6 Degrees That Can Change the World is a documentary by National Geographic that discusses themes and causes of climate change on a global basis, what effects we can see already, and what we can do to make a difference. I was first introduced to the documentary in my Environmental Biology class during a discussion about climate change. I was immediately intrigued just by the first 20 minutes, with all the facts, real life examples and first hand stories. As someone who is politically active with environmental progress, I decided to go watch it on my own. Luckily, the documentary is easily accessible on Youtube.

When watching for the first time, I thought it was very interesting how they recognize the effects that are happening right now. For instance, how Australia's bushfire season is increasing in length and intensity. That people on the east coast of Australia are constantly abandoning their homes, losing loved ones and sentimental memories due to these fires. Having these devastating wildfires multiple times a year, every year has really taken a toll on these people. Another example is how populations that are closer to the north and south poles are experiencing a higher risk of skin cancer. In places like New Zealand, due to a depleting ozone layer around that area, people are more susceptible to the UV rays that the ozone layer would usually filter out. However, these problems are only relative by location. The documentary also visits England, where global warming has brought bounty to farms. They now have the perfect temperature and can grow olives and grapes like Italy and France. I think these examples are extremely important to look at, especially when looking at the effects of climate change and how these could develop in future.

The documentary also features plenty of experts on the subjects they are talking about. Professeurs at different universities across the world, scientists studying these problems and their suggestions for how to change it. Using these experts increases the credibility of the documentary. By making sure the information they are providing is correct and thorough. Because the documentary is a couple years old, made in 2007, we actually have a worse climate now compared to then. Many of these experts agree that we need to do something, and soon.

One of the only downsides of the documentary is it’s length. Clocking in at 90 minutes long, it is about the length of a movie. However, it does pack a lot of good information in. If it was up to me, I would’ve liked to cut some scenes out, some seemed repetitive and generally boring to the watcher. Including some scenes describing the really technical parts of climate change, where most people would not understand. Still recognizing this is an educational documentary, doing this would make it shorter and hopefully encourage more people would watch it. I think this information is super important, and we should try to make it more accessible to people.

This documentary was very eye-opening for me. We always hear about the climate change debate on the news or in politics and wonder how, why, where, when, is this happening? As someone who lives in Wisconsin, I really don’t see these drastic changes as someone living in New Zealand does. Seeing this documentary could change the minds of young people, the people that will be fighting climate change in the future.

Overall, I would recommend 6 Degrees That Can Change the World to anyone, because climate change affects us all. With this documentary, people can learn what is happening from people who have experienced the effects and experts. Additionally, I hope this documentary will start some discussion among teenagers about the earth and how to protect it. So if you have some time on your hands, consider watching 6 Degrees That Can Change the World.