Years of Living Dangerously: The Complete Series

Gr 9 Up—This excellent Emmy Award–winning series, which originally aired on Showtime, takes viewers on an in-depth tour of climate change's effects on planet Earth. Familiar Hollywood and television stars, along with journalists and scientific experts, travel the globe to present, explain, and seek possible solutions to climate change. Political, religious, economic, social, environmental, agricultural, and educational aspects are discussed. Various locations are featured as the impact of climate change is explored, from drought- and fire-stricken areas of the United States (and those ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy) to Bangladesh, Syria, Indonesia, Belgium, Greenland, Yemen, and Chile. Displacement of people by rising sea levels, struggles over fresh water, years-long drought conditions, insect invasions, deforestation, floods, and political unrest and instability are detailed. Additionally, surprising links between various events happening all over the world and climate change are made apparent. There is a tremendous amount of information presented and wonderful human connections made between the big scientific phenomena discussed and the very real people being adversely impacted by the many aspects of climate change. The famous faces will catch viewers' attention, but the exceptional presentation will draw them in, keep them watching, and get them thinking. Sociology, history, science, math, and health classes could use this series as part of their studies. Students will have many questions answered, and many more questions for discussion will be sparked.—Cynthia Ortiz, Hackensack High School, NJ