Climate in a Time of Conflict
Back-story
Entry one
Another consideration was the climate information space is a crowded one, which is a good thing, but it seems much of this information is now treated by the general public like a background noise that you learn to tune out. And now, of course, climate promises are being broken by the new imperatives of hungry data centres - and war.
So I've now shifted my attention to include the connection between climate change and the ever-growing conflicts in the world. I think this is a critical, far less understood subject. Maybe I have a greater chance of being of tangible help to people - and - maybe the climate.
What seemed like an obvious subject turned out to be far more complex and nuanced. How could I be effective and of use in a world where people are used to a daily visual diet of conflict and catastrophic weather events?
I didn't have a clear answer to this yet - but sometimes questions are far more useful than answers. Starting a project like this with a conclusion in mind would be limiting and not necessarily honest.
The approach was set in motion last year, at a climate event in Dallas Texas. I met with a number of Ukrianian scientists and innovators. I was curious to hear their stories and how these stories fitted in the subject of climate change. After sitting through several talks and meetings, I was humbled by their courage and decided to visit their country to see how my media work could be of service to them.
THE CLIMATE RESTORERS
CLIMATE IN
A TIME OF
CONFLICT
Context
How the project came into being, and the back story of how we made it (still making it!)
'They say' the antidote for climate anxiety or a sense of helplessness is to get involved. They also say that life has a nack of sending you what you need. Well...suddenly, not by design, I found myself producing a series of 4 films on climate change that are currently being broadcast. So, getting involved certainly helped but I was left wondering what effect, if any, these films would have on people's lives, and would any of these effects translate into climate friendly behavior change.
What kind of world is this, when the insanity of the Russian invasion into Ukraine is drowned out by a new, fresh madness, hungry for attention? More conflict and climate consequences just to suit the needs of a few mad men.
Media has a voracious apetite for new stuff... Four years of war, fighting off a Russian invasion had become old news, only reappearing in the headlines with a high enough death toll or a dramatic change in events. The public had become the gallery in a colosium spectacular. Anything less that dramatic was inconsequential.
But...
Like many stories, this on begins with a journey.
Getting into Ukraine isn’t particularly difficult. The visa requirements aren’t a challenge – I guess Ukrainians feel that there won’t be many people entering the country looking for work and overstaying their welcome. But I do imagine that there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes security - deep background checks for potential hostile actors.
But getting into the interior of Ukraine can be a little challenging as there’s no air travel and the rail system could really do with an upgrade. But in these times, it’s amazing that the rail system is as efficient as it is.
My journey started in Warsaw, where I’d flown in from London. My rail journey wouldn’t start till the following evening, so I spent the day wondering around the city center. I found a city of contrasts – modern architecture juxtaposed with ghosts of soviet era architecture, often decorated with contemporary protest art.
Purchasing the rail ticket online was challenging as you have to prove your identity. I was having challenges with the system (probably me…) so I went down to the station and bought the tickets in person. I would definitely recommend this as the process isn’t straight forward.
So tickets in hand, we caught the 6pm Warsaw to Kyiv overnight sleeper train. I was so impressed – the train looked like something out of a 1940s film noir This consists of 3 birth sleeper cabins for you, your travel companions and all your luggage. I was lucky as there was only me and my travel companion, second camera operator, Pat.
Purchasing the rail ticket online was challenging as you have to prove your identity. I was having challenges with the system (probably me…) so I went down to the station and bought the tickets in person. I would definitely recommend this as the process isn’t straight forward.
The journey takes about 13 hours and there is no available food or drink, so it’s important to stock up on a few provisions.