Humanity Is ‘Racing Extinction’ (And We’re Losing)

The new documentary "Racing Extinction" goes undercover to the edge of mass extinction in the world’s darkest black markets.

In 2009, audiences around the world were blown away by a documentary by Louie Psihoyos called “The Cove.” It showed the horrifying secret mass slaughter of dolphins in Japan and the sale of mercury-laden dolphin meat to school children. Won an Oscar. Now Psihoyos has taken his cameras global, and the picture is brutal again. Species falling into oblivion under the pressure of manmade climate change. Some hunted and torn to shreds for gills and fins. A “great extinction.” It’s a powerful call to act, and act fast. This hour On Point,  Louie Psihoyos and his tough new film, “Racing Exctinction.”
-- Tom Ashbrook

Louie Psihoyos, photographer and documentary filmmaker. Director of the new film, "Racing Extinction." Also director of the Academy Award-winning documentary, "The Cove." Executive director of the Oceanic Preservation Society. (@louiepsihoyos)

New York Times: ‘Racing Extinction’ Charts the Slaughter of Vital Species -- "Noting that our planet’s five major extinctions had in common a spike in carbon dioxide, Mr. Psihoyos worries that the emissions of our own age, aptly dubbed the Anthropocene, are damaging our oceans in ways that are mostly invisible. And that the devastating consequences of more direct human behaviors — like the mass slaughter of exotic marine life for food and folk medicines — are also largely overlooked."

Huffington Post: Extinction or Survival? The Race Is On — "'Choose one thing,' the film encourages. And get involved. Eat more plants and less meat. Pay attention to your traditional Chinese medicines or Omega 3 sources to make sure they do not include endangered wildlife. Eat less tuna, which carries a death toll, says Hendrich, of 5 sharks and dolphin by-catch kill for every one tuna."

Variety: Film Review: ' Racing Extinction' -- Whether you believe the Earth has been around for 4.5 billion years, or just 6,000; whether you consider global warming a dire warning or an elaborate hoax; and whether you’re just embarking on life’s journey or already making your burial arrangements, 'Racing Extinction' delivers a message of universal significance — namely, that mankind is directly responsible for endangering, if not outright eradicating, countless species around the world."

Neela Banerjee, writer for Inside Climate News. (@neelaeast)

Inside Climate News: Exxon's Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming Decades Ago — "At a meeting in Exxon Corporation's headquarters, a senior company scientist named James F. Black addressed an audience of powerful oilmen. Speaking without a text as he flipped through detailed slides, Black delivered a sobering message: carbon dioxide from the world's use of fossil fuels would warm the planet and could eventually endanger humanity."