The Age of Consequences

Although climate change is the subject of Jared Scott's documentary, The Age of Consequences adopts a perspective different from similar fare, emphasizing the risks that climate change poses to national security and international order. Relying largely on testimony from military men—the Pentagon began studying the issue in the early 2000s—but also featuring commentary from scientists and scholars, the film posits that atmospheric warming generated by the use of fossil fuels is a catalyst for internal unrest and the current refugee crisis. Studies are cited to suggest that the origin of the current Syrian civil war (and resultant flight of millions to Europe) can be traced to a lengthy drought that drove many young men from rural areas to the cities, where their discontent ultimately fostered political dissent. Climate change in Africa is seen as a cause of the emigration of hundreds of thousands of people across the Mediterranean. Bangladesh, with its exploding population already surrounded by an Indian defensive wall, is described as “ground zero” of the coming problem, which will likely draw the U.S. into global conflicts created by shifts in weather and resultant food shortages. Attention is also paid to issues that more directly confront America, such as Russia's move into the Arctic (where diminishing glaciers invite searching for huge reserves of oil and natural gas), and the social disruptions caused in the U.S. by events such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. By demonstrating that climate change is a matter of national security as well as an environmental concern, Scott hopes to spur action to seriously address the issue. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)