Today’s post is by Cameron, a Year 13 / S6 student from Scotland who was a member of the UK Schools Sustainability Network delegation to COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. As ever with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily shared by the Association.
Conversations we Need to Have – My Experience of the Air Quotes Film Project
Opportunities to talk about environmental action don’t just occur once a year, in one city, between world leaders and environmental scientists. They can happen every day, in any place, and with all kinds of people leading the conversation. Not only is it possible. In the world that we live in, it is what should happen. It is what must happen.
Air Quotes was an opportunity to hold those discussions and to capture them, in the hopes of recording what was said and sharing it. Air Quotes was an extraordinary opportunity, a film project to discuss air pollution and climate change with young people from two different regions of the UK – Elephant and Castle in urban London and Helensburgh and the surrounding area, in semi-rural Argyll. Recorded back in April 2022, the project was led by filmmaker Louis Brown and commissioned by curator and producer Jessie Krish for Imperial College London. I took part from Cove Park, an art centre in Argyll.
Our discussion began in a casual setting with a bunch of young people sitting around the table with snacks, drawing how we viewed climate change and explaining what we meant to the camera. As it evolved, we drew characters to describe how we considered pollution for different areas: Garry who represented London; Sid from Glasgow; and Sebastian describing the local area we lived in.
We furthered our discussion through interviews with each other, discussing the damage that these characters and the environmental issues that they represented caused to the areas where they lived. The following Saturday, we considered how these issues would evolve and what the environment could look like as time passed by creating more artwork for the characters. This allowed us to consider what change we predicted occurring, how it would occur, and who would be the people to lead this change. Once again, I found this to be an opportunity to reinforce an idea in my head – climate action and environmentalism do not have to be miserable. It can be expressive, fun, and artistic. The equal and opposite lesson can also be found; in the joy that we find in our activism, we must never forget the reason for being active.
The ideas we considered through art were a starting point for our discussion of responsibility in climate action. After watching a video of Dr Sean Beevers (Reader in Atmospheric Modelling, School of Public Health, Imperial College London) talking about environmental responses, we were given an opportunity to discuss and evaluate who is responsible for climate action and how do we decide, whether by age, background or some other factor. We also considered why and how different people refuse to accept the idea that it is their responsibility to lead climate action and how we can realistically tackle climate change and air pollution. This included our responses to certain policies, their strengths and flaws.
I’ve often heard that I shouldn’t be bothered with such conversations. That it is too logistical, complicated, and irrelevant for me. Except it isn’t. Jessie and Louis said multiple times over that we were the stars of this film, and this film was about what we thought and what we knew.
I wouldn’t forget the film project as the months went by. I would continue trying to have these discussions with anyone who would listen. During COP27 I would think about how these conversations weren’t too different from the ones that many others and I have, only the ones happening in Egypt were on a global level, with global implications. I dreamt that one day I would get to sit at the table where these important discussions were occurring. That I would have an opportunity to play an important role in these changes that impact the masses. Of course, I also feared that by the time I got that seat, it would be too late.
Less than a month after COP27, I would be proud to have people listen to me discuss my opinions on the topics at the premiere of the film at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, both through the film and through the post-film interview in which I took part.
Conversations about environmental issues must be held today. And every other day. And regardless of what you already know, it is essential that everyone starts to think about these choices, from the personal to the political.
Throughout the project, Jessie and I discussed COP, six months prior to the project being filmed. I understand that COP may be the time when the world discusses environmentalism and this is a very important time, but this film was a valuable reminder that climate change, air pollution, and other environmental issues do not go away after it is over. And for our future, we must discuss these issues regularly, even if those conversations begin between a bunch of teenagers.
Finally, here is …
- more information about the project
- details of the UK Schools Sustainability Network
- an article about COP27 in Schools Week by another UKSSN student
- the UKSSN student Green Gazette covering their time at COP26