Cool It (2010)

Cool It: Directed by Ondi Timoner. With Bjørn Lomborg, Hashem Akbari, Joe Barton, Ed Begley Jr.. A documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis.

“Cool It is a documentary about climate change. But before this sends anyone who has ever listened to five minutes of talkback radio running for the slowly-rising ocean, be aware that this is a doco with a difference. Here there are no doomsayers; no scare tactics; just one man and his quarter-trillion dollar plan to fix not only climate change, but many of the worldu0026#39;s most urgent issues.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis one man is Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and world betterment maverick. His unique approach to the issue of global warming, in which he shoots down almost every public policy on the issue in preference of rationality, has earnt him equal parts admirers and demonisers. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film excels in its biting criticism of the Western and developing worldu0026#39;s approach to the problem. Lomborg doesnu0026#39;t argue that we arenu0026#39;t doing any good, but rather that we are not maximising our return on the social good generated per dollar spent. He deconstructs and demolishes projects like u0026#39;Earth Houru0026#39; and the u0026#39;cap and tradeu0026#39; scheme (similar in nature to Australiau0026#39;s freshly-implemented carbon tax) with an engaging tone that makes sense to even the most apolitical viewer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGiven the filmu0026#39;s subject matter, it is only a matter of time before the inevitable comparisons to An Inconvenient Truth arise. Here, Lomborg, with the help of articulate talking heads from all over the world, picks apart the u0026#39;blatant scare tacticsu0026#39; used by Gore in a manner that is, if nothing else, an intriguing exposition on the behind-the-scenes agendas of documentary filmmaking.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe final third, in which Lomborg recruits scientists to justify the mechanics of his plan, can be occasionally hard to swallow, particularly if oneu0026#39;s knowledge of physics ended on the last day of Year Nine. And yet, this late onslaught of high-level science only lightly sours what is a wholeheartedly thoughtful experience. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e*Thereu0026#39;s nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on [email protected] and let me know what you thought of my review. If youu0026#39;re looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, Iu0026#39;d also love to hear from you.**”