What's meant by sustainable development? This film offers a stark account of the dangers threatening the planet and explores what we can do to avoid disaster. INDUSTRIALISATION: The problems started about 250 years ago with the industrial revolution. First coal, then oil, fuelled a world of mass production, mass consumption - and cars. Burning oil and carbon has been a disaster for the planet - most scientists blame it for global warming. New deserts will form, the polar ice cap will melt and sea levels will rise bringing floods and disaster. RAINFORESTS: Rainforests are called the "lungs of the earth" - but they're disappearing, and the industrialisation of farming and fishing is depleting natural resources and destroying biodiversity. Population and life-style are major factors, too, creating rubbish and pollution. Tourism has been become a huge global industry - but local cultures and the environment have suffered. TAKING ACTION: Some people are taking action to make life sustainable - planting trees, controlling traffic and promoting renewable forms of energy. But is this enough? Is it too late?