MSNBC Presents "FUTURE EARTH: ADDICTED TO POWER," Hosted By Sam Waterston, Thursday, April 22

MSNBC will present the fourth installment in its environmental documentary series, "Future Earth: Addicted to Power," in association with NBC Universal's Green Week, on Thursday, April 22nd, from 11 pm-12 am ET. The one-hour special, hosted by 'Law & Order' star Sam Waterston, examines the troubling issues that will confront us as we continue the struggle to power our world.

As the economies of developing countries continue to grow at a rapid pace, the fine balance between energy supply and demand is being increasingly thrown out of whack. This mismatch leaves the United States in an extremely vulnerable position, far too open to severe disruptions to our energy supply caused by potential terrorist threats, uprisings in unstable countries where our energy comes from and even natural disasters.

Employing state-of-the-art graphics, the environmental special portends the potentially ominous future that our world could face if alternate energy sources, and ways to produce and transport that energy, aren't pursued now. Experts project that by the year 2015, US dependency on oil imports will face major dangers beyond rising oil prices - including shortages, manipulation of resources by foreign countries for political gain, targeted terrorist attacks on our oil tankers and common oil routes, among others.

The documentary focuses on the most common fuel sources: oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, and the electrical grid, drawing upon the expertise of several prominent energy professionals, including U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.

"Future Earth: Addicted to Power" is an MSNBC original production, and was produced for MSNBC by Darlow Smithson, a leading science documentary production company based in the UK. Michael Rubin is VP, Long Form Programming, MSNBC. Scott Hooker is Senior Executive Producer, MSNBC. Tim Smith is Senior Producer for "Future Earth: Addicted to Power," MSNBC.