New BBC documentary Frozen Planet II paints a beautiful portrait of the Earth’s polar regions as it addresses urgent climate change concerns
- The new David Attenborough-led series showcases nature, including killer whales, pandas, Siberian tigers and avalanches, in the world’s frozen regions
- The show has to address more imminent global warming threats than its 2011 predecessor, but the producer hopes it will inspire change through its beauty
Would a more fitting title have been “Thawing Planet”?
The series Frozen Planet – a portrait of the world’s polar regions from the BBC’s celebrated Natural History Unit – was released in 2011 to universal acclaim. Frozen Planet II may well win as many awards and receive as much recognition, but it arrives having to address concerns far more urgent than they were for its predecessor.
Climate change is no longer a threat, but a fact for all the places visited, making Frozen Planet II a potential requiem for life on our revolving rock. Not that series producer Elizabeth White sees it that way.
“It’s hard not to make a story that is entirely doom and gloom, and at the beginning of the series I felt depressed at the idea. But what’s amazing when you go out into the scientific community is how much optimism [scientists] have, believing that if people are educated [about global warming] and really know what’s happening they will want to do something about it,” says White during a video call.