A hard-hitting documentary, ‘Before The Flood’ dealing with the devastating consequences of climate change aired on the National Geographic TV channel last night. It has also been viewed over 1.3 million times on YouTube in the last few hours.

An Taisce urges the Oireachtas to organise a viewing of this 90-minute documentary film for all Irish TDs and senators, so they can fully grasp the sheer scale and urgency of the climate crisis. They will also hear inspiring insights into how this crisis can, with courageous political leadership and resolve, be tackled before it tips into an irreversible global catastrophe.

“As this important documentary shows, climate change is the ultimate Hallowe'en horror story, but unfortunately this is science fact, not fiction”, according to John Gibbons of An Taisce.

“As well as our politicians, ‘Before The Flood’ really is a film families should sit down together to watch and then discuss. Our children’s future is on the line like never before. There are no good excuses left to defend our continued inaction”, Gibbons added.

‘Before The Flood’ is produced and narrated by actor and UN peace ambassador, Leonardo DiCaprio, and includes interviews with US president Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Harvard economist, Prof Gregory Mankiw as well as glaciologist, Dr Jason Box and NASA scientist Dr Piers Sellers.

The documentary aims squarely at climate denial funded largely by fossil fuel interests, that has corrupted the political process in many countries, notably the US, and seriously impaired public understanding of this rapidly escalating global crisis. The role of transnational corporations in fuelling forest destruction and species extinctions in pursuit of cheap palm oil is also highlighted.

The massive impacts of the global livestock industry, specifically beef production, is also examined. This industry is one of the most unsustainable on Earth, contributing both to deforestation and to dangerous methane emissions.

‘‘Before The Flood’ is available free to view at the following link: https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/before-the-flood-2016/

ENDS

John Gibbons, An Taisce Climate Change Committee. Tel: +353 87 233 2689
Charles Stanley-Smith, Communications, An Taisce. Tel: +353 87 241 1995
email: [email protected]
An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland
www.antaisce.org

Notes

About An Taisce

An Taisce is a charity that works to preserve and protect Ireland's natural and built heritage. We are an independent charitable voice for the environment and for heritage issues. We are not a government body, semi-state or agency. Founded in 1948, we are one of Ireland’s oldest and largest environmental organisations.