Melting glaciers.
Sea levels rising.
Unprecedented storms and hurricanes.
Heatwaves becoming more frequent.
What is happening to our planet?
Is this imbalance our fault?
Or is Earth itself the one causing this so-called...
global warming?
"GLOBAL WARMING. A BIG CONSPIRACY?"
This is one of the biggest forests our planet's ever had.
Due to the fertile soil and warm climate,
more and more tropical trees are growing here,
creating a green area that goes as far as the eye can see.
On the ground, there is an endless world of leaves and flowers
that paint the forest with every color imaginable.
And, like in every forest,
when you go further into the trees,
you'll find many different species fighting for survival.
Can you guess where this huge green world is?
It's at the North Pole, but 50 million years ago.
That was during the Eocene Epoch.
Earth's average temperature was almost 10°C hotter than it is today.
However, this didn't turn the world into a tropical paradise,
but into a planet completely out of control.
Almost all the ice on the planet melted,
increasing sea levels.
That, plus the ocean temperature rise,
ended up harming our entire ecosystem.
Many species perished due to the heatwaves.
But it's worth remembering that our climate is extremely dynamic.
After the Eocene Epoch, temperatures started dropping
and remained that way for ten million years.
Earth has faced climate changes before.
Is global warming as horrible as people seem to think?
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
We'll soon have the data you requested, Mr. Gordon.
Before that, Castanhari will give us an intro on the subject.
Hello.
So you're the boss around here?
Hello, I'm Raul. Raul Gordon.
I represent the companies that sponsor the complex's researches.
Nice to meet you. I'm Mr... Mr. Betinho.
I'm from the Operations Department.
Oh, the janitor?
And occasional handyman.
Adalberto, may we begin the presentation?
First, we have to understand how the greenhouse effect
helps regulate our climate.
Imagine a greenhouse made of glass.
Sunlight goes through the glass and warms everything inside it.
But the same glass also keeps
most of the heat from escaping.
That's why the inside is always a lot hotter than the outside.
Here on Earth, the exact same thing happens.
But instead of glass, we have the atmosphere.
Some gases, like methane and carbon dioxide,
that are emitted by cars along with other pollutants,
are responsible for keeping the Sun's heat trapped inside the Earth,
like with the greenhouse we showed.
Contrary to what many people think,
the greenhouse effect is crucial to life on Earth.
Without it, sunlight wouldn't be absorbed,
but reflected back to space.
This would make the Earth's average temperature -19°C.
In other words, it's all about balance.
If the greenhouse effect decreases too much, Earth will freeze.
If it increases excessively, the planet will cook.
Without balance,
we start noticing the consequences throughout the whole planet.
And this is what's happening now.
In the last decade, for example,
sea levels rose an average of 3 millimeters per year.
This imbalance also affects rainfalls.
In the 1930s,
São Paulo only registered nine major storms,
which is when it rains more than 50 mm on a single day.
In the 2000s, on the other hand,
the numbers went up to 42 major storms.
This is all happening due to the increase of the greenhouse effect.
Earth has endured climate changes in the past.
But such changes were caused by the planet itself,
and it took thousands of years for them to take place.
For instance, 50 million years ago,
the temperature was so hot
that we even had forests appearing at the North Pole.
An increase of 6ºC was enough
to melt down all the ice from that region's surface.
And it's even more serious nowadays.
In the last 250 years,
mankind has managed to increase the planet's temperature by 1°C.
How can we be so precise about this temperature increase?
The planet is massive!
But the temperature rise is just one piece of data.
We have a lot of information about climate change
studied in weather stations across the planet.
They can monitor sea levels,
gas concentration in the atmosphere, solar radiation...
All these data are taken into account.
And there are also measurements taken by satellites
that analyze different types of light and how they interact with the planet.
These data are converted into temperatures and other indicators
used by scientists to study climate.
Everything is very accurate.
