Sixth extinction has begun

Discovery Channel will broadcast Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos’film Racing Extinction in India on December 2 from 9 pm. Discovery, the #1 distributed TV brand in the world, will premiere Racing Extinction in 220 international markets across the world within a span of 24 hours.

In the groundbreaking film Racing Extinction, director Louie Psihoyos and the group behind the Academy Award-winning film The Cove assemble a team of artists and activists on a new undercover operation to expose the world of endangered species trafficking and the race to prevent mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, the 90-minute filmreveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.

Racing Extinction will be the catalyst for a larger, ongoing campaign utilising the hashtag #StartWith1Thing to serve as Discovery’s call to action to create a global movement behind the Racing Extinction television event. Discovery will leverage its global premiere and additional platforms, including custom branded content, Discovery digital, social media and virtual reality and Discovery Education, along with its partners, to ignite curiosity and global actions people can take in four areas: fighting wildlife trafficking, reducing carbon emissions through use of green energy/transport and supporting green causes.

Rahul Johri, EVP and GM – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Discovery Channel presents path-breaking and immersiveprogrammes that serve a purpose beyond entertainment. Racing Extinction is a gripping film that vividly demonstrates the serious threats our beautiful planet faces today. We believe that the filmwill invoke passion amongst Indian viewers and will inspire everyone to preserve it for a better tomorrow.”

Louie Psihoyos, Director, said “With the help of Discovery I believe we can create a tipping point to create the change we need to preserve a planet that can sustain life for all species.” He further added, “There has never been a more important time in the world than to be alive now — the decisions we make in the next few years will impact the Earth and animal species for millions of years.”

Scientists predict that the human footprint on the planet may cause the loss of half of the world’s species by the end of the century. They believe humans have entered the sixth major extinction in Earth’s history, following the fifth great extinction which took out the dinosaurs. The current era is called the Anthropocene, or “Age of Man,” because evidence shows that humanity has sparked a cataclysmic change of the world’s natural environment and animal life. However, they are the only ones who can stop the change they have created.

In partnership with Discovery and the Ocean Preservation Society (OPS), Paul G. Allen, a co-Executive Producer of the film, and his Vulcan Productions, have launched an action campaign around Racing Extinction to empower audiences to join the fight to save these animals while there is still time. The mission of the campaign is long-term reduction of both carbon emissions and consumer demand for endangered species.

This highly charged, impassioned collective of activists is out to expose the two major threats to endangered wild species across the globe. The first comes from the international wildlife trade, and the bogus medicinal cures and tonics that are marketed to the public at the expense of creatures who have survived on this planet for millions of years.

The second threat is a hidden world of carbon emissions and acidified oceans that are incompatible with existing animal life.The film’s website, racingextinction.com, also features an interactive “challenge” tool to help families, groups and individuals to reduce their own carbon footprints.

Racing Extinction is an ambitious mission to clearly and artfully pull into focus human impact on the planet, while inspiring us all to embrace the solutions that will ensure a thriving, biodiverse world for future generations.