National Geographic's Strange Days
on Planet Earth

A candid conversation with host Edward Norton

Q: What about the subject matter of National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth really drew you to this project?

Edward Norton: I've always had a broad interest in environmental issues and increasing our collective knowledge about the interconnectedness of life. This show explores the actual scientific basis behind the old adage that when a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it creates a hurricane in Africa.

Q: What about the state of the environment, in particular, discourages you today as you see it?

EN: I think that we're behind where we ought to be in terms of the sustainability of the way we're living. There are certain thresholds, or tipping points, that I think this series addresses in a really interesting way. We may be rapidly approaching crashes in our ecosystems from which we will not recover, not only in our lifetime but that of our children or grandchildren. It's quite terrifying.

Q: What signs are there that there is actually hope out there?

EN: I think that the series on some levels addresses that question. The more that science reveals the integrated nature of the earth's biosphere and ecosystems, the more effectively we can address some of the underlying causes. Also, I see great work being done all over. I come from a family of activists. My father is a career environmental activist. He is the director of the Nature Conservancy's China program. On a per capita basis, the United States is the worst environmental polluter in the world, but China is also way up there. [China] has been characterized traditionally as a place with very little environmental consciousness. My father went into China very skeptical about what the real level of support for conservation management would be. But he has been astonished at the level of scientific sophistication and real government support for building conservation management models. That's exciting, and it makes you think that a lot of positive change is really possible.

Q: I read that Larry King declared that he would follow your lead and install solar panels on his house.

EN: I started a program through which the company BP Solar agreed that any time a celebrity or public leader in any field buys a solar system for their home through this program, BP donates a matching system to a low-income family through a housing foundation I work with. We're in the first year of the program, and I talked about it on Larry King. Larry did agree to join, and he's getting a solar system on his house.

Q: So is he following through?

EN: He is following through. Yeah he's actually doing it.

Q: Given that you can pretty much drive any car out there right now, can you talk about the advantages of driving a hybrid?

EN: I live in New York, so I don't actually own a car, but, I also have a home in Los Angeles, and when I'm working on films or in LA for brief periods, I found a place that rents hybrids. I think that on an environmental impact level, hybrids are obviously more positive. They drive as well as anything, other than a Porsche. If you think about it, with gas prices going where they're going, nobody ultimately is going to buy that car because it pollutes a little less, they're going to buy it because, at $2.50 a gallon that car is going to save them between three and four thousand dollars a year, for your average commuter, on gas. And it's really interesting to see the technology reach the point where the car companies and the oil companies have no choice.