Cinesource magazine review by by Don Schwartz
Carbon Nation: A Climate Change Solutions Movie
“Carbon Nation” is the latest and greatest documentary—as of Winter, 2011—about environmental pollution, ecological destruction, and global warming. As I’ve said before, and will again, when it comes to the destruction of our Earth’s ecosphere by the actions of us humans, we can’t have too many documentaries—or narratives. Nations seem to have no problem mobilizing for war, but the idea of saving our ecosphere—and, therefore, ourselves—simply lacks the allure of war. Interviewee Van Jones affirms, “I think what we have to understand is we’re looking at a World War II level of mobilization.”
Despite its damning title, the film focuses on the eminently available technologies and practices which if implemented immediately could reverse global warming. Although “Carbon Nation” effectively documents, in a very few minutes, our ongoing polluting and warming of our ecosphere, the already-disastrous effects, and the probable future calamities, it just as effectively demonstrates how we can, in effect, stop it. Unique to the film are a couple lacks—no Hollywood celebrities, no politicians. Instead activists, entrepreneurs, researchers, and engineers provide most of the information with some basics provided by narrator Bill Kurtis.
Like 99% of the environmental documentaries produced so far, “Carbon Nation” ignores the impact of the human over-population of planet Earth. But who can blame writer/producer/director/cinematographer/co-editor Peter Byck for the omission. His avoidance of this environmental Sacred Cow puts him and his film in the best of company. Some day, some day a brave filmmaker with brave investors will tackle this topic that Big Religion and Big Business avoid like the plague.
I conclude my review with a mild inside joke: Peter Byck was Assistant to writer Michael Shamberg in the making of 1988’s “A Fish Called Wanda”. Of course, one would need to carefully view “Carbon Nation” to decipher the mystery of this reference. D. Schwartz February 10, 2011
