Bristol University Alumni: Climate Countdown
Climate Countdown: Kaia Rose (BA 2010)
Kaia Rose (BA 2010) is a filmmaker based in New York. She launched her web series, Climate Countdown, in 2015, aiming to break down the complex issue of climate change, and determine what scientists, activists, policy makers and citizens are doing to help solve the problem. We spoke to Kaia about climate change, Climate Countdown, and the recent COP21 summit in Paris.
I've always been very socially and politically engaged. Climate change is something that underlines all issues, and it has a kind of multiplier effect: it’s connected to everything. I took an online class about climate change science and negotiations, and they talked about how 2015 is a big year for potential change – that this could be the year when we could actually bend the curve of emissions.
Until then, I'd thought that climate change was a kind of "done deal", that there wasn't much we could do. When I heard that sentiment of "the time is now", I wondered why I hadn't heard that before, and why I didn't know what was already happening in the fight against climate change. I also wanted to know what the future held for the climate change movement, and how I could contribute.
I wanted to understand the problem as someone from outside the world of science and political science. It came from a really personal point of curiosity, in a way. I wanted to understand the problem and, more importantly, I wanted to understand the kinds of solutions people were proposing. I knew I couldn't be alone in wanting to understand the climate change issue in a simplified and accessible way that made me feel empowered.
By trade, I know how to make films, so I thought I'd start there. Originally, I thought that I'd make a film or documentary, but then it didn't feel right, because of how much the climate change movement is changing all the time. It didn't seem right to make a film that comes out in 2016 about what happened "last" year.
All of my background in film and production has been useful for Climate Countdown. The fact I went to Bristol and did theatre, film and television all in one course has been so valuable. I developed so many skills in filming, producing and editing, so I was able to just get started as a one-woman band without much of a budget. I have a team now, which is great, but it was good that I could start on my own and let the project grow organically.
By virtue of being a web series, Climate Countdown is open ended – we haven't told the whole story yet. The nature of a web series lends itself to a very conversational, accessible and shareable kind of environment. It also means that it doesn't have a set "end": we've released 13 episodes so far, but that's not the whole picture. None of our episodes are ever really "finished", because climate change is an issue with a narrative that's changing all the time, so we're always coming back to reflect or expand upon work that we've already done.
For students, I think the most important thing is to "normalise" environmental issues. Climate change and environmental concerns aren't separate from other issues. They should just be a part of everyday life. They're not just of interest to people who study environmental science or people who believe in certain values or political ideals. They're a health issue, a national security issue – addressing climate change is like taking out an insurance policy for all of us. It's about our survival.
It's also important to recognise how interdisciplinary this subject is. Of course, there are scientists who are doing really good work and inventing great things, but the climate change problem needs input from all different kinds of academic fields. An engineer can create and invent, an economist can look at the financial models behind forming sustainable solutions, an English student can look into the way the narrative of climate change has been told and the effects that narrative has had. It's vital that students recognise just how much every interest and academic speciality has something to contribute to working through the climate change problem.
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris was an opportunity for almost 200 countries to sit together for two weeks, to properly talk about how to fix this problem globally. As a result of convening governments, thousands of people converged on Paris, from CEOs to governors to concerned citizens – we even got to interview the Mayor of Bristol while we were there. It brought everyone together to work collaboratively on this issue and its success lies not only in the adoption of the Paris Agreement but also in all of the other announcements made during the two weeks by mayors, industry leaders, financial institutions and civil society groups. The agreement may not be perfect but it gives us a foundation to build upon. We've a lot of work ahead of us to raise ambition and create pathways for implementation but I think one of the main objectives of Paris was to send a signal to the world that the age of fossil fuels is ending. I believe we've done that.
I guess I've decided to be pragmatically optimistic. This is a crisis, but humans are really innovative, creative and inherent problem-solvers - that's what we're good at. We've all just got to find those things that empower us to make a change. Now that we have a global agreement, it's more important than ever that citizens like us are aware of these international climate goals and feel empowered to act.