10 Must-Watch Environmental Documentaries on Netflix

2022 is here! Looking for something to watch together with your family and friends, but want a change from usual series? We have curated a list of must watch environmental documentaries on Netflix that you could enjoy while learning something new.  Through the power of visual storytelling, these documentaries will surely help you reconnect with nature and inspire you to take action in your own little ways.

A Life on the Planet

Our planet is suffering as a result of humanity’s blind assault. This documentary shows us the natural world through the eyes of renowned natural historian and broadcaster, David Attenborough as he witnesses and grieves the loss of biodiversity. It is the story of how we have made our greatest mistakes. But all hope is not lost as David describes how we can reverse the damage if we act now.

Kiss the Ground

Soil could be the answer to climate change. This film examines how tilling and the use of pesticides lead to poor soil health and soil erosion. These eventually result in more damages to ecology as well as climate. It also describes how soil health is tied to the overall health of our planet. It makes the case that by regenerating the Earth’s soil, we can renew ecosystems and eventually combat climate change.

Untamed Romania

Untamed Romania is a breathtaking and stunning nature documentary about Romania's vast wilderness and the animals and plants that live within it. It highlights the natural wonders of Romanian flora and fauna and provides a glimpse of the wildlife fighting for food, mating or just survival. In the end it conveys a heartfelt plea for preserving its wilderness and protecting the ecosystem while it is not too late.

The Ivory Game

Elephant population is dying, and this is fueled by poaching of wild elephants in Africa and illegal ivory trading.  While illegal, many corrupt business practices and dealings still occur in the black market. This documentary shows a group of brave individuals on their journey to infiltrate the illegal trading markets to expose the deep-rooted corruption at the heart of the global ivory trafficking crisis.  The documentary makes a shocking revelation that if no action is taken in the near future, elephants will be facing extinction within the next 15 years.

A Plastic Ocean

A Plastic Ocean is a documentary about the devastating impacts plastic has caused to our environment, especially to our marine life. It describes the current state of our oceans and how plastics materials disposed of by humans end up floating in the oceans, being eaten by marine animals and sea birds. This documentary follows the travels of scientists and researchers to twenty locations around the world as they reveal solutions that can be put into immediate effect.

Chasing Coral

Coral reefs around the globe are vanishing at an alarming rate due to rising sea temperatures.

This documentary follows a group of divers, scientists, and photographers as they document the loss of one of the ocean’s most essential living creatures and its impact to marine biodiversity. It also proposes solutions that can be used to effectively reverse the loss of coral reefs.

Island of Faith

Through the lens of different faiths and cultures in seven provinces of Indonesia, the documentary describes how individuals strive to address climate change in their community. Despite having different beliefs, all of them share the same value that humans and their environment are inherently interrelated. It depicts how people from the villages come together to preserve nature and tackle the climate crisis, and how we can take inspiration from their actions.

Broken – Episode 4 – Recycling Sham

Episode 4 of the documentary focuses on how corporations falsely market single-use plastic products as recyclable. It informs us about how we are made to feel no guilt as long as we recycle plastic. But the reality is that far less than expected of the plastic has been recycled, and the rest has been buried and left in landfills and oceans. It also highlights the recycling crisis many countries are facing now due to the banning of plastic waste import.

My Octopus Teacher

An unusual friendship is forged between a filmmaker, Craig Foster and a female octopus who lives in a South African kelp forest.  As their friendship develops, she allows him into her world to let him see how she lives. Craig describes how his octopus friend teaches him about the fragility of life and its connection with nature. This eventually influences Craig to create a deeper bond with his son, inspiring him to be a diver and marine biology student.

Brave Blue World

Water crisis around the world has brought many individuals to re-think how water is managed locally in their cities. Together these groups of individuals adopt technologies and innovations in order to show a path to a sustainable water future. Brave Blue World is a documentary that challenges many commonly held assumptions about our water systems and changes how most people think about water.

Let us know which movies you end up watching in the comments below!