Christopher Siters

Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
Looking at Fisher Steven’s 2016 film, Before the Flood, produced by National

Geographic, RatPac, and (as well as starring) Leonardo DiCaprio (named a United Nations

“climate change messenger of peace”), the opening sequence is that of Hieronymus Bosch’s

famous triptych (consisting of three panels) oil painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights (painted

circa 1490 – 1500 CE); it holds the three-fold manifestation/ representation often depicted in

religious iconography, such as the “father-son-holy spirit,” “maiden-mother-crone,” “mind-body-

spirit,” etc., though this one largely consists of a “past-present-future” analog and it is this exact

analogy that is used throughout the film to depict: Earth’s history, its present condition, as well

as any myriad of things that could potentially happen in the future if human “progress” is

continually allowed to push the limits further and further. Interviews with numerous world

leaders, professional scientists, business experts, and more illustrate the paradoxes surrounding

“human progress/ development” and the lack of consensus on how best to proceed addressing:

the issues we have created and subsequently not dealt with (world hunger, [extreme] poverty,

discrimination, etc.); the issues we are currently creating/ still perpetuating ([extreme] income

inequality, climate change, species’ extinction, etc.); and issues that will inevitably arise down

the road (from things left continually unaddressed, as well as from things we cannot yet possibly

know we will create). DiCaprio sums it up well when he says, “…the more I’ve learned…the

more I realized how much I don’t know,” (Before the Flood, 12:10).

One aspect specifically touched upon in the film is that of both an increase in sea levels

as well as in ocean acidification due to the rise in atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide)/ GHG

(greenhouse gas) concentrations. Sachs notes that CO2 dissolves into the ocean and produces

carbonic acid (H2CO3) which then dissociates into a bicarbonate molecule (HCO3-) and a
Christopher Siters
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hydrogen ion (H+), and it is this ion that signifies the increase in acidity; the change has been

estimated at about 0.1 unit decrease in pH, with the scale running from 0 to 14, acidic to basic,

respectively, equating to a 0.26% increase in acidity: scenes of DiCaprio and co. in submersible

vehicles/ snorkeling/ etc. with visibly dead coral reefs, shades of greys and blacks against the

beautiful blue of the open ocean (43:46), citing a loss of approximately 50% of all coral during

the past 30 years (45:00). The ocean acts as a natural filter, with water being the most abundant

and common solution (“an act or the process by which a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance is

homogeneously mixed with a liquid or sometimes a gas or solid,” Merriam-Webster) on the

planet; but unfortunately, the rate of progress/ pollution is higher than natural processes can

compete with, or even manage at all (such as the oceanic garbage patches). The film and

Professor Jason Box (a Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland climatologist) cites

roughly 30 ft of glacial melt during a five-year period in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and thus an

equivalent rise in sea levels (18:50). The scenes from Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, show

the changing landscapes of the poles as well as highlighting the changing habits of the local

populations: Jake Awa (an arctic guide) speaks of this change manifest in his hunting habits,

switching from fish/ seal to polar bear (14:20). It is this type of behavior that can lead (and

arguably has led) to the extinction of large animal species due to overhunting (caused by

unavailability of other smaller animals) (not to mention trophy hunting): large prey are evidently

harder to manage individually, and it was when humans began larger hunting parties/ groups that

they were able to collectively take down these animals; however, technological advances have

made killing, frankly, too easy. Thus, it is easy to see that, while climate change may not directly

cause species extinction, there is an obvious and undeniable ripple effect that happens.
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
Keeping this ripple effect in mind, the film moves from the far Arctic north down to

tropical south Miami (situated precariously between the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas and the

Gulf of Mexico in the North Atlantic Ocean), where DiCaprio is shown sitting with Philip

Levine, the mayor of Miami Beach (a separate municipality from Miami); Levine highlights the

phenomenon known as “sunny day flooding,” which is where urban areas will rapidly flood

without any precipitation, caused instead by water (from the oceans) backflowing through the

city’s drainage systems. A number of urban projects have been initiated across the city of Miami

Beach, such as electric pumps that drain the floodwater and building raised roadways above the

(continually increasing) water levels, which he cites as costing approximately $400 million

(funded by city revenue/ increased tax revenue) (21:15); DiCaprio asks if these projects will “…

buy them a significant amount of time” (21:34), which Levine assuredly estimates another 40 –

50 years (21:37) of dealing with the effects of climate change, but at hearing this, DiCaprio can

be heard questioning, “That’s it?”. Understandably so…while no absolute numeric definition

exists, 20 – 30 years is roughly the range given for one generation (“the average span of time

between the birth of parents and that of their offspring”): Mayor Levine is stating that these

projects should address the current issues/ effects of climate change long enough to stave off the

threat for perhaps one to two more generations (at most).

