 00:20:05,900 --> 00:20:07,980 ..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... 145 00:20:34,780 --> 00:20:35,860 ..are gases. 146 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, 148 00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:49,980 and absorb heat from the Earth below, 149 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, 151 00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:01,140 our planet has warmed by almost one degree Celsius... 152 00:21:02,820 --> 00:21:05,020 ..enough to dramatically affect 153 00:21:05,020 --> 00:21:07,460 some of our greatest natural landscapes. 154 00:21:12,900 --> 00:21:13,940 Glaciers. 155 00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:19,180 Huge bodies of ice. 156 00:21:24,540 --> 00:21:28,900 In Alaska, Bear Glacier runs for 20km down the valley... 157 00:21:31,100 --> 00:21:34,460 ..before it breaks up where it meets the water. 158 00:21:42,940 --> 00:21:47,540 In real time, glaciers can move so slowly 159 00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:49,060 they almost appear static. 160 00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:05,940 But by combining satellite images taken over years, 161 00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:08,380 we can see the ice retreating. 162 00:22:14,460 --> 00:22:16,100 Over 30 years... 163 00:22:17,980 --> 00:22:22,020 ..12 miles of ice is lost from Alaska's Columbia Glacier. 164 00:22:32,420 --> 00:22:34,860 Mountain glaciers are also under threat. 165 00:22:41,540 --> 00:22:46,660 In the centre of Ecuador, South America, lies Chimborazo. 166 00:22:53,340 --> 00:22:58,100 At more than 6,000 metres, it is the country's highest mountain. 167 00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:10,140 For millennia, its peak has been covered in snow and ice. 168 00:23:16,860 --> 00:23:19,300 But in the past three decades, 169 00:23:19,300 --> 00:23:22,500 the view from space has started to change. 170 00:23:24,980 --> 00:23:29,420 Chimborazo is losing its ice. 171 00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:43,260 One man living in its foothills knows this only too well. 172 00:24:09,980 --> 00:24:12,740 Balthazar is an ice harvester. 173 00:24:16,260 --> 00:24:20,060 For generations, his family have collected glacial ice 174 00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:24,700 from the mountain to sell to the towns and villages below. 175 00:24:54,580 --> 00:24:56,660 He used to be one of 40 working here. 176 00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:06,740 Now he's the very last one. 177 00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:12,660 As the glacier melts, 178 00:25:12,660 --> 00:25:16,820 he's had to climb higher and higher to find the ice. 179 00:25:39,460 --> 00:25:41,260 On the top of the mountain, 180 00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:46,380 scientists use drones to monitor the change in the depth of ice 181 00:25:46,380 --> 00:25:50,780 to calculate just how fast Chimborazo's glaciers 182 00:25:50,780 --> 00:25:51,820 are retreating. 183 00:25:54,460 --> 00:25:57,340 But a drone can only go so high. 184 00:26:08,940 --> 00:26:11,900 Combining these images with satellite data... 185 00:26:13,420 --> 00:26:15,380 ..reveals the whole picture. 186 00:26:19,020 --> 00:26:21,300 Since 1976, 187 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:26,140 21% of Chimborazo's surface ice has gone. 188 00:26:40,180 --> 00:26:43,420 Glaciers act as the world's water towers... 189 00:26:46,900 --> 00:26:51,980 ..feeding the streams and rivers which we rely on. 190 00:26:55,460 --> 00:26:58,060 If they dry up, 191 00:26:58,060 --> 00:27:00,220 the effect could be severe. 192 00:27:11,020 --> 00:27:12,500 For Balthazar, 193 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:16,660 this could be the end of the only way of life he's ever known. 194 00:27:20,620 --> 00:27:22,260 In the old days, 195 00:27:22,260 --> 00:27:25,180 he delivered ice to towns all over the region. 196 00:27:29,260 --> 00:27:33,780 But now he supplies just a handful of local cafes... 197 00:27:33,780 --> 00:27:35,700 THEY EXCHANGE GREETINGS 198 00:27:39,140 --> 00:27:44,380 ..who, like him, believe that his ice is the best money can buy. 199 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 202 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:30,260 are contributing to dramatic weather events. 203 00:28:36,380 --> 00:28:37,580 In Africa... 204 00:28:40,620 --> 00:28:41,820 ..snow falls... 205 00:28:44,580 --> 00:28:46,100 ..in the Sahara Desert. 206 00:28:54,020 --> 00:28:57,900 In 2018, an unusually hot summer... 207 00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:03,420 ..turned the UK brown. 208 00:29:12,340 --> 00:29:17,380 While in Bolivia, Lake Poopo has all but disappeared, 209 00:29:17,380 --> 00:29:20,700 partly due to severe drought. 210 00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:33,060 As global temperatures rise, 211 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... 213 00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:43,580 ..and more storms. 214 00:29:50,700 --> 00:29:52,460 Look down over the ocean... 215 00:29:54,220 --> 00:29:56,580 ..and the clouds shift into shape. 216 00:30:01,460 --> 00:30:03,500 THUNDER RUMBLES 217 00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:04,740 They begin to spiral... 218 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, 222 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. 226 00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:26,620 Just a few miles down the coast, 227 00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:29,820 an entire beach mouse population was wiped out... 228 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... 230 00:31:50,260 --> 00:31:52,300 ..and establish their own territory. 231 00:31:57,260 --> 00:31:58,740 Starting with a burrow. 232 00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:05,660 There's little vegetation, 233 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, 237 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. 239 00:32:45,980 --> 00:32:48,860 Every moment spent out here alone, 240 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. 252 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.