Top 10 Things Don't Look Up Got Factually Right and Wrong

Right
In the beginning of “Don’t Look Up,” we get to see a small group of scientists discover a comet and its course through space. Naturally, they checked their information with a few other professionals to make sure they didn’t make any errors. So, there is no doubt about the existence of the comet in the science community. In real life, scientists have been researching climate change since as early as the 1950s. Scientists from all over the world have collected, compared, and shared data and there is no doubt about their conclusion: the climate is changing. In both the film and in reality, there is clear scientific proof that something is threatening the general public’s livelihood.

Wrong
From the get-go, no one in the Don’t Look Up universe seems to care about the comet as much as PHD candidate Kate Dibiasky. More than that, the other characters seemed to refuse to grasp the gravity of the problem. They seemed to not believe there was even a problem - which couldn’t be farther from reality, both in the film and in our world. However, in our world, the crisis isn’t an approaching comet but rather climate change, and it is something that even-non-scientists can understand. In fact, people of all ages and from all backgrounds are getting involved in the fight to slow down climate change. And with the internet making information more accessible than ever, people that care about climate change are staying informed and learning more about what they can do to help.

Right
The media moves fast, but the internet moves a lot faster. After the scientists started their media tour to spread the news about the comet, opinions poured in. Not many people were quick to believe them, but quite a few were quick to come up with pretty wild theories about the duo and the comet. So here, instead of life imitating art, we have art imitating life. For when it comes to climate change, and any other divisive issue really, there has been no shortage of conspiracy theories blatantly contradicting science and diluting the seriousness of the problems at hand.

Right
If a comet was flying straight at Earth, most people would likely think that shooting a rocket at it to knock it off its course might be a sensible solution. Most people, except for maybe billionaires who already have more money than they could ever spend. Instead, they might want the comet to hit Earth in order to profit off its precious metals. Though that exact scenario is nowhere close to the truth, the most logical climate actions do often get put on the back burner. Instead of transitioning out fossil fuels and working to create less carbon emissions, some big companies are siding in favor of unreliable technologies focusing on carbon dioxide removal. At least the tech is a step in the right direction.

Wrong
In both our reality and the movie, we are faced with a pretty big threat. And in both cases, we actually already have the technology to lessen the threat. But having the technology and using the technology are two very different things. In “Don’t Look Up,” the plan to shoot the comet off course was bulldozed by an Elon Musk-like tech billionaire. Here and now, we have all sorts of technological resources to combat climate change, like using renewable fuels and scaling up carbon dioxide removal tech. Director Adam McKay said it best, “we have the science to solve the climate crisis… We are missing AWARENESS, WILL AND ACTION” - especially from the people that have the power to take it.

Right
It’s no secret that the creators of this movie drew heavily from reality. In fact, there was a lot more that it got right than it got wrong. Though we don’t have a planet-destroying comet made of expensive elements hurtling straight towards us (we hope), we do have naturally occurring elements and minerals right here on Earth. And some scientists believe they will be the next gold rush. These chemical elements are used in electronics, batteries, and clean energy hardware. Maybe the demand for minerals is getting us a step closer to a cleaner planet. We only hope the mining is done in a nature-friendly way.

Right
When Dr. Mindy and Kate realize the President isn’t going to help with the comet, they wrongly believe that the media would be able to help. Unfortunately, once on-airm the news anchors refuse to take the scientists seriously, and Kate ends up as a meme. Unfortunately, that depiction isn’t too far from reality: climate change is covered minimally, if it’s covered at all. People who get their news solely from TV are only getting part of the whole picture. One news host even tweeted that climate change is a “ratings killer,” so they have no incentive to cover it. Media outlets often care more about making a profit than spreading meaningful information. But just like in the movie, there are social media users who try to step up and spread what knowledge they can.

Wrong
There is one big problem throughout the movie: the comet. That in itself causes a bunch of other problems, but the comet is the only real threat to the people of Earth. And it makes sense, as the movie would probably be pretty boring if they were just finding new threats the whole time. But in reality, climate change is not just one single problem that has a clear and simple solution. Climate change is more of a blanket term for a vast array of problems that have varying solutions. Action to combat these threats would require people addressing a LOT of big issues around the world, not just one, which is why it’s also been called a crisis, and an emergency, among other things.

Right
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence's characters in the movie are pretty rational people. When they discovered an Earth-ending threat, their first reaction was to reach out to the people that should be able to help: the government. Yet they were met with side eyes of disbelief and outright disrespect. Like in the movie, many real-life politicians scoff at the idea of climate change rather than looking into the facts and try to take action. Many efforts to lower carbon emissions and switch to renewable resources have been thwarted by the same people that are supposed to be leaders of said efforts. But not all hope is lost, since there are some politicians out there fighting the good fight for the environment.

Wrong
Big spoiler alert here! The movie does not have the happy ending you would expect. Nope; instead, the fears of the scientists are realized. The comet actually hits, and most of the population ends up dying. The movie is definitely a commentary on our current situation, but is not necessarily a prediction. Though what’s going on in our world shares parallels with a lot of the negative parts of the film, unlike the characters in “Don’t Look Up,” we still have a chance to change our future. Climate change is something that has been happening over the last several decades. It may be too late to reverse the changes already made, but it is not too late to take action and stop further and more permanent damage.