Kerby Anderson

Although few Americans hear much from various international climate change conferences, many more are likely to see documentaries warning about climate change. The latest is the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary, “Before the Flood.” He is, after all, perhaps the most visible face these days pushing for action on man-made global warming. Nicholas Loris appears briefly in the film, and decided to provide some perspective after seeing how the current science and political debate were portrayed in the film. One problem he has with the film and its message can be summed up as “lifestyle change for thee, but not for me.” During a moment of self-reflection in the film, Leonardo DiCaprio admits that his carbon footprint “is probably bigger than most people’s.” Actually, there is no probably in that statement. He (and other actors and many environmental activists) fly around on private jets and live in houses many times larger than the houses the rest of us have. But that doesn’t stop activists interviewed in the film from emphasizing how all of us must change our lifestyle to reduce global warming. Another concern can be summarized by the oft-repeated phrases: “the science is settled” or “97 percent of climate scientists agree.” Nicholas Loris explains why the phrase is a false talking point and reminds us that our climate data show no trend for extreme weather events. Perhaps unintentionally, the documentary actually shows how energy impoverished the developing world is. “DiCaprio says when speaking to a women in New Delhi that the number of people without electricity in India is equivalent to the entire population of the United States.” The documentary seems to be telling these poor people that they must stay at this level and not develop energy resources. The film, like much of the climate change debate, is full of hype but sometimes lacking in substance.