Based on Lester Brown’s Plan B book series, this 90-minute film—Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization—airing on PBS Wednesday, March 30 in the United States (see listings for time and additional dates in your area), follows Lester as he speaks in Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, New Delhi, Rome, Istanbul, Ankara, and Washington, DC, and visits with world leaders to discuss ways to respond to the challenges of climate change.

The film begins with a dramatic portrayal of a world where there is a mounting tide of public concern about melting glaciers and sea level rise and a growing sense that we need to change course in how we react to emerging economic and social pressures. It also spotlights a world where ocean resources are becoming scarce, croplands are eroding, and harvests are shrinking.

But what makes Plan B significant and timely is that it provides hopeful solutions—a roadmap to eradicate poverty, stabilize populations and protect and restore our planet’s fisheries, forests, aquifers, soils, grasslands, and biological diversity.

Along with Lester Brown, you will hear from notable scholars and scientists including Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Timescolumnist Thomas Friedman, and former Governor and Secretary of the InteriorBruce Babbitt.

Narrated by Matt Damon, well-known for his work raising environmental awareness, and produced by Emmy-Award winning filmmakers Marilyn and Hal Weiner, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the gravity of environmental decline and the solutions that can change the course for civilization. 

See a clip.