Documentaries on climate change to watch on the world environment day

In this World Environment Day, where we are coming across various alarming news of Antarctica's snows turning green, coral bleaching, wildfire, climbing temperatures along with many other natural disasters or calamities as results of climate change, some people are still in denial and tagging climate change to be a hoax while this pressing matter still remains unfathomable to many. Here are some thought-provoking documentaries that can expand our knowledge on climate change and its impact to help us comprehend our duties.

Home (2009)

This steller documentary, shot in an aerial view in different locations from 54 countries is a compelling documentary to learn about the elements of the earth, codependency and the process of these all existing simultaneously in a cycle with great narration and amazing cinematography which are complementary to each other. Statements like "The engine of life is linkage, everything is linked and nothing is self-sufficient" aptly sums up the gist of the documentary by making us wonder how earth offers and provides so much to Homo sapiens to survive and thrive like no other species. It discusses the radical changes we have brought by exploiting natural resources along with how we have compromised and disrupted the climactic balance and then emphasizes on how solidarity among people and harmony between human and nature can reverse this horrifying change. The documentary leaves these thoughts dwelling in our minds long after it ends. It reminds us once again the world is our home and we need to become responsible in saving our habitat.

Chasing Ice (2012)

A riveting documentary on how a nature photographer James Bulog's belief that "the story is in the ice" made him track the disappearance of Arctic glaciers in 6 months difference and through this glacier calving event, he acknowledges the tension between the huge enduring power of glaciers and the fragility and vulnerability of them; even though they came from a great impassive place, they are now subjects to eventual decay and erosion due to global warming. This documentary addresses the threat of the extinction of wildlife; how with the ice melting and sea surface rising, we are losing species after species that are essential for biodiversity and ecological balance. The footages from the time-lapse camera recording drastic receding glaciers and snows provide apparent contrast showing the changes in the landscape that indicates to the immediacy of climate change and the urgency to respond to this climate emergence. This Extreme Ice Survey does not let us turn a blind eye to the global warming issue.

Before The Flood (2016)

This gripping and informative documentary talks about how the greenhouse effect is changing our atmosphere for the worse by increasing the temperature and bringing extreme changes in the patterns of the weather where we are decimating the ecosystem. The documentary takes us on a journey with Leonardo DiCaprio where he tries to find out how much damage we have done and if there is any way to stop it. He urges us to think of the opportunities we have lost by asking us to imagine the world right now if we had taken the science of climate change seriously back then. The documentary also recommends some solutions to grapple climate change which is as real as it gets. The speech given by U.N. Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio at the end becomes more meaningful as he calls for collective action from the world to save the earth. It is high time we took necessary initiatives to amend our ways of living as it truly is up to all of us!

Other equally commendable documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth (2006), The 11th Hour (2007), Chasing Coral (2017), Ice on Fire (2019) etc. can also work as a headstart for you in starting watching documentaries on climate change to have an in-depth understanding of this gravely serious phenomenon.