TATIANNA BURKETT Staff Writer
Leonardo DiCaprio has made a name for himself, not only in acting, but also as an environmentalist. Designated as a United Nations messenger of peace in 2014, DiCaprio has done remarkable things to learn for himself and to educate others about his focus area of climate change.
National Geographic recently released “Before the Flood,” a movie documenting his trips around the world to explore the impact that climate change is having in different parts of the globe. One of the first things addressed by the film is DiCaprio’s credibility for being the messenger of peace for climate change. He is not a scientist and many people were skeptical of him in this role.
DiCaprio himself is aware of how little he knows, but he shows he is willing to learn. The film shows him going to all parts of the world to learn about each aspect of climate change. He explored melting glaciers in Greenland, rising sea level in Miami, Florida and the Pacific Islands, the detrimental effects of inconsistent rain fall in rural India and much more.
Another aspect of this film was how much of it was based around learning the facts about climate change. It is important for this film to be relatable to common people because most don’t know the causes and effects of climate change. If change is to occur in our society, about any issue, it is vital to make that issue as easy to understand as possible.
Having this broad topic of climate change explained in a way that the mass populous can understand is critical to have people take action once they have finished watching the film. The topic that is readily forgotten is climate change deniers. For 97 percent of the scientific community, the facts are undisputed, but for many people in positions of power, climate change isn’t only unproven, but it is believed that the concept is entirely made up.
The film addresses this issue head on, not afraid of putting video clips of specific people blatantly denying climate change. A majority of these deniers are connected back to donations from huge fossil fuel companies. The film shows the viewers that the voices of doubt on climate change are coming for people who are biased and therefore, their views on the matter may not be accurate. “Before the Flood” could be considered the “Inconvenient Truth” of the 21st century. Just as Al Gore stressed the importance of taking action against climate change in the early 2000s, Leonardo DiCaprio does the same for a modern audience. “Before the Flood” is a great tool that can be used for learning about all the aspects of climate change.
