A lecturer and climate activist at the University of East Anglia has released a short film about the threats to our climate, coinciding with COP27.
Dr Rupert Read is a professor of philosophy, as well as a former spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. He is the co-writer and star of the film, titled “Is THIS civilisation finished? Will it end badly, or well?”; helping people imagine what our planet might look like, if we don’t tackle climate action.
The film suggests that we are already beyond the point of no return to avert the effects of climate change. “What we can still control is how hard the landing is. How many people survive, how many other species gets taken out. What parts of the globe remain habitable?”
He is, however, optimistic in the face of climate disaster, if humanity uses “our intelligence and our famous human spirit.”
“Ashes are now inevitable. What grows out of them? That’s all to play for.”
“What I want people to feel is disturbed,” said Dr Read. “It’s grief, it’s horror, it’s fear, possibly anger.”
But it was important to him that the film ended on an inspirational note. “Our initial model was a pure doom model” he said, but as they worked through the writing they decided to include a more transformational ending. Dr Read wants people to feel “determination, maybe a little bit of joy, certainly a kind of potential active hope.”
Dr Read said that he hopes the film, that can be found on Youtube “will highlight this most critical of issues in a new and innovative way that will help more people understand what we are up against.”
As coverage of COP27 in Sharm El Sheik comes to a close, Dr Read shared his thoughts on the climate conference, and what individuals can do to make a difference:
