The Day After Tomorrow

Jack Hall:
[When asked what will happen to civilization] Well, mankind survived the last Ice Age. We are certainly capable of surviving this one. The only question is, will we learn from our mistakes?

Vice-President Raymond Becker:
These past few days have left us all with a profound sense of humility in the face of nature's destructive power. For years, we operated under the belief that we could continue consuming our planet's natural resources, without consequence. We were wrong. I was wrong. The fact that my first address to you comes from a consulate on foreign soil is a testament to our changed reality. Not only Americans, but people all around the globe have become guests in the nations we once called 'the third world'. In our time of need they have taken us in and sheltered us, and I am deeply grateful for their hospitality. ... For days now, we have despaired about the fate of the people who are trapped in the North. Today, there is cause for hope. Only a few hours ago, I received word that a small group of people survived in New York City, against all odds and in the face of tremendous adversity. I've ordered an immediate search-and-rescue mission to bring them home- and to look for more survivors.

[Jack is speaking at a global warming convention in New Delhi]

Jack Hall:
What I do know, is that if we do not act soon, it is our children and our grandchildren who will have to pay the price.

Vice-President Raymond Becker:
And who's going to pay the price of the Kyoto accord? It would cost the world's economy hundreds of billions of dollars.

Hall:
With all due respect, Mr. Vice-President, the cost of doing nothing could be even higher. Our climate is fragile. At the rate we're burning fossil fuels and polluting the environment, the ice caps will soon disappear.

Becker:
Professor, uh, Hall, our economy is every bit as fragile as the environment. Perhaps you should keep that in mind before making sensationalist claims.

Hall:
Well, the last chunk of ice that broke off was about the size of the state of Rhode Island. Some people might call that pretty sensational. [Attendees chuckle]

Terry Rapson:
This is very odd. There's a buoy here registering a thirteen-degree drop in ocean temperature.

Simon:
Oh, yeah, that's right. That buoy malfunctioned the other day. I'll put a call in, see if there are any ships near George's Bank to get it.

Rapson:
This buoy isn't in George's Bank. It's just off Greenland.

Simon:
It is? [zooms the map out to show both buoys flashing] What are the odds of two buoys failing?

Rapson:
Remote. [A third one in a different area begins flashing] Make that three.

[Gomez has just introduced Jack Hall to meteorologist Janet Tokada, and they see people gathering around the TVs]

Gomez:
Booker! What's going on, here?

Booker:
They just issued a tornado warning in Los Angeles. [Gomez, Jack and Janet head down to the TVs to get a look]

FOX Anchorman:
Breaking news as we prepare to go live to Los Angeles: mixed reports of some extreme weather occuring in the area.

Booker:
Report just came in.

FOX Anchorman:
All right, we're going to our FOX affiliate in Los Angeles.

[Cuts to weather chopper pilot Bart, with four tornadoes on the horizon]

FOX Anchorwoman:
We have live coverage now from our FOX 11 chopper. Are you there, Bart?

Bart:
Yes, I'm here. These tornadoes are forming so fast... [describes events] Oh, oh my God! Lisa, are you getting this on camera? This tornado just erased the Hollywood Sign! The Hollywood sign is gone; it's just shredded!

[The helicopter flies into the downtown area, near the Capital Records Building]

FOX Anchorwoman:
Bart, what can you see, is anyone hurt?

Bart:
I wouldn't be surprised, there is so much damage down there; and there are people down there, taking pictures! [cuts to the weather anchor yelling over the wind at two people who are recording one of the tornadoes advancing at him]

Terry Rapson:
[Over the phone] What I'm about to tell you is supposed to be confidential. Several hours ago, three helicopters went down over Scotland. They crashed because the fuel in their lines froze.

Jack Hall:
At what temperature does-

Rapson:
Negative 150 degrees Fahrenheit. I mean, we had to look it up! The temperature dropped phenomenally fast! On the ground, people froze before they could get out of their cars!

Jack Hall:
Professor, It's time you got out of there.

Terry Rapson:
I'm afraid that time has come and gone, my friend.

Hall:
[Pause] What can we do?

Rapson:
Save as many as you can.

[Jack Hall has proposed evacuating only about half of the US due to time constraints]

General Pierce:
We use the same technique with triage on the battlefield. Sometimes, it's necessary to make difficult choices.

Vice-President Becker:
I don't accept that abandoning half the country is necessary!

Tom:
Maybe if you would have listened to him sooner, it wouldn't be.

Becker:
Oh, bullshit. It's easy for him to suggest this plan; he's safely here in Washington!

Tom:
His son is in Manhattan. [Long pause] I just thought you should know that before you start questioning his motives.

[Rapson and his colleagues have run out of fuel to power the generator]

Dennis:
Sorry mates, but we've just about run out of petrol.

Simon:
Hey. [grabs a bottle of scotch] Is there any chance that it will run on this?

Terry Rapson:
Are you mad? That's a twelve-year-old scotch! [Simon pours the scotch into three glasses]

Simon:
Gentlemen. To England.

Rapson:
To Mankind.

Dennis:
To Manchester United!

[They drink. Simon starts to talk about his infant son]

Simon:
I just ... I just wish I could have seen him grow up, you know?

Rapson:
The important thing is that he will grow up. [The last of the petroleum fuel burns out, and the power fails]

Dennis:
[softly] Amen.

[The refugees at the New York Public Library are burning books to stay warm, but Elsa notices Jeremy holding something]

Elsa:
What have you got there?

Jeremy:
A Gutenberg Bible. It was in the rare books room.

Elsa:
You think God's gonna save you?

Jeremy:
No, I don't believe in God.

Elsa:
You're holding onto that Bible pretty tight.

Jeremy:
I'm protecting it. [glares at Sam] This Bible is the first book ever printed. It represents the dawn of the Age of Reason. As far as I'm concerned, the written word is mankind's greatest achievement. You can laugh. But if Western civilization is finished, I'm gonna save at least one little piece of it.

Where Will You Be?

10,000 Years Ago, One Storm Changed The Face Of Our Planet. On May 28, It Will Happen Again.

Nature Has Spoken.

This Year, A Sweater Won't Do.

Whoever Said "Tomorrow Is Another Day"...Didn't Check The Weather.

Terry Rapson:
[Over the phone] What I'm about to tell you is supposed to be confidential. Several hours ago, three helicopters went down over Scotland. They crashed because the fuel in their lines froze.

Jack Hall:
At what temperature does-

Rapson:
-150° Fahrenheit. I mean, we had to look it up! The temperature dropped phenomenally fast! On the ground, people froze before they could get out of their cars!

Hall:
Can you get me a satellite picture of Scotland two hours ago?

Janet:
Yeah.

Rapson:
We've got mountains of data, but nowhere near enough computer power to analyze it. Can you help us?

Hall:
Send us what you've got, we'll do our best.

Rapson:
Thanks, Jack. Bye for now. [hangs up]

Janet:
This is Scotland at the time the temperature dropped.

[they see the image, which only displays hurricane-shaped cloud cover.]

Hall:
This thing looks just like a hurricane.

Janet:
Only hurricanes don't form over land.