Now that the Super Bowl is over and we can hopefully forget about deflategate, the next big TV event is the Oscars on Feb. 22. This year we're using the "Oscar buzz" to help highlight the great work that celebrities are doing to fight climate change.
There are millions of people all over the world taking action to fight climate change, but an endorsement from a celeb never hurts. Since the UN just confirmed 2014 the hottest year on record and with the Paris climate talks in December, these celebrities are sure to continue to demand climate action now.
Daryl Hannah is a longtime climate activist, putting her body on the line and getting arrested five times during protests for mountaintop removal, fracking and the Keystone XL pipeline. Her website, dhlovelife.com, helps share solutions on how to live more harmoniously with the planet and all other living things. Hannah works closely with indigenous peoples—those who have already been negatively impacted by Alberta tar sands extraction and those who will be if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved.
Mark Ruffalo has been an outspoken advocate against fracking and the Keystone XL pipeline, and in favor of a 100 percent renewable energy future. In September, he participated in the People's Climate March and promoted 11-year-old Itzcuauhtli who took a 45-day vow of silence demanding climate action. In September, Ruffalo appeared on The Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio is the UN Messenger of Peace and with good reason. He has been advocating for action on climate change for years. Before wanting to be an actor, DiCaprio says he dreamt of being a marine biologist. In October, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donated $2 million to toward marine conservation and ocean protection projects. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called DiCaprio "a new voice for climate advocacy." DiCaprio was a featured speaker at the UN Climate Summit in New York City in September. Watch here as he delivers a powerful speech at this year's Our Ocean conference.
Neil Young
Along with Farm Aid and Harvest for Hope concerts last year, Neil Young also took a strong stance against GMOs in 2014. When Starbucks teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont over its GMO labeling law, Young publicly announced his boycott of Starbucks. Watch Neil Young sing a duet with Stephen Colbert of his song, "Who's Going to Stand Up?"
Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival just wrapped up last weekend, and the famed actor and director took the opportunity to sit down with Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! to talk about pressing environmental issues. He stressed that fossil fuels need to stay in the ground, Keystone XL is a bad decision and renewable energy is the future.
Willie Nelson
Last fall, the old Texan crooner joined Neil Young in headlining a sold-out concert, Harvest for Hope, in Nebraska to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. The pair are not new to benefit concerts. Willie Nelson and Young have spearheaded Farm Aid Concerts since 1985 with proceeds going to small farmers. Nelson also voiced his opposition to mountaintop removal in 2014 with a video in which he sings "America the Beautiful" over the horrific images of mountaintop mining.
Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz joined artists such as Michael Franti, Maroon 5, Linkin Park and Guster to voice his opposition to illegal logging. The artists partnered with the Environmental Investigation Agency and REVERB to urge consumers of musical instruments to find out where their wood comes from. Mraz has been active in the environmental movement for years. Last September, he participated in The Climate Reality Project's 24 Hours of Reality to promote taking action on climate change.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
That's right, Elaine from Seinfeld is an environmental activist. When she's not acting as the funniest vice president ever on Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an advocate for the planet. She has been an outspoken opponent of the Keystone XL pipeline and appeared in a video which urged President Obama to reject the proposal. She has donated millions to various environmental organizations and worked to get Proposition O passed, thus allocating $500 million for cleaning up Los Angeles’ water supply.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!