Released on Netflix in December of 2021, Don’t Look Up focused on the struggles of two scientists trying to warn humanity about a planet-killing comet that was going to destroy Earth. Despite their best efforts, it ends with the destruction of all life on earth. The film received critical acclaim and was lauded as an example of our own real-life impending climate crisis.
However, what role do these types of films play in changing our attitudes and, more importantly, inspiring action towards environmental issues?
One such example of a movie inspiring action can be seen in the 2013 documentary, Blackfish.
The documentary focused on Tilikum, an orca whale kept in extreme isolation at SeaWorld for decades, led to public outcry. Attendance at SeaWorld parks dropped by 5% and California state Assemblyman Richard Bloom, inspired by the film, worked to have the Orca Welfare and Safety Act passed in California in 2019.
For an environmental issue that is focused on a specific issue, change is easier to come about. But what about something as all-encompassing and complex as the climate crisis?
Former US Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar-winning, An Inconvenient Truth shocked moviegoers with the grim reality of the climate crisis in 2006. At the time it was applauded for raising public awareness of the climate crisis and breathing new life into long-dormant environmental activism.
Despite this, awareness is merely the first step and on its own is not sufficient to translate to significant action in the face of a global crisis.
A 2010 study conducted by University of Scranton Professor Jessica Nolan found that people became more aware and concerned about the climate crisis immediately after viewing An Inconvenient Truth, but this did not present itself in changed behavior a month later. Nolan explained one reason for the hesitancy towards long-term change.
She says, “although providing knowledge about the harmful effects and consequences of global warming in general, greenhouse gases in particular result in significant awareness and willingness among people, they cannot transform these into practice or lifestyles easily.”
It is no surprise that the greater we perceive the changes needed, in this case, significant changes to our lifestyle, the less willing we feel to tackle the crisis staring back at us.
Studies have shown that as a society we overvalue benefits in the short term when compared to any potential benefits in the long term. Harvard Business Review explains that “Individuals do not have to make changes in the cars they drive, the products they buy or the homes they live in if they ignore the influence their carbon footprint has on the world.”
Similarly, the climate crisis for many can be seen as an abstract issue. Most people don’t find themselves having to face the results of the climate crisis head-on every day (for example; extreme weather events). Due to this, it is extremely difficult to motivate people to act and change their everyday behaviors.
In the Fledgling Fund’s 2008 report on creative media’s impact on social change, they acknowledge that once the public is aware of the impact of an issue and its accompanying solutions there needs to be more than just talk and fleeting moments of inspiration. “There needs to be an infrastructure in place that encourages individuals, organizations, and/or communities to act.”
Overall, films like Blackfish, An Inconvenient Truth and Don’t Look Up are all great tools for sparking dialogue around the issues that face our world. However, what matters most in facing an environmental crisis is what actions and changes we are willing to undergo as a global society long after the credits roll.
