Evan Almighty's Flood-Prevention Promotion

Evan Almighty, the comedy that casts Steve Carrell as a modern day Noah with an unwelcome mandate from God to build an ark, is using a $25 million "in case it floods or something" message to promote global warming awareness along with the movie itself. Rising sea levels are a given as warmer oceans expand and melting ice caps run into the sea, and the urge to save two of each species has a close-to-home feel as well. Some scientists predict we're in the midst of the Earth's sixth great extinction -- this one caused not by God, or natural disaster alone, but primarily by humans -- and that global warming could claim as many as 1 million species. Of course, those sober figures don't figure prominently in a light hearted marketing campaign. Instead, the movie makers are asking fans to visit www.getonboardnow.org and contribute $5 toward planting the "Almighty Forest" to help capture some of the carbon warming the atmosphere. The comedy nexus built by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show doesn't tend toward green overstatement, but Stewart's bits, along with Stephen Colbert's lampoons and now Steve Carrell's movie show that humor is as effective a vehicle for shining some light on environmental issues as it has been for political issues. The Almighty Forest certainly sounds like something Colbert would promote, according to a story in the June 12 Daily Variety.