Netflix & Change - August 2021 Edition
Written by Jess Tyrrell
August, the 8th month of the year, has arrived! Did you know that Honeybees perform a 'waggle dance' in a figure of 8 when they find honey? 🐝 Akin to finding honey, we've discovered 2 documentaries and a poem, all worthy of a waggle dance, for you! Experience your best climate science lesson yet featuring David Attenborough, venture across the vast Namib desert with a pride of desert lions and lastly, seeing as August 12th is Youth Day, be inspired by Amanda Gorman's reading of her poem on climate change action and its importance for our youth.
Here's the sweet stuff 🍯:
1. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet
“It was indeed fantastic to witness: scientists raised the alarm and the world acted”
Treats
Join the ever-entrancing David Attenborough and world-renowned scientist Professor Johan Rockström as they communicate the 9 planetary boundaries that humanity simultaneously depends on and threatens. We are already operating in the high-risk zone for climate change, biodiversity, land-system change and nitrogen and phosphorus imbalance. Evidence is given in dramatic and emotional footage of melting polar ice caps, the deforestation of the Amazon, the burning of Australia's forests and the destruction of coral reefs.
Takeaways
Broaching the gap between mainstream audiences and science, a series of hard-hitting metaphors are used to explain how life as we know it is undeniably threatened. To prevent crossing these planetary tipping points — as has been done before through global action — the documentary places equal emphasis on changing our individual consumption patterns and the need for aggressive political action.
2. Vanishing Kings: Lions of the Namib
“In a merciless, desolate furnace an unexpected predator survives”
Treats
A magnificent and awe-inspiring tribute to Namibia's unique and bad-ass desert-adapted lions: follow the "5 musketeers" and their elderly mothers as they roam the barren Namib desert near the Hoanib Skeleton Coast. With beautiful aerial and close-up footage of these enigmatic and majestic creatures, simultaneously fall in love with the wilds of Namibia and the giraffe-hunting lion pride that ruled this kingdom.
Takeaways
Following Dr Philip Stander's life-long work of studying Namibia's rare desert-adapted lions, we catch a glimpse of how challenging and radical life is for these big cats. From drought and lack of prey to human-wildlife conflict, we learn that the number of these special lions has dwindled in recent years, and the future of their kind is held in the paws of the 5 young males whose journey is touched on in this sad yet poignant nature documentary by National Geographic.
3. 24 Hours of Reality: "Earthrise" by Amanda Gorman
“For it is our hope that implores us, at our uncompromising core, To keep rising up for an earth more than worth fighting for.”
Treats
This moving and immaculately crafted poem written and read by Amanda Gorman, the first Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, compels you as the listener to be inspired by our humble planet and fight for a life that is rightfully yours. Dedicated to Al Gore and The Climate Reality Project, experience Amanda's unwavering passion for the climate, our home and its people through facts and compelling imagery of the Earth.
Takeaways
Amanda Gorman's 'Earthrise' promises to engage and inspire you. Named after the Apollo 8 photo of the earth rising from behind the moon, Gorman's poem is a gentle yet passionate plea for global action on climate change. Gorman’s candid yet uplifting prose reinforces the nature of our planet's fragility and will hopefully encourage you to act “Now, Now, Now” for the causes you believe in.
With the sweet selection of August’s Netflix & Change, we hope to invoke an underlying sense of hope and action. We know what issues our planet is facing — thanks to David and Johan, we have witnessed a heartbreaking example of biodiversity loss in Namibia, and Amanda Gorman has reminded us of our role in the fight for Earth's salvation. We hope you'll join us next month, so stay tuned!
Otherwise, start a conversation with us on Instagram or check out our blog for more treats.
