Global warming is a hot topic right now and more people are thinking about humanity's role in Earth's future. With pollution on the rise and all other manner of hapless activity, many would say that we're going to be the cause of our own extinction. It seems that everyone has their own theories about how global warming will happen, what's causing it, and what we can do about it.

One viewing of the nightly news cast will paint a doom and gloom scenario complete with Al Gore leading the charge. Not only that but DVDs such as An Inconvenient Truth are also on the market as another source of information for people interested in the subject. With that being said, if you're not the least bit aware of, or interested in, global warming then you're probably going to be in for a nasty surprise one day. Everywhere you look there are extreme weather phenomena and signs of climate changes across the globe. These changes impact our very existence and whether you believe it is manmade or not, global warming is something that affects us all.

Featured by the History Channel, A Global Warning? offers yet another look at the hot topic with some insightful views. While there are no startling revelations in this documentary there is quite a lot of information that someone without their finger on the global warming pulse may not have known. A brief discussion about what global warming is and how it concerns us gets this feature started. From there we're taken back millions of years to a cyclical point in Earth's history.

If you watched the recently released How the Earth Was Made then some of this information will already be in your hands. Over the course of Earth's history many species evolved and died out for one reason or another. For the most part the extinctions were caused by the Earth itself. Our planet has gone through many hot and cold cycles over the years and in each instance it has created a new slate for evolution to work with. From the -40 degree temperatures of the ice age to some serious volcanic activity that superheated the surface, there's always some point in our planet's history that turns the course of life for good.

In one particular instance a massive amount of carbon dioxide was leaked into the atmosphere by a powerful volcano. This caused the mass extinction of 95% of organic life on the planet due to the fact that the planet's temperature rose by about 10 degrees. Plants died out which led to herbivores starving to death which lead to carnivores following in kind. It's a nasty pattern that is apparently starting to happen again.

This time around the increased amount of carbon dioxide isn't from some super volcano or molten lava lurking beneath the surface. Our own tendency to pollute has caused a rise in greenhouse gases which is drastically impacting the world around us. Thousands of species have gone extinct in recent years and many believe that humanity is a direct cause of that. Our drive for energy is harming our environment and bringing the world to the brink of a cataclysmic event. We're not talking about a Day After Tomorrow scenario but one just as grim that will change the scope of our planet and life as we know it.

A Global Warning? is a very insightful documentary that packs a lot of material into 90 minutes. If you're even the least bit interested in the subject then you'll appreciate what this feature brings to the table. While the jury is still out on whether or not we are in the midst of a cyclical change for the Earth or if we're the cause of it one thing is certain. Humanity needs to adapt to the changing environment if it wants any hope of surviving the fate of our ancestors.

Normally I would reserve this section for only special boxed sets or dynamic packaging that deserves to be discussed. Unfortunately I'm bringing it up for this release due to the nature of this documentary's presentation. Given the earthy nature of this DVD it's no surprise that History Channel went with a package that was made from 100% post-consumer recycled material. While nice in theory the actual case here is built of flimsy paper and the DVD compartment feels like an egg-carton. The housing of the DVD is very flimsy and one could easily break the case or disc if they weren't careful. I appreciate where History Channel was going with the recycled package but certainly there must have been a better way to design it.

A Global Warning? is presented on DVD with a non-anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. It's kind of disappointing given the sometimes beautiful nature of the graphics but fortunately the quality of the video is decent enough. With sharp visuals that are marred by only a light amount of grain there is a lot to like about the picture quality of this release. The colors are vibrant, the image is mostly crystal clear, and there is no compression to be found anywhere. This is arguably one of the better looking History Channel documentaries I have watched in a while.

As far as documentaries go the audio in A Global Warning? is standard fare. The English 2.0 stereo track is suitable for the material but is far from robust by all accounts. That's not necessarily a bad thing considering a show such as this doesn't need much more than the basics to get its point across. What's here is fine and just what you'd expect an educational feature to sound.

While other History Channel documentaries offer an extended look at similar material with extra documentaries, A Global Warning? simply offers a few more scenes. Five additional chapters clocking in at just under ten minutes appear through the bonus menu. This information could have easily been added to the documentary but were left out for whatever reason.

A Global Warning? is a very worthwhile documentary about global warming and what we're looking at in the possible future. While it paints a picture that shows severe climate changes prior to the rise of pollution it also states that we can take steps to improve our situation. Filled with facts and some speculation this documentary will entertain and educate you if you allow it to. The History Channel has a track record of producing some fine documentaries and this one is no exception.

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