Presenting "Earth 2050: The Future of Energy"

In the year 2050, will our energy future be bleak...or bright?

Discovery, in partnership with Shell and Wired, presents EARTH 2050, a provocative television special airing on Discovery Channel that looks at the energy challenges our world faces over the next 40 years.

By the year 2050, the world's population will reach nine billion. The demand on the world's resources - energy, first and foremost - will be severe. But the road from now to then doesn't need be bleak. There is a path to a future filled with opportunities, with amazing individuals and extraordinary projects leading the way.

Three stories of pioneering innovations and innovators will be told by three acclaimed directors: Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Lilibet Foster (Speaking In Strings), Academy Award®-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Michael Epstein (LennoNYC) and Academy Award®-nominated Nathaniel Kahn (My Architect).

Hosted by Wired executive editor Thomas Goetz.

Earth 2050 premieres December 22, 2011 at 7PM E/P on Discovery Channel. Watch a sneak peek!