The trailer for Showtime’s 2014 event series Years of Living Dangerously has been released online. The docu-series comes from executive producers James Cameron and Jerry Weintraub and examines the effects of climate change on a global scale with a particular focus on the human impact. Cameron introduces the trailer himself, but I was encouraged to see that the documentary doesn’t just jump right into the effects of climate change, it takes the time to lay out the facts and the “debate” at hand as well. Misinformation leads to ignorance, and it’s important that the audience is aware of the overwhelming facts and science pointing to the effects of climate change before diving into the actual, you know, evidence.
The docu-series will unfold over “six to eight” hourlong episodes, with a number of celebrity correspondents visiting areas all over the world that have been effected by climat change. Notable appearances include Matt Damon, Mark Bittman, Thomas Friedman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Munn, Don Cheadle, Chris Hayes, Michael C. Hall, and Harrison Ford. Watch the trailer after the jump. Years of Living Dangerously will air on Showtime starting April 2014.
Here’s a list of the docu-series correspondents and their roles in the project:
Jessica Alba (actress, author and co-founder of The Honest Company) follows three Climate Corps fellows as they attempt to green the corporate sector.
Mark Bittman (food journalist, author, and New York Times columnist) shoots two pieces: he explores rising sea levels and the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, with a focus on Union Beach, New Jersey; and, in an investigation that takes him all across the country, he tries to determine just how clean natural gas is.
Don Cheadle (star of the SHOWTIME series HOUSE OF LIES) reports on the severe droughts in the Southwest, and sees if a town in Texas can rebound.
Matt Damon (Elysium) examines the public health impact of heat waves as they sweep across Los Angeles and other cities around the globe.
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) explores wind and solar power: if they're so good, why are so many people trying to block them?
Harrison Ford (42) travels to Indonesia to report on deforestation and the struggle to prevent it.
Thomas Friedman (journalist, New York Times columnist and author) investigates how climate change impacts national sovereignty in the Middle East.
Michael C. Hall (star of the SHOWTIME series DEXTER®) goes to Bangladesh to see a vision of our climate-changed future.
Chris Hayes (MSNBC’s All In) shoots two pieces involving Super Storm Sandy: a U.S. congressman comes face to face with climate change when extreme weather hits close to home; two Far Rockaway families endure the winter following the destructive storm.
Olivia Munn (The Newsroom) reports from Washington State as a new governor makes combating global warming a top priority.
Dr. M. Sanjayan (lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy) sets out on an epic journey around the world to see the effects of climate change firsthand. Will he be convinced that climate change is real?
Arnold Schwarzenegger (former Governor of California) treks deep into the forests of the American West, following a team of elite “Hot Shot” firefighters as they face what could be one of the worst fire seasons yet.
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries) follows Anna Jane Joyner, the 28-year-old daughter of Evangelical preacher Rick Joyner, as she tries to convince congregations and preachers across North Carolina – including her father – that they need to join the fight.
Lesley Stahl (60 Minutes correspondent) travels to Greenland to explore the fate of the Arctic as global temperature increases melt the ice sheet at an unprecedented rate and unlock all sorts of new riches.