Documentaries that tackle global warming, biodiversity loss, and other hard-hitting climate realities are becoming increasingly popular, in part thanks to a growing consciousness about the state of the planet. These docs, which include pioneering films such as An Inconvenient Truth as well as newer titles like Seaspiracy, strive to show the benefits of (at the very least) experimenting with a more Earth-friendly lifestyle.
Most of the time these documentaries tell a compelling story through the lens of the climate crisis, sustainability, or the food system. Since these issues are often interconnected, a well-executed documentary will typically address more than one, and even show how they are intertwined.
For example, a documentary called Meat Me Halfway examines the climate crisis and how it will worsen if people do nothing to lessen its effects. For producer Brian Kateman, part of the solution lies in getting consumers to make changes to their diets (even incremental ones) in order to cause less damage to the environment and our planet.
Although it might not seem like much, cutting back on your meat intake just a little can have a profound impact, especially over time. In fact, a study published in the journal Science in 2018 found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 percent. Additionally, the study found that if everyone stopped eating these foods, global farmland use could be reduced by 75 percent.
Another stellar documentary, Gunda, follows a pig of the same name who lives on a Norwegian farm with her piglets. The black-and-white doc has no words or dialogue. Instead, viewers are given an up-close and personal look at Gunda’s daily life and can see firsthand that she (and her fellow farm dwellers) are beings worthy of kindness, compassion, and a full life.
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