Ice on Fire: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Latest HBO Documentary on Climate Disruption
“Since the advent of the industrial revolution, we have burned over 1.4 trillion tons of carbon into the atmosphere. It has changed life as we know it, especially in the arctic.”
The statement above is Leonardo DiCaprio’s opening line for his latest documentary called “Ice on Fire”. The film depicts sobering scenes of climate change taking form as exacerbated natural disasters in recent years, such as the devastating fires in California last year.
This documentary is an excellent primer on how carbon actually affects the climate and how we can be certain. For example, NOAA scientists have been measuring CO2 at 60 locations around the globe since the inception of the organization in 1970.
The film also discusses permafrost — ground that has been frozen continuously and that contains sequestered CO2 and methane. As the climate warms, permafrost melts faster and more methane has been released at a quicker pace from underneath ice sheets.
That methane can be set afire, hence the name, “Ice on Fire”. And unfortunately for us, methane can do far more damage than CO2 due to its ability to absorb much more heat. Therefore, it is crucial that we address all of the methane hot spots that have cropped up from leaking natural gas wells.
While the film depicts an alarming future outlook if we don’t make serious systemic changes soon, it also highlights many scientists, innovators, and businesses that believe we can shift course to prevent further climate disruption (a phrase DiCaprio uses often).
Much Needed Cleantech Solutions
The final segment of the documentary outlines cutting-edge cleantech innovations and businesses that exist today. Some of those include…
Direct Air Capture — in a previous Cleantech Rising newsletter, we write about this topic, but the importance of the technology cannot be understated. Climeworks is closing the carbon cycle by sucking CO2 directly out of the air and storing it as rock underground.
Artificial photosynthesis has been developed at Harvard by creating an artificial leaf and a bionic leaf; used in unison, they can use CO2 in the air to make ANYTHING that is made from fossil fuels today.
Tidal energy is essentially an untapped renewable resource that is now being commercialized in Scotland. It has similar functionality to that of a wind turbine, but underwater, turning seawater into electricity.
These are just a small sample of the innovation in the “green economy”, which is also creating millions of jobs. If any of the above technologies pique your interest or if you want a solid primer on how atmospheric carbon is affecting climate disruption, check out “Ice on Fire” on HBO to learn more!
Act on Climate
The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) is an outstanding nonprofit that helps young professionals in cleantech learn and connect with others working on similar complex climate issues. CELI is a major ally of Cleantech Rising as well.
CELI is hosting its annual emPOWER conference in San Francisco on October 11th where you will have the opportunity to hear from pioneers in cleantech and connect with hundreds of others.
Purchase your ticket today to get involved with the premiere cleantech organization for young professionals!
Originally published at https://cleantechrising.com on July 26, 2019.
