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Earth Focus
Biodiversity and Health
(Earth Focus: Episode 41) What do plants, snakes, molds, marine sponges, and cone snails have in common? They have helped develop medicines that save human lives. Biodiversity -- the variety of life on Earth -- is key to human survival. But plants, animals, and microorganisms are disappearing at unprecedented rates. What impact will this have on human health? Find out in this Earth Focus special report produced in collaboration with the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School.
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24:28
Los Angeles is one of the biggest biodiversity hotspots in the world, despite its smog, urban sprawl and snarling freeways.
25:44
Communities and innovators all over the world are creating new sustainable food sources that are resilient to climate change and growing populations.
25:44
Anticipating future water needs, two regions on opposite sides of the world turn to technology for answers.
25:26
Two cities, San Francisco and Freetown, brace for climate change using vastly different methodologies.
25:58
Droughts and floods are driving many people away from their rural, farming communities into big cities.
25:30
Forecasts are dire for Louisiana to experience the second-highest sea level rise in the world. How is the region adapting?
26:40
“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.
33:46
"Earth Focus" looks at three countries on the new fracking frontline: South Africa, Poland, and the UK.