When two astrophysicists discover that a comet is heading straight for Earth, poised to wipe out humanity, they encounter inaction, denial and sarcasm from politicians, the media and the general public alike. they try to alert. This scenario of the film Don’t Look Up. Cosmic denial, directed by Adam McKay and released on Netflix on December 24, is a barely disguised story the inability of political leaders, but also of populations, to react to the height of the global warming catastrophe, despite long-standing scientific warnings.
American climatologist Michael E. Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Pennsylvania, has inspired one of the main characters of the film, the astronomer played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Author of The New Climate War (“The New Climate War,” PublicAffairs, 2021, untranslated) Michael E. Mann explains why society underestimates the severity of the climate crisis.
What are the similarities between the movie “Don’t Look Up” and our reaction to climate peril?
This film is undoubtedly a powerful metaphor for the ongoing climate crisis. It is a serious socio-political commentary, which presents itself as a comedy. It deals with how overwhelming evidence of a scientific threat is ignored for political and ideological reasons. It discusses how powerful, profit-driven lobbies block action when it does not suit their interests and promote so-called bogus solutions that they can personally benefit from. It’s the same when Republican Party-backed fossil fuel companies choose to ignore compelling scientific evidence of man-made climate change.
In The New Climate War, I’m talking about tech billionaires, like Bill Gates, who promote technological solutions (carbon capture, next-generation nuclear reactors, etc.), some of which are potentially dangerous, like geoengineering, in which they invest and, therefore, from which they will benefit individually, while minimizing the role of existing solutions (for example, climate policies that encourage renewable energies).
How do you get the message across? Should scientists be more involved?
Scientists have a responsibility to educate the public about climate change – even if that doesn’t mean that we should be promoting specific policies or that all scientists should be involved in raising public awareness. If we do not play this role, we are leaving a void which will be filled by special interests and their representatives. But people resist messages and realities they don’t want to hear. Since we can’t barge in through the front door, humor and satire provide a side door – which the movie does.
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