Our Community’s 5 Favorite Climate Documentaries

Climate documentaries often do more than inform. They unsettle, awaken, and quietly change how we move through the world. When we asked our community which films shaped their relationship with the climate crisis, the answers were deeply personal. These are not just recommendations. They are moments of reckoning.

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Each film offers a different entry point: grief, anger, responsibility, hope, and love. Together, they remind us that climate action does not begin with perfection. It begins with paying attention and choosing, again and again, to care.

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1. A Life on Our Planet

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David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet offers both a warning and a witness account of a planet transformed within a single lifetime.

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For Tavia, watching it shortly after becoming a parent made the stakes painfully clear.

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“Shortly after my first child was born in 2020, I watched the David Attenborough film, A Life on Our Planet. He spoke about the damage we were doing and what it could be like in 2100. I realised in that moment that my new baby would still be alive then, and it absolutely broke me. This isn't a problem that's miles away in the future; this will directly affect my children and my grandchildren, and I need to do everything in my power to help.” Tavia, Cheltenham, UK

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This film collapses the illusion that climate change is a distant problem. It brings the future uncomfortably close.

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Watch A Life on Our Planet ->

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2. The End of Suburbia

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The End of Suburbia examines the environmental and social costs of oil dependence and endless consumption, particularly in suburban lifestyles.

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For Yolanda, it sparked a shift toward intention.

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“I watched The End of Suburbia, and that really shifted my mindset to be more intentional about my buying habits and trying to be more sustainable in general. That was my initial motivation.” Yolanda Gonzalez, New York, NY

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Sometimes, change begins not with fear, but with awareness of how everyday choices add up.

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Watch The End of Suburbia ->

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3. A Plastic Ocean

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Few documentaries confront consumption as viscerally as A Plastic Ocean. Its imagery stays with you long after the screen goes dark.

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Rachel recalls the moment everything changed.

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“The more that I read about plastics and when I watched Plastic Ocean, is when I saw all of these birds washing up on the shore. And you see the shore, and it's full of dead birds, and their bellies are filled with plastic. I was just horrified.” Rachel Sirwatka, Ithaca, NY

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The film transforms plastic from a convenience into a moral reckoning, forcing viewers to confront the consequences of what we throw away.

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Watch A Plastic Ocean->

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4. The Game Changers

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While often discussed in terms of health and performance, The Game Changers also opens a door to deeper environmental awareness.

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For Jacqueline, it was the start of a lasting shift.

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“I have been eating primarily plants, mostly a plant-based diet, for about five years now. I started this after a vegan friend recommended a documentary called Game Changers. I watched that and really walked away from it wanting to experience that peak performance as a living, breathing human. To protest a little bit against the lobbies of meat and dairy in particular, as I moved into a plant-based diet, I learned more about the environmental impact, and really, that has taken over as the main reason for me to continue.” Jacqueline Elliott, Fresno, CA

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What begins as a personal experiment can evolve into an act of quiet protest against systems that harm both bodies and the planet.

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Watch The Game Changers->

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5. Kiss the Ground

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Kiss the Ground reframes climate action from doom to regeneration, focusing on soil health and its power to restore ecosystems.

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Nicole describes how it reshaped her relationship with waste.

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“It made apparent to me the importance of composting and reducing emissions from landfills and implementing a positive feedback loop with soil health, food consumption, and agriculture. And if I'm unable to compost my food scraps wherever I am, I have a container with me. I always bring it home to compost because it really eats at me knowing that a banana peel I threw in the trash will end up suffocated in a landfill for who knows how many years, taking forever to break down. So composting just gives me a little peace of mind that my waste will generate new life, which is pretty cool.” Nicole Collins, Vienna, Virginia

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The film reminds us that climate solutions can be cyclical, hopeful, and rooted in care.

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Watch Kiss the Ground->

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