Last night, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before The Flood on climate change premiered on National Geographic. And it was amazing. It wasn’t like most documentaries, which tend to be independent films, because Leo obviously has money and connections. It was one of the best documentaries that I’ve seen.
Over the past few years, DiCaprio has traveled all over the world to get a grasp on climate change. He went to places like the Arctic Circle, India and China to speak with experts on the issue in those regions. He spoke at a United Nations conference on the matter; He urged everyone to switch to sustainable energy methods because the planet will not survive if the human race continues its energy consumption habits.
He even visited Miami, which is one of the first places to be affected by rising sea levels. We can already see the effects by the flooding issues in Miami Beach. Miami is a sinking city and millions of tax dollars are being spent to raise the streets of South Beach and implement pumps just to prolong being submerged for 40 – 50 years.
I had chills for the majority of the movie. The images of huge glaciers crashing down into the arctic water, a birds-eye view of an entire forest wiped out, and huge industrial sites that destroy the surrounding land were bone numbing.
Having taken an environmental science class in the past, I gained an interest in climate change and already knew about some of the issues discussed in the film, which may be some of the reason why I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, between the compelling topic and the attention-grabbing production, I do think this is a film that anyone would like.
On Oct. 4, there was an advanced screening of Before the Flood at the Cosford Cinema, which I was lucky enough to be able to attend. Before showing the film, Fisher Stevens and Mark Ruffalo spoke to the overflowing on-campus theater. They mentioned that before coming up with the name Before the Flood, DiCaprio wanted to entitle it “Are We F***ed?” because that is truly how we felt on the current environmental situation. Toward the end of the film, he becomes more optimistic that there is hope to save the planet, but our habits needed to change, like, yesterday. DiCaprio himself graced our campus with his presence and made an appearance after the screening for a Q&A.
I urge everyone to watch this film. The only way climate change is going to be reversed is if the entire population understands how threatening this issue is to the human race. If you missed the premiere, you can watch it here.
The film’s carbon footprint was offset by paying a voluntary carbon tax, which will go toward protecting critical rainforests.
Lizzie is a junior double majoring in media management and french. She is currently the Travel Editor for distractionmagazine.com, and writes for the print magazine as well. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Lizzie loves working out, going to concerts, traveling and of course, writing.
words and photos_lizzie wilcox.