The film continues traveling around the globe: from China to India, from the UN General

Assembly to the Paris Climate Accord, from the depths of the ocean almost into outer space,

with each place having its own particular crises (flooding of crops in India, air pollution from

factories in China, etc.) and each place trying to cope as best as they are able. Ma Jun, a founding

director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, speaks of China’s 35-year
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
advancement in industrialization, stating that, “China is the factory of the world,” (29:40), but as

a result has terrible pollution to the point that they have surpassed the United States to become

the top global polluter (29:15). Moving to India, Sunita Narain (of the Delhi Center for Science

and the Environment) highlights the hypocrisy that is rampant throughout much of

environmental/ sustainability discourse, especially concerning the U.S.; she cites India as one of

the world’s largest coal reserves but is being urged to bypass this in favor of renewable energy

sources such as wind and solar (35:56), while “highly developed” nations (such as the U.S.)

continue to remain largely fossil fuel-dependent: that is, developed nations are pushing un-/

under-developed nations to seemingly skip what could be viewed as a critical step in the

industrialization process, i.e. reliance on coal/ oil; would the invention/ mass production of

materials like solar panels and electric car batteries even be possible without the mining of

precious metals and the refinement of petrochemicals? Coal mining and oil refining: two

processes/ industries which both built the foundation of and continues to support the structure of

the United States of America (among a myriad of other ethically questionable industries/

practices). Scenes from Abaiang, Kiribati (40:57) show houses submerged in water or

completely destroyed; Anote Tong (President of the island-nation of Kiribati) states that the

government has even gone so far as to purchase land in Fiji (41:50), facilitating a policy of

“migration with dignity,” allowing the people to relocate and re-establish their lives before it is

too late, before they are forced to become environmental refugees. H. E. Tommy E. Remengesau

Jr. (President of Palau) assessed that, “The small island nations who contribute the least to the

process of climate change are slowly going to feel the worst impacts,” (42:50).
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
Panning then to the interview with President Barack Obama (1:11:50), while he does

acknowledge “…the targets [of the Paris Climate Accord] are nowhere near enough,” it is a very

telling sign that, when DiCaprio asks President Obama, “…what makes you terrified for the

future?” (1:14:00), he briefly touches on the “romantic side” of shared generational/ familial

experiences, but largely speaks of climate change in terms of a “national security” issue for the

Pentagon: resource scarcity/ competition caused by migration of coastal peoples (who would be

considered environmental refugees at that point) and “…the capacity for the existing world order

to survive,” (1:15:00). Arguably, not what one would expect from “the leader of the free world,”

a champion of human rights, etc., given how inherently flawed/ discriminatory/ corrupt/ etc. “the

existing world order” truly is.

More than anything though, the film really highlights the creation of division amongst a

people (25:00); specifically, that there is no need to pursue inquiry into a subject if there is lack

of consensus: if half of the population does not believe it to be important, or even extant, then it

is altogether a waste of resources. Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX) says, “The fossil fuel

industry is the biggest industry in the world…they have more money and more influence than

any other sector” (57:00), so of course the fossil fuel industry will, as DiCaprio says, “…

basically want to keep doing business as usual,” (56:50). Musk estimates that 100 of his Tesla

Gigafactories would produce enough energy to power the world, which DiCaprio remarks as

“manageable,” (58:35); admittedly, the gigafactory is also quoted as having “the largest footprint

of any building in the world…counting multiple levels, could be as much as 15 million ft2”

(59:00), and Musk expresses the need for companies “much bigger than Tesla to do the same

thing,” (59:10). Now, nearly a decade after the film’s production, I am curious as to what, if any,
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
progress has been made on those suggested 100 gigafactories, given Musk’s fervor for space and

colonization of the planet Mars; with the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic, the ongoing war between

Russia and Ukraine, and many other current events, the fossil fuel industry is still going strong,

with June 2022 (roughly six years post-production) having an average gasoline price of $5/

gallon. While the film and Dr Michael Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric sciences at

Penn State University, highlight that roughly 97% of climate scientists agree (23:13) that climate

change not only exists but is both caused by human activity and is a legitimate threat, he goes on

to speak about “think tanks” and “front groups” with “lofty sounding names” that are established

to essentially oppose climate change and of “…people with fairly impressive credentials who are

willing to sell those credentials” (25:30) to support these “groups” and “tanks”; Dr Mann speaks

of receiving emails, death threats, and even having to involve the FBI, all because of his so-

called “hockey stick graph” which illustrated the sudden uptick in temperatures.

A news clip at (25:22) shows a gentleman advocating that, “It is easier to believe in a

benevolent God and the baby Jesus than it is in some kind of theory about global warming.”