With such data, we can clearly identify
what's increasing the intensity of the greenhouse effect the most:
carbon dioxide, also known as carbonic acid gas.
Notice how the concentration of this gas in the atmosphere has changed
throughout the centuries.
Let's compare with this graph
that shows the planet's temperature during the same period.
It's not a coincidence.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing,
which makes the greenhouse effect increase as well.
I've heard that this temperature rise
could be a consequence of changes in the solar activity...
Look, the Sun is relevant to this topic, as it is our main source of heat,
but we can't put the blame on it.
Briggs, show us the map of Earth's temperature in the last decades.
If the Sun was connected to the temperature rise,
its activity would have gone up in the same proportion.
But we only need a quick analysis of what occurred during this period
to realize that solar activity has actually decreased.
Besides, the changes in this activity have affected our planet by only 0.1°C.
And this is nothing
compared to the alterations our climate is having.
The Sun is not responsible for the temperature rise.
There's no doubt about it.
But if the planet is getting warmer, why do I still wear coats during summer?
Cold days during summer
don't mean global warming isn't real. Many people make this mistake.
Yes. That's why we have to know
the difference between climate and weather.
Imagine a boy, who has recently learned to walk,
strolling through a playground with his father.
The child's steps along the way represent the weather.
During their walk, he'll take detours
that we can't foresee when and how will happen.
It's impossible to predict what will draw his attention at the playground.
On the other hand, we know how far off he will go
because he's being accompanied by his dad and won't leave his side too much.
Similarly, heatwaves,
storms or cold fronts can suddenly occur
at any time of the year, contradicting forecasts.
That's weather.
We can't say exactly how hot it will be in the Amazon next week,
but we know that it won't be snowing.
Now, if we look at the father's steps,
we can see that his path through the playground
also changes course, but slowly and gradually.
It's easier to predict his pattern
and foresee where he's going.
At the playground, the father represents climate.
Climate change can happen due to solar activity,
shifts in the tilt of the Earth's axis, or greenhouse effect increase.
These can only be noticed after decades.
So it's possible to have cold days during summer
or hot days during winter.
But by comparing data between decades,
it's pretty clear that temperatures are rising.
Summers are getting hotter,
and we are to blame.
At least, that's the consensus among 97% of the climate scientists.
MORE THAN 97% OF SCIENTISTS AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT
Global warming affects the climate, not the weather.
And the consequences of this aren't just warmer days,
but the entire climate being thrown off balance.
Many websites are saying that this imbalance
is not that serious.
Some say that glaciers aren't melting down.
That's not the case, Mr. Gordon. Briggs, please explain.
There's a lot of misinformation about global warming,
especially online.
We must be aware of websites without credible sources
or articles with no academic relevance.
But there are a lot of reliable data regarding melting glaciers.
NASA SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION STUDIO
Take a look at what's happening to the oldest and thickest solid layer
of frozen water in the Arctic Ocean.
You're looking at the formation and receding of arctic ice
from the last 35 years.
The oldest and thickest ice from that region is disappearing,
giving way to one that is thinner, unsteady,
and easy to melt.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Only five percent of its original mass is still intact.
But isn't it too harsh to blame people for all this?
Surely there are other factors that you haven't considered.
But, Mr. Gordon,
a big indication that humans are responsible for this
is precisely in the glaciers.
It's not just that they're melting, which they are, just so we're clear,
but they can be like books that tell the history of the atmosphere.
Glaciers are formed where snow has fallen.
When drilling down into one,
the air bubbles trapped in the snow
can show us which atmospheric gases we had
up to 800,000 years ago.
The deeper we drill, the older the information we gather.
And that's exactly how we know that the amount of carbon dioxide
has spiked from the end of the 18th century on,
precisely when the Industrial Revolution began.
I hate it when the working class starts striking.
Betinho, the Industrial Revolution wasn't a strike,
but one of the biggest changes our world has ever seen. Right, Briggs?
