Supersized Earth

Supersized Earth traces the spectacular story of how humans have transformed our world in a generation. In this awe-inspiring three-part series, Dallas Campbell travels the globe, visiting the world's largest and most ambitious engineering projects, exploring the power of human ingenuity and the making of the modern world. In this episode, Dallas explores how we have been redesigning the planet as we build ever more astonishing places to live. In Dubai, he climbs to the very top of the world's tallest building - over half a mile above the desert sand - to help clean the highest windows in the world; and he explores how desert wastelands have been transformed into bristling forests of skyscrapers as we've conquered the sky and turned it into a place we can call home.In China, the rate of change is accelerating as millions move into the cities; to keep pace, they have learned to erect 30-storey buildings in under three weeks. The world is changing underneath our feet too; Dallas dives beneath Mexico City with one of the two-man team whose unenviable job it is to keep the city sewers flowing, before examining a very new-world solution to this age-old problem.

On Supersized Earth we can travel further and faster than ever before - and our desire to shrink the world is inspiring some of the most extraordinary engineering projects on the planet. From the longest suspension bridge in the world to moving an object the size of Buckingham Palace half way around the globe. Supersized Earth examines how we have created a permanent home beyond the atmosphere in space and, here on earth, we take part in a modern day love affair - a drive-thru wedding.

On Supersized Earth 40% of the planet's surface is now devoted to growing food. To appreciate how we've transformed vast swathes of land to produce food, Supersized Earth travels to the south coast of Spain, where what was once an arid landscape is now home to the world's largest greenhouse array. We visit Lake Mead, the biggest man-made lake in the USA, to see how it powers the bright lights of Las Vegas. We also join the team building a 750 mile long artificial river to transport water from South to North China - currently the world's biggest engineering project.