Earth Focus Shorts

Shorts in collaboration with the show "Earth Focus", an environmental news magazine featuring investigative reports and in-depth stories about our changing environment and how it affects people around the world. It's funded by Wallace Genetic Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Park Foundation, Farvue Foundation, Shared Earth Foundation, Cornell Douglas Foundation, Rachel's Network, National Science Foundation, and individual donors.

Earth Focus Shorts Season 1 release dates →

1. E3

   3. Weathering the L.A. River Unsheltered

   2 years ago

   Extreme heat and flood events pose a growing threat for people experiencing homelessness on the L.A. River. The impact of climate change is complex, but community members are finding a way forward with emergency response skills, inclusive modeling to reimagine the channel, and volunteer programs serving the day-to-day needs of unhoused people, especially during climate change disasters.

2. E2

   2. What Joshua Tree's Social Media Presence Means for Tourism

   2 years ago

   The documentary explains that while the high desert has always attracted artists and dreamers, social media acts as an information accelerator. Because Joshua Tree National Park sits so close to major cities like Los Angeles, viral posts can cause visitor numbers to spike almost overnight. In fact, park visitation tripled in just five years, pushing park staff into a constant state of playing catch-up.

3. E1

   1. How Abalone Genes Could Help Marine Life Survive Our Changing Oceans

   7 years ago

   A captive breeding lab at the University of California, Davis, is growing thousands of abalone. Researchers are looking at their genetics to understand why some are more resilient to ocean acidification. If researchers understand what makes some abalone more reslient, they can not only help the endangered species survive, but help other marine life survive into the future as well.