Don’t Look Up, Look Right in Front of You

After the United States failed to ratify an initial attempt to combat climate change with the requirements set forth in the Kyoto Protocol, despite being responsible for approximately 25% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,[1] the signing of the Paris Agreement by 194 states and the European Union in 2015 seemed like a huge step forward in environmental protection.[2] By signing the Agreement, countries committed themselves to “limit the increase in global warming to 'well below 2°C', with a goal to keep it to 1.5°C”.[3] Each country also aimed for global emissions to peak as soon as possible, in order to achieve “net zero emissions,” which occurs when a balance exists between the emissions produced and the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.[4] 

The individual efforts of these countries are reinforced by the Conference of Parties, a meeting of world leaders held annually to submit revised plans for environmental protection.[5]  This year, the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow, UK.[6]

While the goals of the Paris Agreement and subsequent COP meetings are admirable, actually reaching these targets by rolling out credible domestic policies for reducing emissions have been less than successful.[7] This habit of creating empty and unfulfilled promises is not limited to any one country or area, but rather is seen across the globe. For example, despite the UK’s “target” for net-zero emissions by 2050, it is currently not set to meet the emission reduction standards necessary in the periods 2023-27 and 2028-2032 to achieve this.[8] Additionally, other countries such as China, Australia and Russia have either failed to set new targets for cutting carbon emissions all together, or announced plans that scientists consider weak.[9] Furthermore, only a handful of wealthy countries have allocated any money and resources to help poor and vulnerable nations cope with the impacts of climate disasters that these larger nations have caused.[10] 

The repeated failure of states to act against climate change have led climate activists, such as Greta Thunberg, to publicly criticize COP summit meetings all together.[11] Thunberg stated that, “[t]he COP has turned into a PR event, where leaders are giving beautiful speeches and announcing fancy commitments and targets, while behind the curtains governments of the Global North countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action…This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs — and that has led us nowhere.”[12] Thunberg further commented on those in charge of leading climate change initiatives, stating that, “[i]nside COP, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously.”[13]

It is these issues precisely that the 2021 Netflix movie Don’t Look Up draws attention to. The film, written and directed by Adam McKay, begins when Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discover a comet whose trajectory will lead to a direct and world-ending collision with Earth.[14] McKay’s film is a scathing satirical attack on how quick the population is to turn their heads at, and even doubt, peer reviewed scientific fact.[15]

Much like Thunberg’s commentary on COP26, McKay also criticizes private sector initiatives targeting climate change when the movie’s President, Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep), abandoned the scientifically developed plans to address the comet to instead work with a political donor’s company.[16] A decision that ultimately led to the world’s demise. 

The idea of protecting the environment so long as it does not impact the economy while simultaneously exploiting environmental issues for monetary gain has become common practice in current times. The film shines a light on the danger of these practices and of allowing politicians and businesses, rather than scientists, to implement policies.[17] 

Despite being written as an allegory for climate change, it is hard to ignore the many similarities between the movie and current Covid-19 pandemic.[18] Much like the comet in the film, the effects of both climate change and of the pandemic are visible and have had impacts that have been felt everywhere. Despite the film’s humor and many star-studded appearances, it should be taken as an accurate critique of the world’s current efforts to combat these issues and hopefully become an impetus for global change.

Jessica Lagnado is a staff member of Fordham International Law Journal Volume XLV.

This is a student blog post and in no way represents the views of the Fordham International Law Journal.
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[1] See David Malakoff, Erin Williams, An Examination of the Kyoto Protocol, NPR (June 6, 2007),  https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5042766; https://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-effect/kyoto-united-states.htm.

[2] See What are the World’s Countries Doing About Climate Change?, Imperial College London,  https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publications/climate-change-faqs/what-are-the-worlds-countries-doing-about-climate-change/ (last visited Jan. 2, 2022).

[3] See id.

[4] See id.

[5] See Lisa Freidman, What Is COP26?, N.Y. Times (Nov. 15, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-cop26-climate-change-summit.html.

[6] See id.

[7] See id.

[8] See id.

[9] See id.

[10] See id.

[11] See Sam Meredith, ‘COP26 is a failure’: Greta Thunberg says climate summit has turned into a PR event, CNBC (Nov. 5, 2021), https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/greta-thunberg-says-cop26-climate-summit-is-a-failure-and-a-pr-event.html.

[12] See id.

[13]See id.

[14] See Brian Lowry, ‘Don’t Look Up’ Delivers Scathing Satire Occasionally Veers Off Course, CNN (Dec. 25, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/25/entertainment/dont-look-up-review/index.html.

[15] See id.

[16] Tyler Austin Harper, Silicon Valley Won’t Save Us, Slate (Dec. 22, 2021), https://slate.com/technology/2021/12/dont-look-up-netflix-climate-change-allegory.html.

[17] See id.

[18] See D. Hardawar, Don’t Look Up is a Star-Studded Scream Against the Climate Apocalypse, Engadget (Dec. 24, 2021),  https://www.engadget.com/dont-look-up-review-dicaprio-climate-change-180058853.html.