I just finished watching a stunning visual documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand called HOME. The film, released last summer and available to watch free online, shows our planet in all of its natural beauty through high definition aerial photography. But accompanying this natural beauty, are images depicting a wide range of the global environmental problems routinely discussed here such as deforestation, climate change, water shortages, and poverty.

By putting a human face and bringing to life these problems, the film has a very powerful message: that we humans have dramatically altered not only the majority of the planet’s landscape, but the fundamental chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans. And without a dramatic change in our current trajectory, we will push many of these the planets already stressed systems past the breaking point.

While most many of the visuals are a bit depressing, the film ends on a positive note with a series of positive actions and trends being taken around the world. As the narrator says, “It’s too late to be a pessimist.”

I encourage you to watch the film. You won’t be disappointed.