Correct. It has caused several changes on our planet,
like the appearance of the first factories,
that are responsible for releasing tons of air pollutants.
The increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
after the appearance of those factories
is not a mere coincidence.
This was the main byproduct emitted by the chimneys
during the Industrial Revolution.
It has all intensified throughout the centuries
due to the usage of highly pollutant fuels,
like oil and coal.
But if the problem is carbon dioxide...
I constantly hear that volcanoes release tons of it into the atmosphere.
You haven't mentioned volcanoes in the presentation.
Not a problem. We can talk about volcanoes.
The largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century
was of Mt. Pinatubo, in the Philippines, in 1991.
MOUNT PINATUBO PHILIPPINES, 1991
Almost 14 million tons of CO2 were released into the atmosphere.
And Pinatubo is not the only volcano on Earth.
Worldwide, we have over 1,500 potentially active volcanoes.
And, even if we added the number of emissions released by them all,
we still wouldn't find the biggest culprit behind global warming,
because that's us.
Humans emit around ten billion tons of carbon dioxide every year.
If we were to add together the emissions of every volcano,
we would only get one percent of that amount.
Volcanoes are dangerous, but they have no link to global warming.
And how can we be so sure?
Nowadays, we know so much about greenhouse gases
that we can even tell how much each country emits.
Ten countries alone are responsible for almost 70%
of all carbon dioxide emitted by humans.
And if we go beyond carbon dioxide in this analysis,
Brazil's position on this rank is not something to be proud of.
We are the world's sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter.
In the 1980s, images of Cubatão, São Paulo,
shocked the world.
Due to the toxic cloudy sky full of pollutants
and acid rains that were devastating the flora,
Cubatão was known as the world's most polluted city.
The images were shocking, and they made the world wonder
how it was possible to live near so much pollution.
SÃO PAULO, CUBATÃO
Fortunately, we have already learned our lesson.
This is Cubatão now.
The installation of chimney filters and other control measures
have reduced pollutant emissions by 90%.
-90% POLLUTANTS
It was an effort where everybody played a part.
The government, companies, and the community.
And it was definitely worth it.
With green areas sharing space with factories,
Cubatão is full of life again.
In the 1990s, it was appointed by the UN
as a Symbol of Environmental Recovery.
The city's air is still not ideal,
but it does give us something to learn from.
We still have a long way to go to reduce pollution worldwide,
But Cubatão is proof that it can be done.
In order to really tackle this problem,
we must do more than just reduce factories' emissions.
Industrial production isn't solely responsible
for climate change.
Global warming itself increases global warming. Briggs.
This can be noticed on the permafrost, a layer of frozen soil
found in several parts of the planet.
It's formed by rocks, sediments, and ice,
but it's also full of plants and animals that died and froze
before decomposing.
Permafrost shouldn't melt at all.
But it is happening, and it could have devastating effects.
If the remains of such organisms start decomposing,
the amount of carbon dioxide released in the process
will be twice as what we have in the atmosphere.
Melting glaciers are another factor
that show global warming's feedback loop.
That's why this matter is so urgent.
Ice is the most reflective natural surface on the planet.
Thus, most of the sunlight that hits it
is bounced back into outer space.
On the other hand, oceans are one of the surfaces
that most absorb heat.
So now the sea is heating,
which making the Arctic ice layers melt.
This becomes a cycle. We have less ice reflecting heat
and more water absorbing it.
Humans are responsible
for the 1ºC increase in temperature in the last 250 years,
and that's irreversible.
Even if all greenhouse gas emissions came to a halt right now,
the global temperature would still rise for a few more decades
until all the gases in the atmosphere started to dissipate.
But how can we be so sure
that temperatures will keep on rising in the future?
We can't guess these things.
First of all, it's not a guess.
Second, there is a way to predict it.
In order to do that, scientists divide the world into small regions,
collecting data such as temperatures, wind action,
and humidity levels.
