How film and TV can help the climate change battle
hurriyetdailynews.comTV have immense power to shift attitudes on political issues, yet they remain little-used in debates over climate change.Analyzing 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.The number of Americans viewing climate change as a major threat jumped from 37 to 55 percent between 2017 and 2021, despite right-wing denials.
In Britain, it jumped from 37 to 65 percent.TV has helped shift political attitudes over the years, especially around race and sexuality, from the first inter-racial kiss on “Star Trek” in the 1960s to the gay stars of 1990s sitcoms “Ellen” and “Will and Grace.”The latter was even cited by then vice-president Joe Biden in his decision to support marriage equality in the United States in 2012.“People tend to view entertainment.
