Scientist

Part of the See You In Copenhagen series focusing on different individuals with an interest in the Copenhagen climate change summit, Scientist features oceanographer Rob Dunbar talking about his work in measuring the temperature, acidity and salinity of the seas. It's a very hands-on, approachable piece of work in which we see his team extracting coral cores with which to explore what's happened to the seas in the past, and it cuts between the seas and the lab to explain their meaning. It will give many viewers a much clearer idea of how this sort of science works without being patronising or overly geeky.

Balancing out the scientific side of things is some beautiful ocean photography - both above and below the water - which appeals to our hearts as the voiceover appeals to our heads. This kind of thing may have been see before but it remains highly watchable when done well. It helps us to relate to Dunbar's passion for his subject, something which comes across clearly despite the direct and unsentimental nature of the piece.

Monitoring the oceans, Dunbar suggests, is the key to understanding climate change. It can tell us a lot about our likely future. Whilst it would be interesting to see this explored in more depth in a longer work, Scientist is nevertheless an effective little film which succeeds in giving a human face to the scientific side of the climate change debate.

See You in Copenhagen_Scientist / Rob Dunbar from See You in Copenhagen on Vimeo.