8 must-see global warming documentaries to learn about climate change

Learn more about the causes and effects of climate change through one of these global warming documentaries. You can also screen or share them with friends or colleagues to raise awareness and inspire people to act. 

1. Chasing Ice – Best global warming documentary

A National Geographic photographer installs time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers across the Arctic. The images are beautiful and the photographer’s personal commitment to raising awareness about climate change is inspiring https://chasingice.com (75min).

2. This changes everything

Inspired by the best-selling book of Naomi Klein, this sustainability documentary portrays seven communities on the front lines in the fight against the fossil fuel industry. In this way, the film illustrates the shift in climate change activism towards civil disobedience and direct action https://thefilm.thischangeseverything.org (89min).

3. Before the flood

This National Geographic Documentary features Leonardo DiCaprio’s journey to five continents and the Arctic. You witness climate change first-hand and meet people who are taking action against it. This is one of the best global warming documentaries to refresh the basics of climate change www.beforetheflood.com (96min).

4. Six degrees could change the world

This global warming documentary is inspired by the book Six Degrees by Mark Lynas. The film shares the latest scientific findings on climate change and shows the effects that each degree in temperature increase has on the world. 

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5. The Day after Tomorrow

The Day after Tomorrow is a movie on global warming, rather than a documentary. We’ve included it in this list since it portrays the effects of abrupt climate change. Abrupt climate change describes an event when temperatures change rapidly within a few years or decades.

6. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Al Gore’s first film An Inconvenient Truth shocked the world in 2006. Eleven years later, Al Gore and colleagues are back with a sequel. This global warming documentary looks back on the progress made to address climate change over the last decade. The film also zooms into Al Gore’s role in convincing governmental leaders to act on climate change and sign the 2016 Paris Agreement (96 min).

7. Disobedience – An inspiring documentary on global warming

Disobedience follows people around the world who are standing up to the fossil fuel industry. This documentary about global warming portrays the next phase of the climate justice movement: Non-violent civil disobedience is becoming the new normal. You can watch it for free on YouTube http://watchdisobedience.com/ (40min).

8. The Age of Consequences

This movie looks at the effects of global warming through the lens of national security and global stability. The global warming documentary interviews multiple admirals, generals, security experts and military veterans, on their perspectives of how climate change intensifies social tensions and conflict. http://theageofconsequences.com/ (80min).

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