An Optimist's Guide to the Planet

Season 1

2024 · 12 episodes · 9h 36m in all

Episodes

1. 

   1. Dusk or Dawn

   8 Feb 2024 · 48 min

   In this episode, Nikolaj discovers the difference is hope, a hope he finds in inspiring people, projects and ideas all over the world.

2. 

   2. Shelter

   15 Feb 2024 · 48 min

   Shelter is one of the most essential human needs. Nikolaj finds hope from architects re-imagining how we live for a sustainable future.

3. 

   3. Regenerate

   22 Feb 2024 · 48 min

   Nature has an amazing power to regenerate. How can we harness its innate ability to heal to solve the problems we face?

4. 

   4. Nourish

   29 Feb 2024 · 48 min

   Nikolaj’s journey in this episode focuses on ways to rethink how we grow and cook the food that sustains us.

5. 

   5. Move

   7 Mar 2024 · 48 min

   Nikolaj meets some engineers, mechanics and entrepreneurs who may have solutions on how to move without hitting an environmental dead end.

6. 

   6. Transform

   14 Mar 2024 · 48 min

   Nikolaj’s journey toward hope continues as he searches for innovators transforming and revitalizing our world.

7. 

   7. Protect

   22 Oct 2025 · 48 min

   How can we be optimistic in 2025? As Nikolaj Coster-Waldau begins season two, we’re reminded of the delicate balance between human progress and protecting our planet. (Source: Bloomberg)

8. 

   8. Rethink

   29 Oct 2025 · 48 min

   Waste is a significant contributor to global warming, but turning it into a resource can help curb emissions and shrink humanity’s environmental footprint. (Source: Bloomberg)

9. 

   9. Invent

   5 Nov 2025 · 48 min

   From transforming concrete into a carbon sink to mining nickel from genetically enhanced plants, we meet the bold inventors preserving and adapting to nature’s offerings to help humanity thrive.

10. 

    10. Energize

    6 Nov 2025 · 48 min

    Meeting humanity’s insatiable demand for energy while still curbing greenhouse emissions will require creative solutions both big and small.

11. 

    11. Reclaim

    19 Nov 2025 · 48 min

    We travel the world to see how tradition, technology and human ingenuity can help reclaim the planet’s precious water supply.

12. 

    12. Imagine

    20 Nov 2025 · 48 min

    As we look toward the future and seek to overcome our world’s climate challenges, people with imagination are showing the way