A great documentary has the power to inform, educate and inspire urgent action. Arguably, this type of armchair activism is no more necessary than when it comes to the environment.

Over the past decade, our planet has continued to suffer the effects of several catastrophic crises, from deforestation and biodiversity loss to rising air pollution and, of course, climate change. It’s clear that rising temperatures are the defining threat of our time.

In the rush of day-to-day life, it’s easy to forget the sheer magnitude of the issue. Only when you’re reminded of the stark facts – greenhouse gas levels are at an all-time high, more than 1 million species currently face extinction, and 2023 was the hottest year on record – that the urgency of the issue becomes soberingly clear.

One way you can keep the environment at the forefront of your mind? Bring more ecological documentaries into your downtime viewing. From multimillion-dollar nature shows to explorations into the industries supplying our food, we take a look at the must-see Netflix releases to add to your weekend watch list.

Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Our Food (2023)

According to recent stats, 1 in 6 Americans (around 48 million people) develop food poisoning each year. While you’d assume those figures would be urgent enough to ignite change in regulations, ‘Poisoned’ reveals the frustrating corporate negligence and lack of accountability that keeps America’s food supply in a precarious state.

Through interviews with experts and victims’ families, this 2023 documentary delves into the unsettling realities of food safety in the US, explaining how foodborne pathogens like E. coli and salmonella can easily make their way onto supermarket shelves.

Directed by Stephanie Soechtig and based on Jeff Benedict’s book ‘Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat’, this gripping film lifts the lid on the astounding routine practices that continue to threaten public health.

Blackfish (2013)

When it first aired over 10 years ago, ‘Blackfish’ sparked public outrage and widespread criticism of American theme park SeaWorld, leading to a shift in tourist behaviour and galvanising major changes in the treatment of captive marine animals.

This essential animal welfare documentary dives deep into the dark world of marine parks, focusing on the dangers and ethical dilemmas of keeping killer whales in captivity. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the film traces the tragic story of Tilikum, a performing orca responsible for the deaths of several people, including his trainer at SeaWorld.

Laying bare how captivity can lead to harmful and often fatal consequences for animals and their human handlers, this documentary questions the practices used within the marine park industry, showing how orcas (emotionally complex creatures themselves) are captured, housed in confined spaces, and forced into performing for crowds. According to experts in the film, all of this creates the perfect storm for desperate animals to lash out.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

If you’re not already eating a plant-based diet, footage from this eye-opening documentary could be the deciding factor. Directed by filmmaking duo Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, ‘Cowspiracy’ uncovers the widespread environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture and questions why leading farming organisations remain largely silent on the issue.

Revealing staggering statistics on deforestation, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, ‘Cowspiracy’ claims that animal agriculture is the leading cause of environmental devastation, surpassing even the fossil fuel industry. Consider this the most compelling and absolutist argument for switching to a vegan diet you’ll find.

Through interviews with scientists, environmentalists, and whistleblowers, this 90 minute film takes an uncomfortable look at the meat industry’s role in accelerating climate change, and where we can go from here.

Our Planet (2019)

In the eight-part series ‘Our Planet’, veteran documentary maker David Attenborough takes us on an extraordinary journey across the globe, sharing both small and large moments of breathtaking beauty and diversity in the natural world.

These extraordinary nature scenes are all examined through the lens of how climate change is impacting living creatures, reminding us of the importance of preserving the planet we love for future generations.

With rich footage of landscapes such as the Serengeti plains and the Raja Ampat islands in Indonesia, ‘Our Planet’ is just as much a breathtaking reminder of the joy of travel as it is an urgent broadcast for climate action. As ever, Attenborough’s masterful storytelling is on hand to keep you hooked from start to finish.

Chasing Coral (2017)

In ‘Chasing Coral’, a team of divers, photographers, and scientists set out on an ocean voyage to discover why corals are vanishing at an alarming rate. What they uncover is this: rising ocean temperatures are causing mass coral bleaching, which is deteriorating these fragile underwater ecosystems at a rapid rate.

‘Chasing Coral’ explains why exactly bleaching happens, and how corals lose their vibrant colours and turn white, having expelled the microscopic algae that lends them their hues. When this happens on a large scale, entire reef ecosystems, on which people and wildlife depend, can collapse.

Bearing witness to the scale of this underwater catastrophe through interviews with marine experts, this documentary is an educational primer on the processes that are putting our planet’s coral in danger. Expect plenty of eye-opening visuals, made even more impactful by the fact that these events are real and unfolding right now.

Kiss the Ground (2020)

Narrated by Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson, ‘Kiss the Ground’ explores how we can reverse climate change by looking down, rather than up. The documentary argues that when cultivated properly, soil has the potential to sequester 100% of the damaging carbon dioxide that humans have emitted into the atmosphere, providing a compelling solution to the climate problem.

Profiling scientists, farmers and celebrity activists like Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, this glossy documentary is a slick explainer on the benefits of regenerative agriculture, a farming approach focused on restoring life to soil, rather than eroding it through traditional agricultural practices. If you’re new to the soil crisis, this film is a decent explainer on how we got to where we are, revealing how modern tillage and pesticide use have led to soil degradation and environmental imbalance.

Environmental documentaries can often be both anxiety-inducing and depressing, and it can feel like there’s nothing we can do to stop it. ‘Kiss the Ground’ doesn’t just lay out the magnitude of the problem but offers a real, viable solution to move forward and reverse some of the damage done.