The information is sent to computers
that can calculate, based on climate models,
what our climate will look like in the future.
ANOMALIES IN GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
This situation is so serious
that mankind had to establish a goal
of keeping global temperature rise
well below 2°C until 2050.
And many countries are taking part in this effort.
In 1992, the ECO-92 was held in Rio de Janeiro.
This event, known as Earth Summit,
went down in history for bringing
the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change,
with many countries uniting to reduce climate change.
The effort took another important step in 2015
with the Paris Agreement,
where almost 200 countries, including Brazil,
pledged to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
But it won't be easy, of course. Even with all those countries taking part,
and the planet itself trying to reduce the greenhouse effect,
this issue is far from being solved.
Wait. The planet itself can reduce the greenhouse effect?
Yes.
It's worth remembering that Earth has ways of coping
with excess carbon dioxide.
One of them is the oceans, that can absorb this gas.
And another one is every forest in the world
that does the same thing during photosynthesis.
But the problem is that that's not enough.
According to the IPCC, in the last centuries,
mankind emitted 555 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere.
555 BILLION TONS OF CARBON
And the planet's managed to clear only 315 billion,
which means that 240 billion tons are still around,
changing the world's climate.
So the planet has cleared on its own
more than half of the carbon dioxide emissions?
Yes, but deforestation and fires are decreasing that number.
And again, we have to look at our own country.
Multiple areas of the Amazon are being destroyed
by fires and deforestation.
It currently loses the equivalent
to 35,000 Maracanã Stadiums per year.
This urgently needs to change,
and not just because these fires release even more carbon dioxide,
but because the Amazon is getting smaller by the second.
The fewer trees we have, the less carbon dioxide is absorbed.
Oh, that doesn't matter.
What really matters to me
is that the planet itself can deal with carbon dioxide emissions.
I'll frame my speech around that.
Speech? What speech?
Some of our companies have been...
"accused" of environmental crimes.
I have to prove to the public that we are innocent.
And I can use these data
to show that global warming is not an issue.
How many tons of carbon dioxide were absorbed by forests again?
You will not use the data we showed you here like that.
Briggs, did you record this meeting?
I've even posted it in the company's group, Dr. Tayane.
Think very carefully about your next move.
Our money is what keeps this whole complex running.
Will you risk losing it all?
It wouldn't be the first time in history that this happened, right?
In 1921, a car manufacturer
started using tetraethyl lead gasoline.
The problem is that it's a toxic substance,
so many workers from American refineries
ended up poisoned. Instead of putting a halt to production,
the company used a scientist to convince people
that lead was not harmful.
It took decades
for the use of tetraethyl lead
to be banned in the United States.
And it was all thanks to Clair Patterson.
The same scientist that calculated Earth's age
was also the biggest critic against that practice.
His studies proved just how harmful lead is,
and the people responsible for covering it up were exposed.
This story is a great example
that no scientific truth can remain hidden forever.
I won't allow history to repeat itself.
I think it's very clear that we don't want
to be associated with you or whichever company you represent.
Is that so?
Okay.
I will let management know about your decision.
Thank you for the coffee.
It tasted like shit.
Guys, let me tell you...
The atmosphere got a bit heavy as soon as he came in, you know?
Dr. Tay, does this mean we won't have any funds?
I don't want to lose my job, Dr. Tay. Am I getting fired?
I really enjoy this back-to-school vibe we have.
I know a lot of people are saying that global warming isn't real.
Even state leaders have said it, right?
But make no mistake. It's real.
And it’s not just science that’s showing it to us,
but the planet itself.
This has happened before,
and we'll probably have to deal with it again.
But this isn't only about the Earth, but about our species.
We are the ones in real danger.
Our children and grandchildren too.
The future of mankind is the one at stake.
We have to realize that this planet is our home
and understand that, if we don't take care of it,
no one will.