"Before the Flood"-An Assessment on the Harsh Reality of Climate Change

Let me start off by saying that this is not a just film review. It’s not an assessment on camera angles or on how “certain aspects could’ve made the film better.” Because “Before the Flood” is a call to action. A call to action that has been postponed by the idiocy of politics. And overall, this film has acquired good reception, but those who negate this film have stated that it is, “Another global warming warning sign, more honorable in its intentions than in having a distinct voice to ultimately make a difference”, or, “Essentially, the film, is a well crafted, well intentioned attempt to highlight a dire problem that all of its viewers will already understand.” But if this film really is “another global warming sign” or “a dire problem that all viewers will understand”, why is the movement to attenuate climate change moving at such a slow rate? The fact that this film is something that “we already understand” or may “tire us” is not a bad thing, but in fact should shame those individuals of society who have chosen to dismiss the “concept” of climate change.

Now “Before the Flood” is not just another documentary that presents an innovative look on how we can take certain precautions that’ll better the environment. No, this film has more of a darker take on climate change and that is this documentary’s strongest asset. One of the greatest lines in this film is when DiCaprio says that “Back then everyone was focused on small individual actions like changing your lightbulb. It seemed like a positive thing at the time. Now it’s pretty clear that we’re way beyond that point now.” Climate change has gotten to a point where small single innovations aren’t going to cut it anymore. Climate change is no longer a new found concept in which we create small movements and call it “innovation”. Climate change is happening now, more rapid than expected, and in order to alleviate its spread, we must choose to take on major operations to secure the future of humanity and other countless species.

One approach that astonished me was Gregory Mankiw’s “the silver bullet for climate change-carbon tax which would put a tax on any carbon put into the air which would further decrease the consumption of it”. What further astonished me after this statement was Mankiw’s approach on how we could “lower the payroll tax by increasing carbon tax”. But sadly, a known fact on why climate change initiatives has acquired slow growth is because congress is controlled by “fossil fueled climate change deniers” which results in the crestfallen truth that the likeliness of carbon tax passing through at this point is rather low. However, in order to raise awareness for climate change we must elect government officials who will choose act on this issue.

Another astonishing approach was Elon Musk’s Gigafactory which would “produce batteries for significantly less cost using economies of scale, innovative manufacturing, reduction of waste, and the simple optimization of locating most manufacturing process under one roof”. This would further transition the world to sustainable energy, and with hundred Gigafactories it is possible.

And as much as this been a report rather than a review, “Before the Flood” presents both a negative look on climate change’s detrimental nature and a hopeful look on how we can better our planet for the survival of humanity and multiple other species. With its negativities it’ll lead many to shocking realization that major movements are needed to lessen the effect of climate change and with its positives a representation of optimism is proven that we can truly better our planet if we take major steps to ensure its safety. The only question I have at this point is that will this film just be “another global warming sign” or will it truly make an impact on today’s society? And that is all truly dependent on our desire to ensure the security of future generations…