Story
Damon Gameau, the director of 2040, is the father of four-year-old Violet (portrayed in young adult form by Eva Lazarro). He’s very concerned about what humanity has been doing to the earth. In particular, he’s worried about the excessive consumption of fossil fuels, the unmanageable amounts of carbon being leaked into the atmosphere, the fact that the oceans are becoming too acidic and that problem of the ice caps melting.
Gameau sets off on a journey around the world in search of options for changing our destructive course. He’s interested in the way that technology can help us curb current pollution rates and also reverse pollution to heal the damage that has been done to the earth. As Gameau learns about how children see the challenges and how current initiatives are making a difference, he feels a renewed sense of hope and urgency to put into practice measures that will help to ensure a healthy earth for future generations.
Themes
Snippets of various natural disasters are shown at different points throughout the movie.
Violence
2040 has some violence. For example:
- There are storm scenes that show bits of buildings being ripped apart by gusty winds.
- Scenes briefly show destruction caused by bush fires and flooding in different parts of the world.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in 2040.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is no use of substances in 2040.
Nudity and sexual activity
2040 contains no nudity or sexual activity.
Product placement
There is no official product placement in 2040. The movie supports the use of solar panels, electric, driverless cars and seaweed, but it doesn’t name brands.
Coarse language
2040 has no coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
2040 is a documentary that offers hope to an ailing world. It exposes the roots of our current environmental problems and offers practical solutions. The movie has great educational content with appeal to a wide variety of audiences.
The main messages from this movie are that we don’t own the earth; we’re just borrowing it from our children and from countless future generations. It’s up to us to stop taking it for granted and to reverse the damage that we’ve already done.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include conservation, innovation, compassion, generosity and gender equality.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like:
- the excessive use of fossil fuels
- sustainable agricultural practices to grow food
- solar power and other renewable sources of energy
- the importance of educating and training girls, especially in third-world countries
- the importance of choosing to put the earth first and being guided by what’s best for humanity as a whole rather than by short-term greed.