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OPERATION EARTH WHAT ON EARTH?

Beginning this month, the six-part series The Miracle Planet presents a vivid evocation of the Earth’s evolution and the massive effects of human intervention on the environment.
By R.P. |

For public television, 1990 is the year of the environment. Composed of more than 35 hours of new series and specials, Operation Earth is a compelling vision of our world now-and the world we will leave our children in the years to come.

Can we stop the rapid warming of the Earth’s atmosphere? Reverse the dangerous effects of pollution? Conserve our resources and feed the hungry? Through comprehensive programming produced by public television stations across the country. Operation Earth addresses these and other issues critical to the upcoming decade.

Beginning this month, the six-part series The Miracle Planet presents a vivid evocation of the Earth’s evolution and the massive effects of human intervention on the environment. Channel 13 airs the new series Mondays at 7 p.m. beginning January 15, with repeat broadcasts scheduled the following Fridays at midnight. Journalist Bill Kurtis hosts The Miracle Planet which, in its first episode, The Third Planet, examines the puzzle of the Earth’s very beginnings and looks at the series of events that led to the emergence of life. The Heat Within, the second program in the series, then explores how the venting of the Earth’s tremendous heat at the core has reshaped the lands and seas of our world. In the third program, Life from the Sea. the series tells the fascinating story of how ancient living organisms that originated in the sea permitted the development of new life forms on land. The last three episodes look at the Earth’s atmosphere and weather systems, dramatic changes in climate over the planet’s history, and the future of life on Earth.

In the upcoming months, Operation Earth will bring a variety of new and provocative programming:

The State of the World (working title), a 10-part series that examines international environmental issues;

Decade of Destruction a five-part chronicle of the destruction of the Amazon rain forest that will appear on Frontline;

Breakthrough on Hunger, a six-part series on the efforts of develop- ing nations to reduce hunger by balancing cultivation with conservation;

Icowalk, a four-part series on the Arctic design- ed for junior high and high school students;

For Earth’s Sake: The Life and Times el David Brower, a history of the Earth as seen through the eyes of one of its major figures;

One Second Before Sunrise, a view of everal successful conservation projects;

Arctic Haze, a special on the effects of airborne pollution on remote areas of the Arctic; and

The New Explorers, a 13-part series about scientific research on the environment.

Beyond these efforts. Operation Earth also includes summer repeats of past environmental programming and highlights on the environment on many of PBS’ continuing series, such as Nature, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and Sesame Street. Public television stations nationwide also will work to link their viewers with local environmental projects.

Locally, Channel 2 will produce an hour-long environmental outreach program that will air in April, and Channel 13’s News Addition will devote segments in upcoming months to environmental problems. Channel 13 is also developing America’s Wiidflowers, a celebration of the beauty and ecological importance of native plants, for nationwide audiences.

“Public television is committed to informing the public about issues that affect them,” says Richard J. Meyer, president of KERA/ KDTN, “and nothing touches them as deeply as the air they breathe and the water they drink and the land they walk on. It’s vital for us to do our part on something this important.”

Comprehensive and timely, Operation Earth will touch the lives of millions across the country. This year, facing one of the most significant problems in our immediate future, public broadcasting has come down to Earth.

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