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How film and TV can help the climate change battle
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F
ictional films and TV have immense power to shift attitudes on political issues, yet they remain little-used in debates over climate change.
Analysing a database of 37,453 film and TV scripts from 2016 to 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that just 1,046 -- 2.8 percent -- included any keywords related to climate, and only 0.6 percent mentioned "climate change" specifically.
A similar British study by Albert, a sustainability NGO, found that "cake" was mentioned 10 times more than "climate change" in TV subtitles in 2020.
"The vast majority of films and shows we watch exist in a different reality, where climate change does not exist. This allows viewers to live in a fantasy," said Anna Jane Joyner, founder of Good Energy, a consultancy that helps scriptwriters address the issue.
Scriptwriters have been keen to address climate change, Joyner said, but felt others would not be interested, or that they would be branded as hypocrites.
"Many writers feel guilty about their own lifestyle -- that unless you're a perfect climate citizen, you can't authentically write about it," said Joyner. "But we need less shaming."
It helps that public concern is rising.
