5 documentaries to convince that one climate change denier relative

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Everyone will encounter at least one climate change sceptic in their lifetime. Here are five documentaries (that are not "An Inconvenient Truth") that will help you convince them otherwise.

5. Chasing Coral

Coral reefs, being the incredibly complex and sophisticated ecosystems that they are, play a key role in the livelihoods of millions of species — including humans. However, because of climate change and warming waters, corals are dying in a never before seen speed. 

Chasing Coral follows divers, photographers and scientists in their quest to understand and capture the unprecedented speed coral reefs are disappearing from our oceans. It provides a meta-narrative by making the people who produce the documentary a part of it.

The passion of the people involved is incredibly apparent and the documentary displays the urgency of the situation in a very approachable way. You (or the said climate change denier) will be left a little teary-eyed but also determined to do something about climate change.

If you have a subscription, or somehow logged into your old roommate's cousins handyman's account like the rest of us, you can watch Chasing Coral on Netflix

 4. To the Ends of the Earth

To the Ends of the Earth chronicles the rise of extreme energy. The documentary is not only a detailed telling of the economic costs of intensive energy production, but it also displays the negative consequences of this production on people and wildlife.

The documentary is a good reminder of the numerous ways we rely on energy in our daily lives and what this reliance means for the planet and its inhabitants. It shows the audience the true cost of extreme energy not just economically, which is astronomical, but also in the environmental and the human contexts.

To the Ends of the Eart is a call to action to reshape our society at the end of the fossil fuel era.

3. Before The Flood

Leonardo Dicaprio isn't just the 90's heartthrob we want to remember him as but also an avid climate change activist. Before the Flood follows Dicaprio as the travels around the globe and meets with various experts scientist to explore the effects of climate change all over the world.

By travelling to places such as ancient melting glaciers and deteriorating Indonesian tropical forests, Dicaprio shows us the emergency of the problem and the impending environmental disaster we're faced with.

The documentary not only displays the catastrophic damage we are inflicting on the planet that can eventually make it inhabitable for humans but also explores the ways in which we, as a society, can prevent the demise of the earth as we know it.

2. Chasing Ice

Nature photographer and the narrator of Chasing Ice, James Balog, himself used to be a sceptic about the effects of climate change. However, as he travelled the world and saw it with his own eyes, he quickly realised climate change's devastating effects.

The documentary follows him and his team at Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) in their journey Iceland, Alaska and Greenland to document and collect data on the extreme effect global warming has had on these regions' glaciers.

1. The Age of Consequences

The Age of Consequences is not your usual climate change documentary. Leaving cute sea turtles and starving polar bears aside, the documentary investigates the effects of climate change through the lens of global stability and security. 

The documentary looks at the devastating impacts of climate-related disasters like drought, food shortage and extreme on people and communities. By taking us through the European refugee crisis, the conflict in Syria, and the rise of radicalized groups like ISIS through the lens of climate change, The Age of Consequences demonstrates how climate change isn't just destructive for the environment but it is also a catalysis for societal tensions and conflict. 

More about: climate change / Documentary

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