Educational Media Reviews Online

Alarmed by the United States’ apparent apathy towards the issue of global warming, a group of activists set off across the country to stimulate interest and action. If the responses were not so troubling, they would be humorous. This work begins by exhibiting the misguided responses when asked about global warming, confirming the activists’ feeling of U.S. disregard.

This outstanding documentary examines the knowledge gap in the U.S. between what scientists know and public understanding. The filmmakers sought out those who are actively closing that gap, and were pleased to witness the progress of education, media exposure, and awareness, but were discouraged by the overall lack of global response.

A distinct feature of this work is its putting forth of milestones in the history of the topic of global warming. The audience sees the issue’s political track record, and interviews with many experts on global warming. This documentary does an interesting job in examining the reception of the movie The Day After Tomorrow and the consequences of the treatment of this topic as entertainment. Thought the film indeed heightened awareness to some degree, the hyperbolic presentation of weather events may have hurt the cause. As a deviation from the topic of awareness of global warming, the filmmakers travelled to places where global warming is evident, presenting evidence of melting permafrost among other phenomena.

Everything’s Cool then puts forth the series of events leading to whistleblower Rick Piltz, former member of the George W. Bush administration going public regarding cover-ups and misinformation. Skeptics accuse global warming alarmists of advancing their agenda and claim that these scientists have no “smoking gun” linking global warming to any human activity. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, however, the media increased its coverage of global warming’s suspected involvement, leading to a genuine public interest in scientific data on global warming.

This is a truly revealing film, giving substantive examination of the lukewarm reception to an issue that calls for personal changes and sacrifices. It is filled with detailed information, presented with a quick pace and upbeat tone. This film is highly recommended due to its timely and cogent content and presentation.