Climate Change in Popular Culture

This is just my idea for an experimental page!

I recently saw a movie at Ciné called Beasts of the Southern Wild, and I couldn't help but think that it was tangentially related to this class. The movie takes place in post-natural disaster world where (we assume) climate change has caused ocean levels to rise and tropical storms to rage through the southeast. It's a story of the human aspect of climate change - in particular, how these southern people "acclimated" to this new environment. I highly recommend it!

Dr. Wares mentioned in class that Matt Damon is producing a new movie about Fracking in the Midwest It is believed that Fracking is leading to earthquakes and exposing harmful pollutants. NPR is running a special series about Fracking and it includes possible health effects the people who live in these areas are experiencing. You can read more about this here.

• Fracking is the creation of cracks or fissures in a rock layer typically caused by the injection of high pressure water into the rock. It is used to extract natural gases from the rock.

I also heard a story on NPR over the weekend about how neither of the presidential candidates is speaking about cleaning up the environment, as they normally do. Instead they are both talking about the economic effects of environmental regulations. You can find that story here.

The Day After Tomorrow is a science fiction movie concerned with global climate change although in this case, it is about the consequences of decreased temperatures. It shows how climate change can lead to an increase in natural disasters, as well.

The Island President is a documentary that follows former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed as he tries to shed light on the dangers climate change poses to his island country. Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean located just south of India. The island stands just 1.5 meters (4 ft. 11 in.) above sea level, making it the lowest country in the world. The island's low elevation make it highly susceptible to rising sea levels that may result from climate change.

Soylent Green is a Dystopian Science Fiction movie from 1973 about a future where global warming has devastated the planet. The film might seem a bit odd now seeing as it takes place in 2022, but the same could be said for many other Science Fiction movies taking place in a near future.

There was also this movie, which is best not mentioned...