11 Documentaries On Netflix That Will Bring You Closer To The Planet

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The world is full of issues that are both unsolvable and unavoidable. Our dying planet is one of them. There’s an urgent need to do something about it, but we don’t know where to start. That’s where these must-watch documentaries on Netflix come in. They help provide new insights into the challenges we face and how we can work towards solving them.

Netflix is a wonderful platform for being entertained and informed. We spend countless hours watching documentaries on Netflix. However, documentaries on this platform are not always about education or culture. If you’re looking for a new documentary on any topic or genre to watch on Netflix, you’re not going to be short of options. Business, comedy, technology, movies, television shows, sports, and also nature have found their way into Netflix’s streaming library. You can even find stories that will provide some inspiration and insight into the world we live in and ways we can work together towards changing it. In that case, we have curated a list of must-watch documentaries on Netflix on sustainable living and environmentalism, that you can enjoy.

1. Seaspiracy

‘Seaspiracy”; is an eye-opening, Netflix original, revealing the harsh reality of commercial fishing. The sustainable documentary speaks about how humans are harming marine wildlife. And that’s not it. This film unveils the secrecy and conspiracy that goes behind the scenes of the trade.

Watch Seaspiracy on Netflix

2. The Game Changers

Fitness freaks and sports lovers, here is a must-watch suggestion for you. This revolutionary movie is set to debunk the myth about meat, protein, building muscle that has persisted through the ages. This is one of the must-watch documentaries that you need to add to your watch list now!

Watch The Game Changer on Netflix

3. Our Planet

In this ambitious British sustainable documentary series, you’ll see how climate change affects all living creatures. David Attenborough narrates the documentary’s 8 thrilling and educational episodes, each episode inspiring us more and more to protect our environment. 

Watch Our Planet on Netflix

4. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

Here is something that will both push you and inspire you to live minimally. As the name says it: Minimalism, surely this sustainable documentary speaks about the said lifestyle, but that is not it. The film also talks about what it means to adopt the lifestyle, consumerism, and the waste it produces. This is one of the best documentaries on sustainable living.

Watch Minimalism on Netflix

5. The Ivory Game

Did you know that the population of elephants has decreased by 62% over the last few decades? Approximately 100 African elephants are being killed every day! This sustainable documentary covers everything from the illegal poaching of the elephants for their ivory to those involved in this nefarious “black market.”

Watch The Ivory Game on Netflix

6. Chasing Coral

This award-winning film, Chasing Coral, indeed is one of the most informative and must-watch documentaries on Netflix about sustainability. In addition, the film has won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. This documentary talks about how environmental degradation poses a grave threat to Earth’s underwater ecologies.

Watch Chasing Coral on Netflix 

7. My Octopus Teacher

“What she taught me was to feel…that you’re part of this place, not a visitor. That’s a huge difference.” (line from My Octopus Teacher) If you are watching My Octopus, then we must warn you to have a tissue with you. This moving story of the produced Craig Foster and his bond with an octopus will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Watch My Octopus Teacher on Netflix

8. American Factory

Were you long awaiting a documentary that talks about consumerism and mass productions? Well, here it is. But, of course, you can’t talk about consumerism without addressing how cheaply things are manufactured. This is due to countries such as China and Bangladesh. What happens, though, when a real mass-production industry comes to America? This cultural problem exemplifies why the rest of the world relies on China for low-cost goods.

Watch American Factory on Netflix

9. Mission Blue

No Ocean. No Life. Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer, explorer, scientist, and teacher, embarks on a quest in Mission Blue (some call her the Jane Goodall of the sea). This sustainable documentary emphasizes steps that have already been taken and what else is required to protect our oceans, with stunning underwater cinematography and an extraordinary lifelong story of ocean activism.

Watch Mission Blue on Netflix

10. A Plastic Ocean

Plastic waste in our oceans is a terrible truth. The grim realities of our planet’s plastic problems are depicted in this sustainable documentary. The focus is on how our culture’s plastic ends up in the ocean, its consequences on the marine ecosystem, and how plastic finds its way up the food chain to reach humans.

Watch A Plastic Ocean on Netflix

11. Rotten

This two-season docu-series exposes the truth about the mass-produced food industry. How far will corporations go to make the most money? Is it at the cost of human life? What is the state of the environment, and how long can it be sustained? From the almond industry in California, which is killing bees, to the Avocado war in Mexico, it appears that the bottom line has no bounds. This show will surely make you rethink everything if you’re buying any form of food product and aren’t aware where it came from or who made it.

Watch Rotten on Netflix

Now, this isn’t an exhaustive list. But these are some of our favorite must-watch documentaries on Netflix related to sustainability and eco-conscious living. Feel free to try out these or other documentaries, and let us know about them and how you like them in the comments. And don’t forget to take the issue head-on by making small changes in the way that you live your life. Minute by minute, day by day, year by year – we can all change the world for the better!

Want to learn more about sustainability? Read 8 Podcasts On Sustainability That Will Inspire You To Live More Consciously

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