Tired of global warming doom and gloom? Here is something new
from Hollywood's king of green, Leonardo DiCaprio: there is hope
for a brighter future.
Environmental activist DiCaprio's documentary The 11th Hour opens
in theatres on Friday, and although the film starts with a bleak
outlook on issues like global warming, much of the roughly
90-minute movie suggests ways to heal the environment with human,
government and corporate action.
"It would have been pretty easy to make a film completely about
doomsday scenarios, but people need to leave the theater and feel
like they are somewhat responsible and make the simple choice to be
active in the movement," DiCaprio said.
Kenny Ausubel, a founder of environmental group Bioneers and an
expert tapped for 11th Hour is a bit more pointed.
"To leave people (with a doomsday view), would be like, 'What do I
do now, go home and shoot myself?'" he said.
"The solutions are here. We already know what to do in most
cases and even when we don't, we know what directions to head
in."
The 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which told of former US
Vice President Al Gore's nearly 20-year struggle to fight global
warming, captured widespread attention and earned two Oscars.
DiCaprio, Ausubel and the 11th Hour directors, sisters Leila
Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners, credit Inconvenient Truth for
helping open the minds of many individuals, government and business
leaders who had scoffed at the idea of global warming.
Even US President George Bush, who has resisted many environmental
initiatives, recently called on industrialized nations to develop a
plan for reducing carbon emissions that lead to climate
change.
The film's makers hope the debate on global warming will
increasingly focus on solutions.
"We wanted to build bridges," Conners Petersen said.
DiCaprio, who produced the film, acts as narrator asking questions,
which are answered by experts ranging from physicist Stephen
Hawking to former Soviet Union Prime Minister Mikhail
Gorbachev.
The 32-year-old star of Titanic said his concern for the
environment dates to his childhood and watching documentaries about
the destruction of rain forests and wildlife habitats.
As an adult, he learned about global warming, filmed a TV
special on climate change, grew frustrated with political bickering
and ramped up his activism.
He lives in a solar-powered house and drives a hybrid car.
He knows many people cannot afford those items and said buying
low-energy lightbulbs and appliances are two inexpensive ways to
help reduce carbon emissions.
A no-cost way is to support environmentally conscious politicians,
the actor said.
