5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet

Duration: 58'54''

Synopsis

Life on Earth prospers because it enjoys the right amount of heat from the sun, and the atmosphere prevents meteorite bombardment.

Further Information

More clips from Earth: The Power of the Planet

1: Volcano | Earth: The Power of the Planet

1: Volcano | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'10''

Dr Iain Stewart tells the story of planet Earth. Although they appear to be destructive, volcanoes have been crucial to the devel...

2: Atmosphere | Earth: The Power of the Planet

2: Atmosphere | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'03''

Dr Iain Stewart reveals the natural forces that shaped the earth. He traces the history of the atmosphere, from the ozone laye...

3: Ice | Earth: The Power of the Planet

3: Ice | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'08''

Documentary series in which Dr Iain Stewart tells the story of the earth's development. Ice isn't just something to put in a gin and ...

4: Oceans | Earth: The Power of the Planet

4: Oceans | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'42''

Iain travels to surfers' paradise Hawaii to learn more about oceans, explaining the difference between waves, tides and currents.

How glaciers form | Earth: The Power of the Planet

How glaciers form | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 2'54''

Dr Iain Stewart explains how snow is transformed into glacier ice.

More resources about Ecosystems and Biomes

4: Jungles - People of the Trees | Human Planet

4: Jungles - People of the Trees | Human Planet

BBC One | 2011 | 58'58''

Series examining man's survival in extreme environments. A look at life in the rainforest, which requires great skill, ingenu...

Emperor Penguin - Caring | Wonders of Nature

Emperor Penguin - Caring | Wonders of Nature

BBC Two | 2013 | 1'50''

An emperor penguin watches as her baby is born. It shows the harsh habitat and the climate they live in, the cold Antarctica and...

Mandarin Duck - First Flight | Wonders of Nature

Mandarin Duck - First Flight | Wonders of Nature

BBC Two | 2014 | 55''

A mother mandarin duck shows her babies how to take their first flight out of the safety of the nest.

S3E1: Matis | Tribe

S3E1: Matis | Tribe

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'47''

Explorer Bruce Parry travels to the Amazon rainforest to live with the Matis, a tribe once devastated by western disease who are determined to preserve t...

Elephant - Importance of Water | Wonders of Nature

Elephant - Importance of Water | Wonders of Nature

BBC Two | 2013 | 1'54''

A herd of elephants moves across the land in search of water.

Rocks in a glacier | The Secret Life of Ice

Rocks in a glacier | The Secret Life of Ice

BBC Four | 2011 | 2'38''

Dr Gabrielle Walker investigates how glaciers grinds down rock.

3: Alaska | Arctic with Bruce Parry

3: Alaska | Arctic with Bruce Parry

BBC Two | 2011 | 59'26''

Bruce travels to Alaska, America's last great wilderness, where modern-day pioneers are harvesting the vast natural wealth of the seas.

Episode 1 | Amazon with Bruce Parry

Episode 1 | Amazon with Bruce Parry

BBC Two | 2008 | 59'10''

Bruce Parry begins an epic adventure in the Amazon. The first part of his journey takes him from the High Andes to the Ashaninka tribe.

Episode 2 | Simon Reeve's South America

Episode 2 | Simon Reeve's South America

BBC Two | 2022 | 59'05''

Simon travels through Brazil, from the heart of the Amazon rainforest to the coast and the glamorous-but-troubled city of Rio de Jane...

Growing cities | Earth From Space

Growing cities | Earth From Space

BBC One | 2019 | 2'02''

Satellite images depict the growth of cities over time.

I Bought a Rainforest

I Bought a Rainforest

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'16''

Series following wildlife cameraman Charlie Hamilton James, who has bought 100 acres of Peruvian rainforest. Charlie establishes camp and makes some un...

25: Antarctica | Deadly Pole to Pole

25: Antarctica | Deadly Pole to Pole

CBBC | 2014 | 28'28''

Steve's journey finally comes to an end at the land of extremes - the least inhabited, remotest, highest, driest, coldest and windiest c...

5: The Big Freeze | Life in the Freezer

5: The Big Freeze | Life in the Freezer

BBC One | 1993 | 29'13''

A portrait of the wildlife which remains in Antarctica during the punishing winter, presented by Sir David Attenborough.

6: Grasslands - Roots of Power | Human Planet

6: Grasslands - Roots of Power | Human Planet

BBC One | 2011 | 58'37''

Documentary featuring the remarkable people who live in the world's grasslands, exploring their relationship with the natural w...

Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl

Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl

BBC Two | 2018 | 58'58''

Chris Packham returns to Sumatra to search for a girl from a nomadic tribe he photographed 20 years ago to discover what has happen...

Episode 2 | Amazon with Bruce Parry

Episode 2 | Amazon with Bruce Parry

BBC Two | 2008 | 59'07''

Bruce Parry voyages along the entire length of the Amazon. Continuing his trip, the adventurer wears a black dress for an extremely unusu...

Hottest Place on Earth

Hottest Place on Earth

BBC HD | 2009 | 59'21''

A team of experts venture into the Danakil desert in Ethiopia. Kate Humble looks at how tough life is for an Afar woman, and Steve Leonard learns abou...

S2E2: Danube | Earth's Great Rivers II

S2E2: Danube | Earth's Great Rivers II

BBC Two | 2022 | 59'01''

The extraordinary story of the Danube, the world's most international river. It reveals magical wonders, from crystal-clear waterfalls...

10: Yellowstone | Nature's Microworlds

10: Yellowstone | Nature's Microworlds

BBC Four | 2012 | 29'02''

In Yellowstone National Park, where wolves, bears, coyotes, bison and elk roam vast grasslands, wetlands and forests, Steve Backshall ...

2: Deserts - Life in the Furnace | Human Planet

2: Deserts - Life in the Furnace | Human Planet

BBC One | 2011 | 59'01''

A look at how the eternal quest for water brings huge challenges - and ingenious solutions - for millions of people in the dr...

More from Iain Stewart

1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us

1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'24''

Series telling the story of how the development of civilisation was influenced by planetary forces. Professor Iain Stewart explores the rol...

4: Oceans | Earth: The Power of the Planet

4: Oceans | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'42''

Iain travels to surfers' paradise Hawaii to learn more about oceans, explaining the difference between waves, tides and currents.

Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World

Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World

BBC Four | 2017 | 59'16''

From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandora's box that changed the world forever. It transfor...

Eurasia | Rise of the Continents

Eurasia | Rise of the Continents

BBC Two | 2013 | 59'04''

Professor Iain Stewart shows that where the south of Eurasia is today there was once an ocean and how, in 250 million years, all of the cont...

Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live

Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live

BBC Two | 2012 | 59'03''

Kate Humble heads to Iceland and meets the scientists monitoring the country's most dangerous volcanoes. She also inves...

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape

1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape

BBC One | 2010 | 59'30''

Professor Iain Stewart reveals how Scotland's unique landscape was shaped. Here, he uncovers the devastating impact of mank...

3: The Big Freeze | Men of Rock

3: The Big Freeze | Men of Rock

BBC Two | 2010 | 58'52''

In the final episode of the series, Iain Stewart finds out about daredevil scientist Louis Agassiz, who first imagined the world had been gri...

1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...

1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'56''

Iain Stewart journeys across the oceans to explore stories about the most powerful giant waves in history, including how one...

The Geology of Japan | Journeys into the Ring of Fire

The Geology of Japan | Journeys into the Ring of Fire

BBC Four | 2006 | 2'20''

Iain Stewart explains the geology of the tectonic plates that make up the landscapes of Japan.