How to Boil a Frog

Jon Cooksey's How to Boil a Frog brings humor to a deadly serious subject: Earth's future. The title refers to the well-known if inaccurate claim that a frog in a slowly heating pot of water will be oblivious to gradual temperature changes and simply die. With a refreshingly flip style that pulls no punches, Cooksey employs animation, jump cuts, talking heads, and a lot of role playing to address five major areas of concern: overpopulation, the “war on nature,” income inequality, peak oil (the point in time when petroleum extraction reaches its maximum), and global warming. The filmmaker also puts forth five solutions—cut emissions, limit consumption, change the way we think about the world and its resources, start making noise (get active), and “shrink to fit” (humans must transition to a new way of life if the species is to survive). Global warming is a symptom, not the problem, and the underlying multifaceted challenge is expanding exponentially, setting up a huge task for humanity. As Cooksey says, “We've been living on the ecological credit card for over 20 years.” Packaged with a helpful study guide, this funny and sobering environmental documentary is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)