World Environment Day 2009 saw the global release of a movie billed by producers as “the greatest green event ever”.

From New York’s Central Park to the Champs de Mars by Paris’ Eiffel Tower,Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the French photographer  known for the “Earth From The Air” books and “Seen From The Air” on TV, is releasing the green-awareness movie “Home” in over 100 countries simultaneously.

Shot from the air in a chopper, the environmental documentary will be available across the globe June 5, mostly free of charge, in open-air spaces as well as theatres, TV, DVD. It will be available on the Internet at www.youtube.com/homeproject until 14th June 2009

“The idea is to explain what’s happening to the planet by beginning at the beginning, by the miracle of life on earth,” the photographer-director told AFP.

The film has as its message on global warming, “it’s too late to be a pessimist”.”Although there’s a general trend towards an awareness of ecological issues, concrete action is still too little, too slow,” Arthus-Bertand says.

“In 200,000 years on earth,” adds the film, “humanity has upset the balance of the planet. Humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend.”

2007 Nobel-prizewinner Al Gore and Lester Brown, the US environmental guru took part in the film’s editing process. And French cinema legend Luc Besson is distributing the film.Ten million euros in finance was  put up by the luxury consortium PPR headed by Francois Henri Pinault.

“The massive and free distribution of the film will enable anyone, anywhere, to see it, whatever their income,” Pinault said.

Speaking to AFP, Arthus-Bertrand said it was time to call a halt to a world where 20 percent of the population consumed 80 percent of the planet’s riches.

“I explain what is happening, I don’t offer solutions,” he said. “But we all have solutions within ourselves.”

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