Cool It (2010)

A documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis.

Director:

Ondi Timoner

Writers:

Terry Botwick, Sarah Gibson,

Stars:

Bjørn Lomborg, Hashem Akbari, Joe Barton

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bjørn Lomborg	...	Himself - Director, Copenhagen Consensus Center
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hashem Akbari	...	Himself - Head of Heat Island Group, Berkeley Lab
Joe Barton	...	Himself - Representative, Texas (archive footage)
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jagdish Bhagwati	...	Himself - Professor of Economics, Columbia University
John Boehner	...	Himself - Representative, Ohio (archive footage)
Larry David	...	Himself (archive footage)
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Dingell	...	Himself - Representative, Michigan (archive footage)
David Duchovny	...	Himself (archive footage)
Freeman Dyson	...	Himself - Professor Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
Myron Ebell	...	Himself - Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy, CEI
Kerry Emanuel	...	Himself - Professor of Atmospheric Science, MIT
Tom Foreman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Newt Gingrich	...	Himself - Former Speaker of the House (archive footage)

Storyline

A documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis.

---

Plot Keywords:

global warming | evidence | skepticism | proof | environmental science | 

---

Taglines:

A light bulb won't solve global warming. This guy's bright ideas just might.

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2011 (Denmark)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$26,847 (USA) (12 November 2010)

Gross:

$62,713 (USA) (24 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

1019 Entertainment, Interloper Films, Larson Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Politically Incorrect: Episode dated 10 October 2001 (2001)

---

Soundtracks

"River Trance"
Written by Ed Hartman
Courtesy of Audiosocket

User Reviews

Someone has to tell it right

After reading the first 3 reviews I decided that a review from someone who has read Bjorn Lonborg - who is an economist (not "a poly-sci guy" as one newspaper reviewer referred to him) - and who has studied the science of global climate change for more than a decade might be helpful.

First off, Lonborg is not a GW skeptic: he thinks it is real, but that the severity has often been greatly overstated, which even the scientists at IPCC will admit. Also, he does not mean that if we spend a few trillion dollars and deprive (by creating large deficits of energy) poor people all over the world of the few things they currently get to enjoy (like adequate food) we will decrease global temperature by 1 degree: he means we will limit the increase by one degree. Big difference. He is pointing out that taking a sledge hammer to the world economy will not really make much difference in temperature, but a big difference to people who will not be able to buy energy at the intentionally increased prices.

Lonborg points out that we will be able to adapt to the climate change, as people and animals have been doing throughout history, as we gradually change from fossil fuels as more desirable technologies mature. Some parts of the world - equatorial zones - may change drastically, but those nearer the poles (Minnesota, Canada) will likely gain a longer growing season and more tillable land.

But, Lonborg's main point is that if we spent these large sums of money and resources on things we can change: hunger, diseases like malaria and AIDS, and clean water, we could bring about some real improvement in the lives of millions of people world-wide.

My studies, which include a discussion with one of the leading scientists at IPCC, lead me to think that Lonborg makes a very good case. I don't know why so many reviewers ridicule Lonborg. This movie, if you really watch and listen, does not deny climate change. It does state that global poverty is not the best way to counteract global climate change.