Most of the people in our class have watched this movie by now, so I hope that these thoughts resonate with others and not just me. The film “How to Let Go of the World & Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change” hit me like a train. Reading about climate change seems to trigger my logical mind, so I knew that it was happening, but seeing the faces of the people impacted truly broke my heart. It got me thinking, how are we not more aware of this? Why hasn’t every single person in this country seen this film? If we all were fully aware could we come up with solutions faster?
Photo Credits- http://350pacific.org/
The entire film is composed of deliberately emotionally triggering pieces, such as the child in Beijing or the Pacific Climate Warriors. These are the true faces of climate change. What would happen if, worldwide, we began to personify this issue? Instead of looking at charts of CO2 in the atmosphere, show the stories of those who have lost their homes to natural disasters caused by global warming. Most people seem to be put off by scientific statistics either way. Could we transform the climate change conversation to become personal in this way? And if we did, what would be the effects?
Photographer- Wu Di
I suppose this would be a solid way to test Lertzman’s theory of apathy. If we are seemingly paralyzed when it comes to climate change, what better way to overpower such a feeling than with this image? This may even be a solid way to integrate art and culture shifts into the Anthropocene. If more art like this makes its way to the global stage, under such a broad spotlight, the issue that is the Anthropocene itself could gain the emotionally-fueled attention it so desperately needs.