Climate change is one of the most severe crises facing the world today. According to expert organizations like the UN, NASA and the WHO, climate change is worsening natural disasters, contributing to human health emergencies, damaging economies and much more. If greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, the world will become an increasingly hostile and inhabitable place. Movies are a good way to learn more about the science and effects of climate change, but they’re also a powerful tool for capturing human thoughts and feelings about climate change. Here are 15 movies about the topic:
| # | Films |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ice on Fire |
| 2 | Thank You For the Rain |
| 3 | Merchants of Doubt |
| 4 | The Island President |
| 5 | How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change |
| 6 | Gasland II |
| 7 | This Changes Everything |
| 8 | Don’t Look Up |
| 9 | Burning |
| 10 | All That Breathes |
| 11 | Utama |
| 12 | The Day After Tomorrow |
| 13 | Snowpiercer |
| 14 | First Reformed |
| 15 | Beasts of the Southern Wild |
Streaming availability is subject to change.
#1. Ice on Fire (2019)
Leila Conners
Produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, this film examines the devastation of climate change around the world. It also looks at arctic methane release, a lesser-known driver of climate change. New technologies could help sequester carbon from the atmosphere, which the film covers. Scientists contribute their thoughts, as do people most affected by the effects of climate change.
Availability (United States): Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Max, Hulu
#2. Thank You For the Rain (2017)
Julia Dahr and Kisilu Musya
This collaborative film follows Kisilu Mysua, a farmer who begins filming his family’s life, his village and the effects of climate change on their lives. A violent storm ends up connecting him to Julia Dahr, a Norwegian filmmaker, and for five years, the film follows him turning into a community leader and global climate change activist at the UN Climate Talks in Paris. The film, which explores themes like climate justice, climate refugees, education, gender equality and more won numerous awards.
Availability (United States): Amazon, DocAlliance Films, OVID
#3. Merchants of Doubt (2014)
Robert Kenner
Based on the 2010 book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, “Merchants of Doubt” exposes how the public relations strategies developed by the tobacco industry are now deployed by fossil fuel companies. Hiring scientists who cast doubt on the science of climate change is arguably the most effective tactic. The film uses performances and commentary from Jamy Ian Swiss, a professional magician, to highlight the similarities between magic and fossil fuel company PR.
Availability (United States): Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu
#4. The Island President (2011)
Jon Shenk
The Maldives is the lowest country in the world. This puts it at a unique risk of climate change and rising sea levels. “The Island President” follows Mohamed Nasheed, a journalist, activist and now-former president of the Maldives. He was elected president in the country’s first free presidential election. He soon became known for speaking out about climate change’s effects on the Maldives and the world at large.
Availability (United States): Amazon Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Apple TV
#5. How To Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change (2016)
Josh Fox
After realizing he won’t find the answers to climate change at home, director Josh Fox travels to 12 countries to examine climate change, its consequences and what other communities already facing the worst effects of climate change are doing. The film is a powerful mix of grim realism and inspiring action.
Availability (United States): Amazon, Vimeo
#6. Gasland II (2013)
Josh Fox
An earlier film from documentarian Josh Fox, “Gasland Part II” expands on the issues first introduced in 2010’s “Gasland.” Hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – is a hugely controversial topic, and in this film, Fox tackles its long-term impact, which includes earthquakes and toxic water. The gas industry may portray fracking as a clean, safe alternative to oil, but the real story is much more disturbing.
Availability: Max, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Vudu
#7. This Changes Everything (2015)
Avi Lewis
Based on the book of the same name by Naomi Klein, this film explores seven communities, the challenges of climate change and how the climate crisis gives the world a chance to transform failing systems. The work of activists from Canada, Montana, Greece, India and other places around the world is highlighted.
Availability (United States): Amazon, Tubi, Plex Player
#8. Don’t Look Up (2021)
Adam McKay
Two astronomers, played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, learn a meteor will strike Earth in just six months. As they try to warn the public, they’re met with resistance and disbelief from everyone, including the government. As a satire, the film uses the meteor as a stand-in for climate change and the inaction that threatens to destroy us all.
Availability (United States): Netflix
#9. Burning (2021)
Eva Orner
In 2019-2020, Australia endured what’s known as “Black Summer.” During this scourge of wildfires, 33 people were killed, over 3,000 houses burned down, and 17 million hectares of land were destroyed. Bushfires are normal in Australia, but research shows that climate change is responsible for the increase in devastation. “Burning” examines what happened that year from the perspectives of fire victims, activists and scientists.
Availability (United States): Amazon Prime Video
#10. All That Breathes (2022)
Shaunak Sen
Brothers Saud and Nadeem, who are from New Delhi, run a bird clinic where they’ve cured 20,000 birds over twenty years. The brothers continue to care for injured black kites even as air pollution gets worse and political tensions heat up. This moving film explores the preciousness of life threatened by pollution, climate change and environmental degradation.
Availability: Max, YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Video, Hulu
#11. Utama (2022)
Alejandro Loayza Grisi
This drama was selected as the Bolivian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It tells the story of an elderly Quechua couple who live a quiet life in Bolivia. Virginio, the husband, hides a fatal illness from his wife, while their village struggles through a long drought. When their grandson arrives asking them to move to the city, they face the hard choice between staying and holding to their traditions or leaving the past behind. The word “utama” translates to “our home.”
Availability: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Apple TV
#12. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Roland Emmerich
This epic disaster movie imagines a world where the effects of climate change are swift and merciless. After a massive ice shelf collapses, paleoclimatologist Jack rushes to warn the world as a new Ice Age strikes. In New York, Jack’s son and his friends struggle to survive in the chaos. “The Day After Tomorrow” may not be scientifically accurate, but for many movie-goers, it was one of the first blockbusters to examine climate change.
Availability (United States): Amazon Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, Hulu, Sling TV
#13. Snowpiercer (2013)
Bong Joon-Ho
This sci-fi masterpiece, which is based on a French climate fiction graphic novel, begins with humans trying to stop climate change with geoengineering. It backfires, throwing the earth into a new ice age that kills most of humanity. The remaining humans now live on a train speeding around the globe. The rich enjoy luxury at the front of the train, while the poor live in filth under the cold watch of armed guards. “Snowpiercer” imagines a world where humans failed to stop climate change, but still cling to hope and resistance.
Availability (United States): MUBI, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Tubi, PLEX
#14. First Reformed (2017)
Paul Schrader
A pastor (Ethan Hawke) going through a crisis of faith sinks even deeper when he meets a radical environmentalist activist and his pregnant wife. “First Reformed” explores heavy topics like suicide, climate despair and faith. Climate change is just one piece of the film, but its inclusion is powerful and relevant to our times.
Availability (United States): Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play, Hulu
#15. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Benh Zeitlin
This film looks at climate change through a fantasy-thriller lens. It follows Hushpuppy, a six-year-old girl, who lives in a southern Delta community called “the Bathtub.” When her father falls ill, their once-happy home experiences violent environmental changes, like rising temperatures, melting ice caps and the emergence of the aurochs, a powerful prehistoric creature. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” may be an unconventional film about climate change, but its commentary on themes like community and resilience is meaningful.
Availability (United States): Hulu, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Apple TV