Expedition: Blue Planet

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Expedition Blue Planet will chronicle the interconnectivity of water. A key aspect of the project will be its ability to show how individual stories are part of the larger, universal story of an interdependent, global water ecosystem. Alexandra Cousteau and her team strive to create a new vision for what it means to live in a world where water is the most precious resource, and a plan for what must be done to protect it. By delivering interactive, expedition-based storytelling, Alexandra Cousteau and her team will engage a broad spectrum of people of all ages in a voyage of discovery and an exploration of water issues around the world.

The story of the water on our planet has never been more crucial and relevant than it is today. In an era of climate change, desertification, sea level rise, acid rain, drought, falling water tables, dead zones, and widespread pollution, water quality and quantity is becoming more critical by the minute. The global forces of extraction and expansion are jeopardizing the very substance that supports life on our planet.

There is great truth to the adage that we are all downstream from one another. The midwestern United States is downstream from the coal-fired power plants of China. The rising tides inundating the Sundarban Islands of India are downstream from the carbon emissions of billions of cars around the world. And we are all literally downstream from the melting of the polar ice caps. How we manage our water resources has implications for many of the critical issues we face—from women as primary water gatherers, subsistence farming, and the health and balance of wildlife systems, to water refugees, the health of children, and the spreading of disease. Unfortunately, these connections are not well understood by the general public, whose choices as individuals and as a collective can contribute to either the degradation or the conservation of our water.

As a highly tangible and personal issue, shaping everything from health and history to politics and the economy, water is an ideal lens through which to explore the key environmental issues of our time. Water is the heartbeat and gauge of climate change and health and is the one thing humans the world over agree should be protected. For many, it’s as close as the nearest tap or drinking fountain.

Most of us first experienced the imagery and impact of water and the oceans through the films, stories, and voice of legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. For generations, people of all ages have found themselves wishing they could be a part of the day-to-day experience of an historic Cousteau expedition. Now they can.

EXPEDITION LOCATIONS

• The Ganges River, India
• Okavango Delta, Botswana
• Jordan River-Dead Sea Basin
• Perth, Australia
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia
• Mississippi, USA
• The Shab Rumi Reef, Red Sea

The Ganges River, India: An Endangered Goddess

At 1,560 miles long with a river basin between 200 and 400 miles wide, the Ganges River supports nearly half a billion people. “Mother Ganges” is revered by Hindus as the incarnation of a god. But, while the river viewed by some as a sacred entity with a spiritual purity, the environmental reality is another story. Almost 300 million gallons of waste are poured directly into the river each day. This waste is made up of garbage, food, and human and animal remains; even corpses are thrown in, as the water is said to lead to heaven, and impoverished families cannot afford cremation. This practice has led the river to become a breeding ground for deadly, waterborne illnesses, which make up 80% of the health problems facing the nation of India. Alexandra will talk with pilgrims, farmers, priests, and water conservationists to understand how the changes and threats facing the Ganges will impact the lives, livelihoods, and spirituality of the 250 million people who depend on this precious resource.

Okavango Delta, Botswana: The Cradle of Life Meets Modern Society

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is Africa’s largest oasis and world-renowned for its diverse wildlife, which includes zebras, antelope, elephants, and Cape buffalo. During the dry season, animals migrate from the nearby Kalahari Desert causing the wildlife population supported by the delta to climb some tenfold. The Okavango is under threat from government plans to siphon off water from the delta for agricultural irrigation of one million hectares, provide drinking water to the northern city of Maun, and increase supplies to the Orapa diamond mine. For the moment, the diversion project is stalled due to opposition from local people, herders, and fishers whose livelihoods depend on the integrity of the delta. Many of these people believe the river has a life of its own, and that it is not for man to kill it.

Jordan River - Dead Sea Basin: Water as a Vehicle for Peace or Conflict

A drought in the West Bank exacerbates the situation in the conflict-riddled region. Israelis experience unprecedented water shortages, wells in drought-stricken Palestinian regions are drying up due to decreased rainfall and Israel’s tightening grip on water use. Parts of major West Bank cities, such as Jenin, Hebron, and Bethlehem have had no running water for weeks, and even faucets in Ramallah have been dry for days at a time. In response to the acute water shortages for Palestinians the International Committee of the Red Cross recently started trucking in water for about 1,000 people and 50,000 animals.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia, and Perth, Australia: An Ancient Problem Facing Modern Cities

A World Heritage Site, Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. Today, researchers believe that it may have been water scarcity that caused the demise of what was one of the largest and most important civilizations of its time. By destroying vast tracts of forest to enlarge their farmland, inhabitants of the city of Angkor lit the fuse to an ecological time bomb that spelled doom for what was once the world's largest urban area. Angkor's inhabitants started rice farming from the low-lying area near the Tonle Sap Lake just south of Siem Reap town, but, gradually, they cut down natural forest to extend their farmland up to the slope of Kulen Mountain. Flooding ensued, and huge amounts of sediment and sand were washed down, filling up canals, and possibly choking the vital water management system.

The Mississippi River, U.S.A.: A Struggle for Balance

The longest river in the U.S. drains 40 percent of the country including the majority of its farming heartland. At present, there are no federal laws governing pollution being dumped into the Mississippi River and last year alone some 817,000 tons of nitrogen made its way into the Gulf of Mexico via the river. This has led to the largest ever dead zone (an area so starved of oxygen that it cannot sustain life) in the history of the Gulf. But farmers are in a difficult situation. As many attempt to alter farming techniques to reduce runoff, legislation that richly rewards a handful of commodity crops drives farmers to rotate less and to try to maximize output through the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Short-term return on cash crops is destroying the very land and water that produces these crops. Longer term solutions must be put in place.

Alexandra will explore sections of the river and its water system, meeting with farmers struggling with balancing their need to survive while maintaining the health of the land and water. She will also explore the dead zone at the mouth of the Mississippi that has grown to cover an area of roughly 8,000 square miles, and talk with conservation groups and local communities about the devastating impact on marine life and important coastal zones and fishing grounds.

The Shab Rumi Reef, Red Sea: A Legacy of Hope

Coral reefs may be the most endangered marine ecosystem on Earth. Nearly 500 million people depend on coral reefs for food, coastal protection, cultural items, and tourism income. As many as 30 million of the world’s poorest people depend entirely on coral reefs for food. Coral reef scientists predict massive destruction of coral reefs in the next decades because of increasing global climate change. Their loss will destroy the social fabric of many coastal communities and ruin a tourism industry that supports many tropical countries.

Alexandra will return to the location of Pre-Continent 2, an experimental project developed by her father and grandfather. She will witness a piece of marine life that has remained largely pristine, mostly due to the absence of man-ironically because the reef sits off the coast of Sudan where there is no tourism or industry. Alexandra will be joined by experts in marine biology to conduct ecosystem assessments to understand what changes have occurred in the reef since the Cousteau experiments in undersea living in the 1960s and why conservation of pristine coral reefs is of paramount importance to the survival of the oceans.