Before the Flood is about Climate Change

In Before the Flood Actor Leonardo DiCaprio meets with researchers, activists and world pioneers to
examine the threats of environmental change and conceivable arrangements. They venture to every
part of the globe to record the staggering effects of environmental change and scrutinized
humankind's capacity to reverse what might be the most disastrous issue humanity has ever
confronted. Their objective was to give people a sense of urgency and make them comprehend what
it takes to solve this problem. This 2016 documentary film was directed by Oscar-winning Fisher
Stevens. Climate change is taking place, and it is lethal but what is there to be done about it? That’ is
the concept that Before the Flood revolves around. Prominent performing artist, Leonardo DiCaprio,
put in three years imploring a wide assortment from individuals around the globe about environmental
change. His accumulation of meetings in the film cover the science, impacts, personal stakes,
governmental issues and conceivable arrangements. DiCaprio is helicoptered onto the Greenland ice
sheet, where he meets with Jason Box, a teacher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and
Greenland who has spent numerous Arctic summers checking the dependability of the ice sheet and
the route sediment from woods’ fires and the consuming of petroleum products. Box tells him about
his fear that the projections for the future seem to be extremely conservative and if the temperature
remains the way it has been in the last ten year, Greenland is going to disappear. The bad guys or
villains in this documentary are corporate interests. From republicans in TV shows and newspapers to
politicians, a large range of “villains” are introduced to show the side that doubts science and attack
climate scientists. Michael E Mann, best known for his well-known defining moment hockey stick chart
demonstrating an ongoing spike in worldwide temperatures, explains how he received excessive
criticism for advocating for this cause, even to the extent of death threats. After an outing to Beijing to
observe the exhaust cloud and address specialists about how discharging contamination information
to nationals has changed open states of mind, DiCaprio touches base in India where he faces the
basis of the conflict. Sunita Narain, executive of the Center for Science and Environment, talks about
with him how creating countries with quick rising populaces raise ways of life for all without
transmitting huge volumes of ozone depleting substances. They all admit the united states’ production
has the largest negative affect on climate change. The issue is that wind and solar power is too
expensive for everyone to switch to. Then Narain continues to basically roast the united states stating
that all countries, even china, are making positive changes for a better tomorrow while the US is still
selfish enjoying today. This is unfair keeping in mind that the US is much more equipped to handle
the expensive switch of energy than say a less developed nation like India or countries in Africa.
Through diversity, and shocking effects he conveys that lifestyle choices are damaging carbon-
absorbing habitats and that we should Boycott companies which use palm oil to make their products.
Gidon Eshel, a professor of environmental science and physics at Bard College in New York, tells him
that beef is 10 times more damaging to the environment than other livestock. Then he makes it back
to the united states where he visits Elon musk, founder of Tesla. Musk tells him gig factories will
transform the world to sustainable energy and the only way to make the transformation in time is to
implement the carbon tax. DiCaprio continues with Barack Obama who shares real fears with him for
the future based on the world population’s current actions. He explains the scarcity of nonrenewable
resources, the overpopulation, the effect on the marine ecosystem and how it is a national security
issue. Then DiCaprio meets Piers Sellers, British astronaut, who when not in space spent his life
creating the climate system at NASA’s flight center. He says when in space one can see the poles
melting and that once Greenland disappears the heat will not continue to be distributed properly and
countries will freeze, not to mention an increase in droughts and dust bowls. Unlike most
documentaries on climate change, this one was very captivating and relevant. It offered crucial and
current information with a bit of hope sprinkled on top. It may not have offered any new information
that the public doesn’t already know, but it presented it in new way to make the most unapathetic
citizens care. It was clear that a lot of time, research, effort and passion went into the making of this
film and that is why it is so authentic. DiCaprio even addresses the large carbon footprint that he
himself has left on the planet, admitting that he sometimes questions the morality of what he’s doing,
which made the message more inclusive to connect with the average person. But Before the Flood
isn’t simply interested in showing how terrible everything is. It also does a fantastic job of highlighting
solutions, both short-term and long-term. When asked if a president who doesn’t believe in climate
change could undo the policies he’s already put in place, President Obama says the truth has a way
of catching up with you. The fact that he is able to get such a recognized individual such as Obama to
speak on a controversial issue like climate change, and what’s more even concedes how he was to
wrong. This adds to the documentary’s power as Obama and other renowned people like Elon Musk
are endorsing what scientists have been trying to preach since the beginning of this decade. Indeed,
the film points out that public opinion tends to sway political opinion. Thus, the future is in the hands
of the people. Before the Flood is very much an educational and advocacy documentary. It’s quick yet
powerful portrayal of what’s happening to the world we live in, what’s going to happen to the world we
live in, and what we can do to prevent the worst possible outcome. Leonardo interviews many people
from very different backgrounds and beliefs. This accomplishes the goal of conveying that we are all
in this together and in the future differences won’t matter when we are all struggling for our lives. Its
weakness is that DiCaprio seems to place all bets on technology to minimize greenhouse gas
emissions and doesn’t put enough pressure on the public to take personal actions as a global effort.
Additionally, rather than being inspirational at times, it seemed daunting like a heavy burden on all of
humanity. Although the objective is to wake people up and encourage them to change their behavior,
it was a bit overwhelming and would make the average person give up before they even try. This is
mainly not the documentary’s fault as much as it is humanity. If we as a society wouldn’t have let it
get this far, it wouldn’t seem so bad, but the film was very real and showed no effort to hide the
horrors of climate change. I give it an A- because it was very awakening and effective but had a few
flaws. Climate change is real, and it’s scary. Our first line of defense in combating this issue is an
informed public. And while a feature film couldn’t possibly encompass everything to cover on the
subject, Before the Flood serves as a significant piece of education that will hopefully spur people to
make changes in their mentalities and behavior. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll incite some action. As
presented in the documentary, this is a global challenge that all must contribute to. Time is running
out; the ice is melting, the earth is warming, the sea level is rising, and those are the facts.

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