Later in the film, Senator (R-OK) James Inhofe is labeled as “…probably the most prominent

congressional climate change denier” (26:46), cited as authoring a book as well as verbally

claiming climate change as “the greatest hoax”; he is shown stating, “Some people, are so

arrogant as to think, that they are so powerful that they can change climate; man can’t change

climate,” (27:00). This is ironic, considering the entirety of human history and civilization has

been built on the foundation of changing the world to fit human needs: mines/ rock quarries,

acreage for agriculture, i.e. destroying something in order to make something else – something

that is “useful.” While things like “shelter” can be found ranging from a small bird’s nest to a
Christopher Siters
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RPTM 220
02/15/2024
naturally occurring cave, and in fact, cave-dwelling is prevalent in many species, from bugs to

bats to bears; it is the permanency and, perhaps even more so, the exclusivity with which human

habitat has been and continues to be constructed. Humans systematically removing themselves

from the mandates of the natural world seems pretty arrogant and powerful, does it not?

Extending human life-expectancy, genetically-engineering plants/ animals/ etc., creating faster

and further modes of transportation, etc., it is hard to say that humans are NOT “playing god.”

This rapid and extreme augmentation of human processes is literally unmatched in the

natural world. The creation/ proliferation of the internet has not only enabled access to

information but has also made the dispersal of misinformation nearly effortless, and now humans

have begun creating such advanced technologies that we cannot completely comprehend them

(the creation and rise of machine learning/ AI); thus (arguably) we, as a species, are creating

problems faster than we can solve them. Mayor Philip Levine says, “We do not have the liberty

or time to debate climate change” (20:05), and Sunita Narain expresses that people like her (the

rich) “…are rich enough to withstand the first hit of climate change, but it is the poor…who are

impacted today,” (38:20).

In science, the term entropy is defined as the measure of disorder within a given system,

that is, how much energy is NOT available to perform work (i.e. a measure of a system’s

inefficiency); the higher the entropy, the less working energy is available, thus the less efficient

the system is, because not all of the energy is being used and/ or is being used inappropriately.

No one solution is ever THE solution, life is much too complicated for that, and thus there is

always going to be an inherent amount of entropy, or disorder, in any given situation, which is

the reason that sowing divisions amongst a population is so easy; there are inherent divisions
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
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everywhere that only need a little prodding in order to widen and further divide,

misappropriating the use/ end-product of energy and/ or making even less and less energy

available within the system.

Another way to look at it is through the lens of medicine, an illustration perhaps best

given in the interview with Dr Piers Sellers (1:15:38), a NASA astronaut who was diagnosed

with stage four pancreatic cancer; he touches on the “fog of confusion” (1:21:40) surrounding

climate change, in relation to human understanding (as well as his own experience as a scientist),

being akin to “…an ant trying to understand an elephant…climbing all over,” (1:16:30). He

speaks so beautifully of the Earth, the way, perhaps, only one who has seen it from afar could,

How thin the world’s atmosphere is…tiny little onion skin…an

astonishingly fragile film…up there in orbit…1,200 miles in any direction…a

kind of revelation…all the cities at night…millions of people working away,

doing something…I saw the Amazon River go between my feet…whole green

carpet on either side all the way out to the sea…the sun coming up…the whole

forest waking up, doing what it does every day, breathing in, breathing out.

This sentiment is mirrored in a subsequent scene of Bosch’s triptych, revealing that another

(fourth) picture appears on the outside of the two panels upon closing, which is where the story

begins: depicting Earth as it was believed to be on the third day of creation (1:22:20); a flat,

circular plane enclosed in a clear glass globe. And it is sad that few people will ever get to

experience that perspective of Earth firsthand. Instead, humans have expanded to inhabit nearly

every part of the world, whether permanently (such as in cities) or even randomly occupied and/

or impermanent habitations (such as during explorations/ expeditions, etc.); this is despite not
Christopher Siters
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being native to and/ or not being evolutionarily adapted to survive in the climate(s) of these

places. Looking at anatomy and physiology, nearly no types of bodily structures/ tissues are

meant to be freely mobile, most have some sort of tissue surrounding/ anchoring them to

neighboring structures (cartilage, ligaments, interstitial tissue, etc.); much of the macro-anatomy

is meant to be fairly fixed and thus easily studied. Zooming in is when we see the micro-

movement of individual cells and/ or molecules, usually with some sort of highly specialized

functions or are universally required (e.g. red/ white blood cells, hormones, H2O/ O2, etc.); most

cells of a specific type/ function (e.g. cardiac, epidermal, pancreatic, etc.) largely remain within

their designated organs and roles, and thus when certain cells are found to either be

(re)producing too much and/ or are found where they are not “supposed to be,” this is a sign of

disease. Cancer, being defined as something evil or a malignancy “that spreads destructively,”

“potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis.”

Looking at these definitions of entropy and cancer, it is hard to argue against the evidently and

ultimately negative impact humanity is having; regardless of the amount of “progress” made,

regardless of how far humanity has metastasized since coming out of Africa or farming in the

Fertile Crescent…because, regardless of the devastating impact to the human being and even to

those others around them…the cancer would ultimately look at the tumor(s) it built and label it

“progress.”
Christopher Siters
Dr Milazzo
RPTM 220
02/15/2024
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