Summer Film Shows Difference Between Science Fiction & Science Fact

(12 May 2004 — NY)  On May 28 the film The Day After Tomorrow is scheduled to open.  It depicts Earth in the very near future coping with the disastrous impacts of global climate change.  While the movie is entertaining fiction, global warming is a fact, and its impacts can be seen happening now.  People either accept this reality and are working toward solutions or are in denial.  A downloadable Public Service Announcement is available at www.undoit.org/psa.cfm and a downloadable video news release is available at www.undoit.org/dat.cfm.

“The Day After Tomorrow uses dramatic license and special effects to show people a very real problem.  Global warming isn’t just something happening in movie theatres.  It’s happening all around us, and will keep happening until we get greenhouse gas pollution under control,” said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense.

“The Day After Tomorrow is an exaggerated look at the impacts of global warming, but it’s no exaggeration to say that global warming is happening now, and that our children and grandchildren will have to live with the impacts,” said Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, Environmental Defense science advisor and a Princeton Professor.

“It won’t take as much flooding as in the movie to turn New York upside down.  The infrastructure that keeps the New York region going, the airports and the train, subway and automobile tunnels are all at serious flood risk in a greenhouse future.  Weather related shutdowns of these facilities could become the rule, rather than the exception, if global warming is not controlled,” said Krupp.

“While The Day After Tomorrow shows a cold future, in fact, the New York region of the future could be flooded with problems if the U.S. doesn’t take action to cut greenhouse gas pollution.  Our children and grandchildren could be faced with 90 degree-plus days nearly all summer long.  Heat waves of such persistence and intensity would pose a grave health threat for the very young, the elderly and the impoverished,” said Oppenheimer.