It is 2055. Pete Postlethwaite plays a lone man living in a futuristic archive of the world’s history. He muses about how humans could have disregarded the warning signs of climate danger.
Director Franny Armstrong tries to provide the hindsight that might enable us to see more clearly. Much of the film is a collection of recent news clips and reports, which are compiled to illustrate that climate change is already happening.
The film only debates the science briefly. However, I think its purpose is more to explore how, once events become politicised, inaction and competing interests can lead to disaster. It is provocative and it names guilty parties.
Is it our responsibility to take action? In the film, French mountaineer Fernand Pareau says, “when you’re in the mountains you’re roped together. The risk is the same for you as it is for me.”
It’s true that there is plenty we can do to limit our impact on the environment. But we know many of the do’s and dont’s of green living. I feel ˜The Age of Stupid” misses a trick by focusing on the negative aspects of human activities and the global nature of the problem. There is plenty of positive action we can take to improve our local environments, as well as erasing our past impacts.
> To search for local environmental volunteering opportunities, have a look at the Greengrid Taskforce or try the links on the University of Essex website.
> For more information about the film, which was released in March 2009: www.ageofstupid.net
Tags: climate change, environment, film, global warming, The Age of Stupid, volunteering