Available on DVD: “Cool It”

Bjørn Lomborg

In the documentary Cool It, controversial Bjørn Lomborg is given a platform for his views on global warming.

Lomborg, who wrote the book The Skeptical Environmentalist, says climate-change problems aren’t as dire as Al Gore has led us to believe. But this isn’t really the anti-An Inconvenient Truth. Lomborg thinks it’s an issue and offers various approaches to tackling it.

For instance, he looks at alternative-energy sources (waves, solar) and such neat concepts as ships that shoot water into the sky in an effort to make clouds whiter to reflect more heat.

The gist of Lomborg’s message seems to be avoiding quick, feel-good fixes (i.e., buying a Prius) that ultimately do very little. Instead, he wants millions funneled into research and development to find ways to combat climate changes.

The film is presented quickly, with bullet points being tossed out in rat-a-tat fashion. It can be a little hard to digest so many ideas, especially in such rapid succession. The movie is never boring, but there may be some information overload for laymen viewers.

Cool It also spends a lot of time decrying the scare tactics of An Inconvenient Truth. But this movie is no less a piece of propaganda, especially in the cheerful way Lomborg is presented. A happy guy who always wears a T-shirt, he is shown serving hungry Third World children and caring for his elderly mother, who has Alzheimer’s. In other words, how can a guy this humble and sweet be wrong?

The over-the-top manipulation tends to mar one’s appreciation of the documentary and Lomborg’s message. Lomborg may be a skeptical environmentalist, but this isn’t a movie for skeptical DVD watchers.