The Day After Tomorrow: Remediating Global Warming

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Global warming, an increase in the average of Earth’s temperature, has been occurring since the 1800s. A majority of climatologists conclude that human activities are responsible for most of the warming. The main human activities that contribute to global warming are the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and the clearing of land (NASA). Since wealthier industrial countries use most of the world’s fossil fuels, they not surprisingly contribute most to this phenomenon. Europe, Japan, and North America – with roughly fifteen percent of the world’s current population – are estimated to account for two-thirds of the carbon dioxide now in the atmosphere (Gotham Gazette). Even though it comprises less than five percent of the world’s population, the United States is the single-largest source of carbon from fossil fuels – emitting twenty-four percent of the world’s total carbon output (NASA).

German film director, screen writer, and producer, Roland Emmerich works mostly in the action, science fiction, and disaster genre. A common theme throughout many of his films involves the destruction of western civilization. Emmerich uses a combination of heart-stopping visual and sound effects to attract the audience, which consists of movie-goers interested in science-fictional and suspenseful movies. Since Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow contains an obvious environmental message, his audience also includes scientists and people interested in the topic of global warming. He selectively chooses special effects in order to create or portray a certain feeling or moment he wants the audience to experience. In the film, Emmerich uses scientifically inaccurate exaggerations of the effects of global warming in order to make his m...

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