⚠️ Spoiler alert ⚠️ [In 29 months we lose our chance to prevent irreversible climate change tipping points.]
For anyone who hasn’t seen Adam McKay and David Sirota’s recent feature Don’t Look Up, it’s about two scientists who become aware of a world-ending threat, are not taken seriously by the government, and so go on a media tour to warn mankind of the incoming destruction of humanity.
It does not go well.
On its release, audiences and critics were divided: the lukewarmers claimed it was “too on the nose”—sometimes this meant too close to reality, and sometimes too over the top.
Firmly in the other camp, I found it to be not only successful satire but quite moving and, given the film’s reach, I hoped that combination could go some way to ekeing apart public apathy (as had been noted in test screenings).
But I underestimated the power of denial, and the firm grip it has on our minds. The reality of what we are dealing with is painful and frightening; so much so, that the majority of us cannot bear it.
But journalists? Journalists have a responsibility not to look away.
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Over the last fortnight, a growing coalition of UK climate activists led by Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil has been taking non-violent direct action, pleading with citizens to join them in forcing the government to face the realities of the impending impacts of climate change (because as Dr. Charlie Gardner said, the evidence shows that simply providing decades of scientific research to the government isn’t working).
The reaction of many journalists to this plea has been laughably antagonistic—and somehow, familiar.
To be clear, the latest IPCC report says, among other things, that we have less than 3 years to stop the worst of climate chaos. Chaos that will make vast portions of the world “unlivable”.
There’s a reason most people do not know this. And yes, it’s directly related to Lowri Turner being a ****ing ****hole.
Multi-Level-Media Schemes
To be clear, I don’t believe that these climate-relaxed journalists (or fashion editors-turned-hypnotherapists called Lowri Turner) have read the IPCC reports. Though they probably believe what they’re saying, in mocking activists who are better informed, they’re acting in bad faith and failing to do their jobs.
As much as blanket “MSM = BAD” narratives are useless, this is the way in which The Media (let’s be clear, the right-wing/corporate/neoliberal media, pick your fav) are undermining nonviolent democratic efforts to make change, and contributing to this catastrophe.
It’s worth reading this entire exchange between Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay and the LA Times:
On its face, this is an allegory for climate change, but it actually reveals itself to be about the cultural and political moment we’re in, where people can’t agree on basic facts and the simplest of things. When did this other aspect appear?
We were scouting [locations to film] in Boston, and I’m an NBA fan, so I was watching the Jazz game [on March 11, 2020,] and the referees said the game was canceled for COVID. The next day, we still scouted — we might have all been wearing masks already — but then we’re like, “We gotta get out of here.” We went home, and then it was like six months of just [being] at home like everyone. ... The whole time, I’m like, “Do you still make this movie? Like, did the movie just happen in reality?”
And I just didn’t touch the script for like five months. Then I was like, “All right, let’s go read the script.” And I was amazed to see that the script actually isn’t about climate change. It’s about how our lines of communication have been shattered and broken and profitized and manipulated. And that actually the engine of all the farcical comedy is that — and it totally still works. I checked in with Jen Lawrence and Leo and a couple of the cast, and I’m like, “I’m reading this, and I actually think it tells a whole different story, which was really the cause of why we haven’t been doing anything about climate change.”
McKay has directly engaged with, and offered public support to, the protestors.
…“you hear people say about the climate crisis, “Oh, we’ll figure it out.” I think Elon Musk was quoted as saying, “Technology will solve it.” And it’s like, “Hey, motherf—, you got to actually do it.” You can’t just say, “It’s going to end.” That reeks to me a little bit of the sense like we’re living in a movie. Like we just think that third acts always work out.”
Brief Yourselves
Plenty of media outlets have done a great job of covering the climate emergency. For all their flaws, The Guardian has dedicated a significant part of its resources to prioritising quick, clear reporting on the data as it’s released and has stopped accepting advertising money from fossil fuel companies (but still runs advertorials for related corporations, such as banks and car manufacturers).
But it’s the climate-dedicated sites at the forefront of reliable, consistent journalism on the biggest story of the century; particularly Carbon Brief, who’re doing a phenomenal job of outlining climate news in accessible and interesting ways, without skimping on details or hard-to-hear facts.
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They’re UK-based but globe-focused; most domestic readers will be interested in their interactive investigation into a decade of UK government energy strategy, but others who want the bigger picture will enjoy (?!) their weekly newsletter on China—the world’s biggest carbon emitter.
They recently published another interactive study showing that, in spite of the antagonists, climate coverage - especially among right-wing papers - has been improving over the last decade:
Drawing from a database of more than 1,300 editorials, which are the formal “voice” of a newspaper, this work examines how the language used to describe human-caused climate change, as well as renewables, fracking and nuclear power, has shifted since 2011.
The analysis shows that the number of editorials calling for more action to tackle climate change has quadrupled in the space of three years, mirroring a wider increase in news coverage of the topic.
Thank God that, for all the Madeleys, Liddles, and Turners we have to put up with, more and more people are willing to prioritise science and truth over their own comfort.
If you’re interested in joining the climate movement, you don’t have to glue yourself to a building - you can just come for the festival vibes to show support, or do crucial behind-the-scenes work if you want. Historical evidence shows that nonviolent civil resistance is the most powerful way to make change:
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