The stars have aligned. Now, will they guide us?
Showtime’s groundbreaking, big-budget, 9-part event series Years of Living Dangerously hopes to raise the level of popular awareness of climate change with major celebrities on-camera, just as a new UN report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that global emissions of greenhouse gases have risen to unprecedented levels despite a growing number of policies to reduce them.
That report uses scientists to tell its story; Years of Living Dangerously calls on film and television stars to bring the message home. As executive producer David Gelber explains, “It was really important to make sure we had reach with this series, so we decided that we would find well-known figures who are passionate about environmental issues, but not necessarily experts. We didn’t want them to be experts. We wanted them to ask questions on behalf of the audience to drive that connection as concerned citizens, and they’ve done it spectacularly well.”
Among the stars who joined this effort: Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, Jessica Alba, Don Cheadle, America Ferrera, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lesley Stahl, Mark Bittman, Ian Somerhalder, Olivia Munn and Michael C. Hall. James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub and Arnold Schwarzenegger are additional executive producers.
You can watch the first episode, in its entirety, here:
More information: http://yearsoflivingdangerously.com/
Top image: Harrison Ford holds a young ape during his segment of Showtime’s ‘Years of Living Dangerously.’ (Photo courtesy of Showtime)