(Credit: Netflix)

Released in 2004, The Day After Tomorrow delivered more than just breathtaking visual effects; it brought the urgent issue of climate change to the forefront. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film used its sweeping narrative to highlight the devastating impacts of human-induced climate shifts. Viewers witnessed colossal tidal waves, freezing storms swallowing entire cities, and a sudden plunge into a new ice age. Though dramatised for cinematic effect, these scenes served as stark metaphors for the potential consequences of global warming. This reminder is now on Netflix.

For all the loaded criticism Emmerich can get as a director, he must be credited for tackling the subject matter. Even if it was from a purely cynical angle, i.e. seeing the blockbuster potential for large-scale climate-induced destruction, the director brought to mainstream audiences and public conversation a concept which had previously been relegated to scientists, academics and the few ecologically conscious politicians. While it wasn’t the first ever movie to address climate change, after the release of The Day After Tomorrow, global warming was a household issue.

It’s true – the film’s influence stretched well beyond the cinematic realm, too. According to a study published in the journal Environmental Communication, there was a significant uptick in the number of Americans considering climate change a pressing issue following the film’s release. Media outlets became more attuned to climate discussions, often juxtaposing the movie’s unfolding story with accurate scientific projections.

The scientific community had a mixed reaction. While some praised the film for elevating public discourse about climate change, others were concerned. Some stated that while the film’s core message about the dangers of climate change was necessary, its representation of events was an “exaggeration” and risked misconstruing public understanding.

“Social impact at scale”

However, understanding that “stories are one of the most powerful forms of communication”, the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment (SIE) identified clear and concrete evidence that Emmerich’s movie had affected the general public.

After watching the campaign of Dennis Quaid’s paleoclimatologist to get the US government to take him seriously or seeing Jake Gyllenhaal’s narrow escape from dying of hypothermia, audiences were taking global warming seriously. One of the examples they provided to demonstrate the difference between those who had seen the movie and those who hadn’t was that 83% of moviegoers said they were concerned about global warming compared to 72% of non-watchers. SIE’s conclusion? “Not only can narrative film have social impact, it can have social impact at scale.”

The power of cinema to shape societal dialogue is hardly new. The 1975 film Jaws, for instance, drastically altered the public’s perception of sharks, leading to heightened fears and increased shark hunting. Animal extermination aside, it’s hard not to smirk at this – but there are much more important examples, too. 1993’s Philadelphia ignited invaluable conversations around HIV/AIDS and discrimination at a time when these topics were largely taboo.

However, beyond audience perception, the impact of The Day After Tomorrow was felt in the political world, too. Unlike with, say, Jaws, people’s voting habits were shaped by the movie. After the movie’s release, the UK’s then Environment Minister, Elliot Morley, acknowledged the film’s role in increasing public interest in climate change, stating that it could spur “greater” international action.

Yet, it’s not just politicians who were influenced. Educators in schools worldwide used The Day After Tomorrow as a conversation starter, prompting students to discern cinematic dramatisation from factual environmental science. It became a tool to foster critical thinking and ignite a passion for environmental stewardship among the younger generation.

Even within a year of the movie’s release, a comprehensive and detailed peer-reviewed investigation by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication established that The Day After Tomorrow “had a significant impact on the climate change risk perceptions, conceptual models, behavioural intentions, policy priorities, and even voting intentions of moviegoers.”

In juxtaposition to its cinematic peers, The Day After Tomorrow occupies a unique space. While its meteorological portrayals might not stand up to rigorous scientific scrutiny, its role as a cultural catalyst for discussions around climate responsibility is undeniable. It magnified the urgency of an issue that had, for too long, been whispered in hushed corridors of academia and policy, pushing it into the clamorous arenas of public discourse – and, at nearly 20 years old, it’s a movie that we think should have another mandated viewing.