Adjusting the Tune on Climate Change

Cambridge, Mass. — For a week in November, people across the United States were complaining bitterly about the cold. Record low temperatures were experienced in 43 states; in some northern regions, residents had to dig tunnels to get out of houses engulfed by as much as seven feet of snow.

The freakish cold snap hardly rates in comparison with the devastating floods, fires and droughts that have recently afflicted other parts of the world. But it is another example of how extreme weather has become a global reality, one that is putting the contentious issue of climate changesquarely in the middle of everyday conversations.

“Everybody is starting to understand that weather is doing something strange,” said Marilyn Weiner, director of “Extreme Realities,” a documentary produced by her husband, Hal Weiner. The film is making the rounds of American universities and civic groups ahead of its television premiere in December.

The film, narrated by the actor Matt Damon, argues that climate change has geopolitical consequences, which in turn have implications for American national security. Natural catastrophes have stoked wars, political instability, a surge in refugees, even terrorism.

Somber experts — from the World Bank, the Pentagon and the world of environmental sciences — tell the camera that the quickening pace of climate change can only be halted by concerted international action.

How many times have we heard that before? Almost every year, the World Bank has put out a devastating report on some aspect of climate change. Last month, in a report entitled “Turn Down the Heat,” the World Bank warned that if nothing is done, global temperatures will rise by 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, by 2060, creating a “cataclysm” for poor countries.

The Weiners have been making documentaries about the environment since 1992, with notable success; their films regularly appear on PBS channels and college campuses across the United States. Despite these credentials, for “Extreme Realities,” their latest film in a 13-part series, they had to turn to crowdfunding when their usual package of grants fell short.

Getting the message out is never easy; getting people to listen is harder yet, particularly on a subject as elusive as climate science. The trick is to find a narrative compelling enough to reach a wider audience, the Weiners said.

“This time, we have tried very, very hard to find a subject that people on both sides would be interested in,” Mr. Weiner said. “That subject is weather; everyone is interested in weather, and everyone is interested in terrorism.”