Educational Media Reviews Online

Greenhouse Gases consists of eight short segments exploring scientific aspects of global warming and the delicate balance of our ecosystem. Each segment is accompanied by a voiceover track and computer model animations to convey a rudimentary understanding of topics such as the greenhouse effect, species extinction, the interrelation of the earth's spheres (i.e. biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere), and the carbon cycle. The production is a part of the Planet Under Pressure series.

The presentation of this material is dry and disjointed. Individual segments end abruptly and there is little sense of cohesion throughout the program. Two of the segments are even mislabeled - the explanation of fast and slow carbon cycles was inverted on the tape that was submitted for review. Occasionally key concepts are presented alongside cluttered animations, detracting from what could have been a useful, concise explanation of scientific processes. Several animations are repeated. This creates an uneven effect where several key topics are explained a bit too thoroughly and others receive a passing mention.

There are several moments when the narrator links the concepts he is presenting to the overarching concerns of environmental scientists. He speaks of the atmosphere as an inheritance that humans must care for and warns of the dangerous effects of human tampering on carbon cycles. In lieu of these broad statements, further exploration and synthesis of these ideas might have provided a conclusion that is lacking here. There is good amount of information contained in this program which might be useful for those teaching the basics about the environment and geology; unfortunately its presentation lacks the organization and clarity that science-related topics especially require.