5 'Must See' Climate Change Documentaries to Watch in 2018

The whole world has woken to the stark reality that faces humanity and all other living beings on this planet. Climate change is no longer a myth to most of us, it’s a reality that we must all band together to face, with the Paris agreement encapsulating humanity’s resolve to confront this impending menace and avoid its worst possible consequences.

It hasn’t always been like this though, just over a decade ago, we were bitterly divided over the reality of climate change, but the turning point in the battle of ideas was soon to come with the release of the iconic “An Inconvenient truth” by Al Gore, a movie that would change the momentum of the debate. It was to shock us as a people to the horrible reality of the neglect of our responsibilities to this planet and to all those that live on it. Since then, there have been many releases of other climate change-themed movies or documentaries, and in this piece we want to go over a few of the most striking ones you 'Must See' in 2018.

The Island President

While most of us lived in blissful ignorance for years, there are parts of the world where the effects of climate change is neither an apocalyptic movie or a lone scientist trying to rouse humanity to its dangers. For them it’s a reality they only wished wasn’t true. For the lowest lying country in the world, the Maldives signs have been all over the place for years, of the dark times climate change was bringing. The country is facing the risk of being totally submerged by the oceans as sea levels rise. In the heart touching documentary, the President of the Island Mohammad Nasheed makes the case clear to the world of the danger we are all exposing him and his people to. The Maldives, if immediate steps were not taken he stresses, will eventually be literally wiped off the map of the earth, a horrendous predicament for any leader who cares about the welfare of his people to deal with.

Chasing Ice

For very long climate change deniers have dictated the debate and drove the narrative that nothing is wrong with our planet, and that nothing needs to change. And for many of such deniers, chasing ice was a huge blow they would never recover from. The documentary follows James Balog who himself is a skeptic when it comes to belief in climate change, to the arctic ice caps of Greenland, Alaska and Iceland. As he accompanies scientists who are trying to keep a record of the effects of the world’s rising temperatures. In a captivating photographic journey, Balog himself began to see the foolhardiness of his belief as the harsh realities are revealed on this breathtaking journey. While we live thousands of miles away oblivious of the immediate and terrible effects of climate change, the polar ice caps keep disintegrating at very alarming rates, This was a documentary that showed first hand we’re only deniers till harsh reality strikes hard. The cinematography of this movie is stunning to say the very least.

Before the Flood

Lined up as one of the biggest releases since Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”, this movies documentary is surely not lacking in star power as Leonardo Di Caprio goes on an interview spree of some of the movers and shakers whose decisions matter when it comes to actual decisions that can be taken in order to curtail climate change. The star studded documentary interviews among others the then President of the United States to discuss the present state of affairs and explore what the future might bring. Obama who praised the Paris Agreement for being one of the first things to bring all of humanity to consensus on a single matter, expressed optimism that new technologies in the coming decades will go a long way in combating the climate change problem. Shot at a time when the US elections were heating up, Di Caprio asks Obama what the dangers might be if a climate change denier or skeptic became President (without mentioning any names of course), with Obama expressing optimism that the reality is too vivid for anyone to ignore. The movie just one of Di Caprio’s climate change related ventures, gives us a closer look into the minds of world leaders and what they make of the challenge and what they are actually doing to keep us safe.

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change

The long title of this documentary might look tiring, but the content of the movie itself is far from being boring. Josh Fox whose "Gasland" has been critically acclaimed for closely examining the deadly effects of the oil fracking industry, makes another foray in the environmental protection genre with this very thoughtful piece. In the documentary, the Oscar nominated creator explores the damaging effects that are already manifesting as a result of rising temperatures around the world. The documentary moves from the Amazon to the smog filled cities of China, to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy. From the beginning to end, we are once again woken to the very harsh consequences that climate change will have on us whenever our turn comes to bear the brunt

A Beautiful Planet

When NASA and IMAX teams up on a project, you are surely in for a spectacle. This amazing documentary narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, takes us on a breathtaking journey as the earth is filmed from space. This documentary will show the earth in all its natural glory of beauty and innocence, as it is scarred at many parts with our devastating habits over time. This magnificent documentary is surely to leave you in awe of our beautiful blue planet, as humanity tries to rescue it from ourselves.

With 2018 right around the corner be sure to check out these amazing climate change films! Why not make a New Year's Resolution to reduce your environmental impact on this beautiful place we all call home? For more info related to reducing your carbon footprint be sure to subscribe to our email list, or get the latest news on our blog here.