What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that although this environmental documentary is very talky, tweens and teens may be interested thanks to producer/star Leonardo DiCaprio. The film addresses some complicated issues in language that may go over younger kids' heads. It also includes repeated, potentially upsetting images of environmental disasters and their aftermath, including floods (Katrina, Europe), wildfires, earthquakes, melting ice caps, endangered furry animals, and impoverished human populations.
- Families can talk about the debate over global warming, and whether it results from human excesses or inevitable natural changes. Is the debate purely environmental, or are there political and social aspects, too? Does DiCaprio's involvement in the film make you more or less inclined to believe what it says? Why? What do you think of the film's proposal that we can all contribute to fighting global warming? What sorts of things can individuals do? Where could you go for more information on the topics the film brings up?