Having exposed the risks posed by natural gas drilling, known as fracking, in the documentaries "Gasland" and "Gasland Part II," Josh FOX was struck by a sobering thought: "We could beat the fossil-fuel industry, but we still might lose everything we love to climate change."
Now, in HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN'T CHANGE, he surveys the damage from possibly the greatest threat the world has ever faced, but also finds reasons for hope. Showing how people around the world are taking action to protect their communities, the timely documentary debuts MONDAY, JUNE 27 (9:00-11:10 p.m. ET/PT).
Other HBO playdates: June 30 (7:50 a.m., 5:15 p.m.) and July 3 (10:00 a.m.), 7 (12:30 a.m.), 13 (noon) and 16 (noon)
The documentary will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.
After his Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning film "Gasland" (followed by "Gasland Part II") helped mobilize public opposition to fracking, Josh FOX noticed that his favorite Hemlock tree was dying from a parasite that has been advancing up the East Coast due to warmer winters, a consequence of human-induced climate change. That observation, combined with witnessing the destruction from Hurricane Sandy, served as a wake-up call for the filmmaker, who realized that even if the battle was won against fracking in his own backyard, there was a bigger war still to fight against global warming.
With his trademark humor, banjo in hand and signature investigative style, FOX travels to 12 countries on six continents and discovers that, while it may be too late to stop the worst consequences of climate change, there are sources of good news that must be supported and strengthened.
FOX ponders the effects of continued global warming, such as rising sea levels, record droughts, superstorms, dying coral reefs, species extinction, food insecurity and increased conflicts over limited resources. In this action-packed, music-fueled odyssey, he visits both leaders and everyday citizens - some of whom chose to remain anonymous when FOX is shooting undercover - in a search for meaning and the things worth fighting for.
He interviews climate scientists, experts and activists, including: environmental analyst Lester Brown, founder of Worldwatch Institute; Ella Chou, an expert on energy in both China and the U.S.; attorney and environmental activist Van Jones; Elizabeth Kolbert, author of "The Sixth Extinction"; Michael Mann, a climatologist and geophysicist at Penn State University; Bill McKibben, founder of350.org; and Petra Tschakert, a professor of earth and environment at the University of Western Australia.
In the face of dire scientific predictions about negative impacts in the near future, as well as the testimony of individuals in communities suffering from climate change today, HOW TO LET GO asks, "What is it that climate change can't destroy? What is so deep within us that no calamity can take it away?"
FOX concludes that courage, resilience, innovation, democracy and community are among the ideals that must thrive in order for people to weather the coming challenges. In fact, individuals in places as diverse as China, Africa, the Amazon, the Pacific and the U.S. are relying on these very qualities and basic civic values in their ongoing battles to save the planet and ourselves.
The final chapter in the "Gasland" trilogy, HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN'T CHANGE is supported by and extended through the Let Go & Love Tour, which will travel to 100 cities across the country. Part of a bold distribution strategy that includes a theatrical release, the HBO presentation, screenings at prestigious film festivals around the country, including the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and dozens of community screenings, the tour features FOX joined by experts, artists and local organizers to help communities embrace renewable energy solutions that promote decreased reliance on the fossil fuels that have precipitated global warming.
HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN'T CHANGE was written and directed by Josh Fox; produced by Deia Schlosberg, Josh Fox; edited by Annukka Lilja, Greg King. For HBO: senior producer, Nancy Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.
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