You can watch the entire documentary for free, until Nov. 6, above.
Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t terribly optimistic throughout most of his new project, the climate change documentary “Before The Flood.”
“I just want to know how far we’ve gone,” the actor says in the film. “How much damage we’ve done. And if there’s anything we can do to stop it.”
He travels to some of the regions where climate change has hit hardest: Greenland’s melting ice, the rising seas consuming Kiribati and the world’s dying coral reefs.
DiCaprio paints a dire picture: The world is burning, liquifying and warming faster than anyone expected, and far more quickly than anything humanity can adapt to.
The doc is the culmination of a three-year undertaking for DiCaprio and director Fisher Stevens. It will be released on Sunday.
The film will stream everywhere for free for a week following its release because of the urgent subject matter, National Geographic announced Monday. DiCaprio said he hoped the move would “make sure as many people as possible see this film.”
It is perhaps one of the most hyped climate documentaries since former Vice President Al Gore’s groundbreaking “An Inconvenient Truth.” The film features appearances from President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, inventor and businessman Elon Musk and Pope Francis, along with many of the the world’s leading climate researchers.
This time, however, the science is far more real.
DiCaprio visits a melting Greenland, so affected by the warming planet that it, in turn, has begun to accelerate the phenomenon through a bellwether-esque feedback loop. Vast reserves of disappearing ice have pushed seas higher, forcing some low-lying island nations to seek refuge elsewhere. Meanwhile, massive rainforests in the Amazon and throughout Indonesia have been leveled for crop and cattle production, pumping huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
“I feel like I’m in some weird, surreal movie.”
- Leonardo DiCaprio
“We’re pushing this system really hard,” marine ecologist Jeremy Jackson says at one point. A seemingly endless stretch of dead coral reef surrounds him.
“I feel like I’m in some weird, surreal movie,” DiCaprio laments later in the film. “I honestly look around and I think, when I have children, everything that we now take for granted, our planet and all its biodiversity and beauty, everything in the future is going to be different.”
But despite his skepticism, all is not lost, according to those most in tune with these wide-ranging effects.
Astronaut Piers Sellers, now a leading climate scientist for NASA, notes that “there are ways out” of our current predicament that could, eventually, halt global warming.
“Rather than being, ‘oh my god, this is helpless,’ say, ‘ok, this is the problem, let’s be realistic and let’s find a way out of it,’” Sellers tells DiCaprio. “And there are ways out of it. If we stopped burning fossil fuels right now, the planet would still keep warming for a little while before cooling off again.”
A high task, but one some countries have already begun to plan for.
“Before the Flood” airs on the National Geographic Channel on Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. eastern. The network will have a free stream of the film up from that date through to Nov. 6 on its website, Facebook, Twitter and across streaming services.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.