Climate change has become the most pressing concern for every individual on earth. Yet, most of us aren’t fully aware of the repercussions that are on their way to affect us all. However, several activists, artists and filmmakers have joined hands with environmentalists to bring climate change in the limelight and instigate change through these must-watch documentaries.
We all know that global warming is on the rise, glaciers are melting, natural resources are depleting at an alarming rate, oceans are highly polluted and animals who are an important part of our ecosystem are dying. A large section of our wildlife is on the verge of extinction and the world isn’t getting any better.
This is where documentaries on climate change shine like a beacon to heed the warning signs and salvage what we can from our planet.
These 5 documentaries will urge us all to do our bit to give it back to the world collectively and care for it as best as we can. Not to mention, they’re captivating and interesting to watch too!
For your convenience, I’ve included trailers/promotions for the documentaries listed so you can watch a trailer instead of reading my summary (if that’s what you prefer).
With that being said, let’s dive in!
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
This Oscar-winning documentary takes an essay and transforms it into confrontational cinema. It features Al Gore, who is the former presidential candidate alongside several movie stars who together explain how the human race has created a gigantic mess on earth.
Al Gore presents the film via a slideshow, making scientific data easy to understand. Because it’s presented with such simplicity, the consequences highlighted become all the more frightening.
‘An Inconvenient Truth’ is more than two men making a powerpoint presentation. They talk about environmental issues that are bigger than all of us combined. The fate of the world is every bit as colossal as this documentary implies and its high time that we sit up and take note.
Cool It (2010)
Shot by an exceptionally talented documentarian, Ondi Timoner gives Cool It everything she’s got. ‘Cool It’ may not be the ideal film on climate change, but it’s an important one nonetheless. It encapsulates beliefs that revolve around being optimistic and innovative all the while stressing less on fearmongering that she believes can help reverse the effects of climate change. While this may no longer be the reality of our situation, it doesn’t mean that ‘Cool It’ is any less relevant.
In fact, the sheer hope and confidence that Swedish environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg has is inspiring. It’s important to come to terms with the doom and gloom that’ll befall us humans but Lomborg’s faith is still invigorating. His ideas on ways to create alternative and clean energies like ground source heat pumps are worthy of consideration.
His words are to be heeded and necessary actions have to be taken to restore what we can in the environment.
Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul (2010)
This documentary by Sebastian Copeland seeks to capture the transient beauty of nature before it succumbs to the dire effects of climate change. ‘Into the Cold’ records the acutely distressing journey of Copeland alongside Keith Heger as they march overland to the North Pole. It is to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Admiral Robert Peary’s memorable effort in 1909.
In the last hundred years, only 150 people have embarked upon the journey to recreate Peary’s pursuit and for good reason – it’s just way too hard! The last four-hundred miles have to be covered on foot amidst snowdrift and ice. But this is near impossible to do as the very layout and foundation of the land has been melting away fast and the change is irreversible.
‘Into the Cold’ is an intricate documentary that uncompromisingly shows the present-day serious effects of climate change. Moreover, it’s haunting to see Copeland and Heger be more than aware that they may perhaps be the last people ever to undertake such an expedition where the land they’re supposed to walk on is melting away.
Before The Flood – (2016)
We’ve all heard how passionate Leonardo DiCaprio is about the environment and in this documentary, we get to see it firsthand. He’s been advocating climate change relief for quite some time now and cautions everyone to safeguard what’s left of the natural world. We can see Leo engaging with scientists and activists all over the world to understand what truly is at stake with climate change. The answer – EVERYTHING!
The documentary is directed with sheer bluntness that makes the point heard loud and clear. The wheels of climate change have been in motion for quite some time and now it is perhaps too late to hit the brakes. The film doesn’t come across as a warning bell but rather a stark declaration of the obvious and inevitable ecological wreckage.
Note: You can watch the full version of this movie on Youtube.
The Expedition to the End Of the World (2013)
In this documentary, we’ll see how Daniel Dencik seeks adventure in the environmental turmoil in a captivating manner. The ‘Expedition to the End of the World’ is his chef-d’oeuvre, a documentary rife with entertaining scattershot moments portraying the absurd experiences of Danish scientists and artists aboard a three-masted schooner, sailing away to Greenland.
Why this documentary rings true with the whole climate change issue you ask! It couldn’t have been made if there was no global warming. Melted glaciers paved way for new passageways for the ship and the simplicity of the film lies in the fact that ‘Expedition to the End of the World’ is a painstaking and unnerving experience.
These documentaries are bound to make an impact and at the same time knock some sense into us. Climate change isn’t something that concerns just environmentalists. It concerns every single one of us which is why it’s important for us to do our bit and do everything in our power to save the world
Disclaimer: This post was kindly sponsored by JL Phillips.
