The MEJ Team’s List of Favorites
Written by: Elle Eyestone
Edited by: Ada Collins
One of our goals at the McGill Energy Journal is to make energy and environmentalism accessible and interesting for our readers. So, to start off the new year, the MEJ team has compiled a list of our favorite movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, and videos that we find compelling and hope will encourage readers to engage with these subjects. Enjoy!
Movies
Fantastic Fungi
Fantastic Fungi is a beautifully shot film that aims to highlight how intelligent and interwoven nature is. This documentary allows its viewers to dive into the world of fungi and learn why they are such essential organisms to all life on Earth. You learn about their ability to clean oil pills, cure disease, and how they can allow trees to communicate with one another. This film truly cannot be recommended enough - it is extraordinary.
Fantastic Fungi is available to stream on Netflix, and you can learn more at: https://fantasticfungi.com/
The True Cost
The True Cost is an acclaimed documentary that highlights the shortcomings and failures behind the scenes of the fashion industry. The film links consumerism in wealthy countries to environmental degradation and human rights violations in other countries. It is a tough watch, but it is well worth it.
The True Cost is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime Video or stream for free with Ads on Tubi TV.
For further information on this topic, you can visit The True Cost’s website: https://truecostmovie.com/
TV Shows
“Our Planet”
If you have not yet had the pleasure of watching Netflix’s Our Planet, this is your sign to. Narrated by David Attenbourough, this TV series is inspiring, thrilling, and gut wrenching. Each episode focuses on a different environment, providing an in depth look into a variety of predator-prey relationships, family dynamics, funny oddities, and more.
There is currently one season of Our Planet available for streaming on Netflix, but a second season will come out this year. Another related watch is Our Planet Behind the Scenes where you get to see how the crew was able to capture such striking moments in nature.
Podcasts
“Zero”
Bloomberg’s podcast “Zero” explores new green technologies and policies that bring us closer to zero emissions. Akshat Rathi, an award-winning climate reporter, has conversations with the policy makers, innovators, scientists, and more about what they are doing to reduce emissions. This is a great podcast if you are looking to stay up-to-date about progress in the energy sector.
You can listen to “Zero” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or you can check out their website: https://www.bloomberg.com/green-zero-emissions-podcast
“Climate Sense”
“Climate Sense,” hosted by Samantha Gross, serves as a great entry point into the energy world. Each episode, Gross sits down with experts from all corners of the energy sector to explain debates surrounding climate change and provide updates on energy-sector news. This podcast is great if you want a quick and clear idea about the current state of energy.
You can listen to “Climate Sense” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or you can check out their website: https://www.brookings.edu/series/climate-sense-podcast/
“The Sustainability Story”
“The Sustainability Story” is a compelling and informative podcast hosted by Matt Orsach, a senior director at the CFA institute. Orsach sits down with professionals each episode to tell a story about how we can move toward financial sustainability. If you are interested in intersections between finance and environmentalism, sustainable investing, policy, and more, “The Sustainability Story” is the podcast for you.
You can listen to “The Sustainability Story” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
“Climate One”
Climate One is a podcast that hosts leaders from business, policy, and advocacy groups to engage in a conversation surrounding sustainable development. The podcast has hosted a variety of remarkable guests, including Jane Goodall, former Vice President Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford, and many more.
You can listen to Climate One on Spotify, Apple Music, or on the Climate One website: https://www.climateone.org/
Books
Drawdown - Paul Hawken
We know that so much about climate change feels discouraging, and that sometimes it seems like there is no hope. Paul Hawken helps to remedy that feeling in his book Drawdown. Hawken highlights solutions to the climate crisis - solutions that are now taught in universities and inform policy. This is a poignant and impactful read, and we highly recommend it.
You can rent to Drawdown from the McGill University Library, or you can check out their website: https://drawdown.org/the-book
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates
Bill Gates’ How to Avoid a Climate Disaster outlines strategies to reduce emissions on a global, national, and individual level. Gates makes a point to keep his book accessible to the public by minimizing jargon and clearly mapping out the current state of the energy world. Gates aims to involve everyone in the complex and interesting world of energy - similarly to our MEJ team!
You can rent to How to Avoid a Climate Disaster from the McGill University Library, or you can check out Bill Gates’ Blog: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/My-new-climate-book-is-finally-here
Videos
“Can 100% renewable energy power the world?” - Federico Rosei and Renzo Rosei
If you are looking for a concise and engaging introduction to renewable energy, then look no further. The video discusses what renewable energy is, the pros and cons of implementation, and why we should be optimistic about the future of energy.
Watch here: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-100-renewable-energy-power-the-world-federico-rosei-and-renzo-rosei
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