Netflix.com’s film and video production arm, Red Envelope Productions has released onto DVD yet another excellent and well-produced documentary grappling with the issue of global warming. Without exaggeration, a veritable of tidal wave of books and documentaries have been produced since An Inconvenient Truth dealing with global warming and changesi n the Earth’s climate.

However, what sets Planet in Peril apart from the pack of documentaries recently produced can be found just in the film’s title alone…planet in peril. That’s just what the earth is now and no words could sum it up better. Unlike previous documentaries dealing with this controversial subject matter, CNN’s Planet in Peril takes us outside of the television studios and gives us a rare, first-hand account on the sheer frightening changes taking place in our global atmosphere.

The four-hour documentary in presented on DV D in two two-hour segments which are hosed by Anderson Cooper of CNN, Sanjay Gupta, and Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin. The documentary pulls no punches in its coverage and presents the viewer with not just theories, but hard, cold facts that global warming has already started.

Unlike many documentaries dealing with environmental issues, Planet in Peril focuses not on technical data or hypothesis from scientists, but shows with factual situations how global warming and other damages to the environment are already affecting the lives of human beings. One segment of the four-hour documentary shows a small group of people living on an island off New Guinea where the water level is rising steadily year after year.

Many scientists believe that global warming and the melting of polar ice caps is to blame and the island may be completely under water in less than five years. Anderson Cooper’s discussions and interviews with the people living on the island are some of the most effective essays on the proof of global warming. The people living on the island are basically poor and have nowhere else to live; others broke down into tears while being interviewed saying that they fear for their safety and the safety of their children while the island shores are being steadily eroded.

Another aspect of this unique documentary which set it apart from the plethora of recent films covering the subject of global warming is that it did not just deal with global warming alone, but other abuses of the environment as well. Another segment gives a detailed account of why and how polar bears are dying and how this is tied to changes in the environment. The scene where a polar bear is darted by a scientists pursuing the bear in a helicopter is simultaneously breathtaking and frightening. Yet another part of the film covers a nun who was killed when she tried top stop local poachers from killing elephants for their tusks.

CNN’s Planet in Peril is a must see for fans of environmental documentaries and serves as a well-made “cousin” to Al Gore’s film. Planet in Peril solidifies CNN’s place as a provider of first-rate news coverage and shows CNN’s continued dedication to excellent in broadcast journalism.

Planet is Peril is available for rental from Netflix.com or can be downloaded from iTunes.com. The documentary is repeated from time to time on CNN’s main channel. Check cable and satellite TV guides for dates and times.