Even though it’s almost eight years old, “Before the Flood” is worth watching for people who don’t know a lot about climate change because it paints a vivid and urgent picture of the crisis in a way that’s easy to understand. But for people who are more aware of the issue, this film will seem outdated.
The 2016 film, directed by Fisher Steve and featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, shows the causes and effects of climate change and suggests solutions. DiCaprio travels to different places around the world so we can see the effects on the planet and also talks to people in power about what needs to be done. In one part, DiCaprio went to Antarctica and witnessed polar ice melting. It was amazing and scary to watch the ice breaking apart and falling into the sea.
The film made it pretty clear that climate change is here thanks to human actions, actions like using fossil fuels that release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. If we don’t alter our consumption and emission paths, the earth will no longer be able to sustain life as we know it.
In one of my favorite scenes DiCaprio, who was named a United Nations (UN) Messenger of Peace, with a focus on climate change, was speaking to the UN about climate change. He said how he was not as educated as some, but that he was learning more and more and doing what he could. And I think that that’s the most important point that this documentary makes; the power of awareness and education to fight climate change.
Before the film started I was questioning if they were going to give us things to do to help stop climate change. And they did. DiCaprio talked about sustainable energy and changing our diets to be more plant-based. And doing something so little, like eating less meat, can do so much for the earth.
Even though it’s an old film, it’s a great way to start educating yourself on climate change. It will make you want to do something, even it’s something small, like not buying single use water bottles and using a reusable water bottle instead.
But remember that “Before the Flood” should just be an introduction. Everyone should watch more recent films to learn about how things have gotten worse in some ways and also how public opinion has changed, especially because younger people are demanding action.
