Cinema burns the environment and hinders sustainable development

Cinema burns the environment and hinders sustainable development

We all love those moments when we dive into the magical world of cinema, where our minds are separated from reality, and our hearts merge with stories, when we passionately follow adventure films, laugh at comedies, and are moved by drama. But amid all this fun, we rarely ask: What is the environmental impact of all this? Did the movie we cry in front of destroy a forest or release thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?!

Decades ago, the film industry was classified as a “soft” industry, but today – with the massive expansion in cinematic production – it has turned into one of the industries that most consume energy and natural resources, especially those resources related to the climate and irresponsible consumption.

Therefore,Earth Guardsin this article addresses the issue of the carbon footprint of the film industry, how this popular industry can be harmful to the environment, and how this art turns into a nightmare of emissions and waste. So keep reading.

Environmental impact of the film industry

Experts say thata medium-budget filmcould create emissions equivalent to using hundreds of cars for an entire year; So what is the situation with superhero films or films with international production, which are filmed on several continents and with huge equipment?!

At first glance, it may occur to the reader that the problem is limited to Hollywood, as it is the world’s premier center for film production, but the reality is different. The film industry is spread across dozens of countries, and with the expansion of streaming platforms and digital content investments, regions such as the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America have become part of the cinematic pollution equation.

In the Netherlands – for example – there is still no clear structure that guarantees the sustainability of cinematic production, and this means that every filming leaves behind an environmental impact without any restrictions or controls. As for some countries of the Global South, talk about sustainable film production is still theoretical, despite the fact that these countries have environments that suffer from climate change. Hence a global question arises: It is: How can the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be achieved within the film industry in the absence of relevant controls?

Actionable Solutions

Based on this environmental deterioration in an industrial sector that touches the lives of millions around the world, organizations such as “Earth Angel” work with major production companies and studios in North America; In order to redefine the concept of “cinematic success”, to also include its environmental impact, and not just box office revenues or critical reviews.

As part of these sustainable steps, simple and effective practices have been adopted, such as using renewable energy sources on filming sites, managing waste in a smart way that reduces waste, and adopting reusable decorations instead of building temporary decorations that are wasted after filming is over. The result was films with an emissions rate of up to 47% compared to traditional production, without affecting the level of quality or technical performance, which breaks the prevailing argument that sustainability is expensive.

In this context, the role of the media, film criticism, and international awards in leading this sustainable transformation cannot be ignored. What if the Academy Award included a new category in its evaluation categories, such as “Most Environmentally Responsible Film”?! This type of honor not only legitimizes sustainable film production, but also motivates filmmakers to think in a different way, and launches a new wave of responsible creativity that can save the Earth, its people, and its resources.

In the framework of supporting the film industry to move towards a carbon-neutral future, the “albert” organization, concerned with supporting sustainable production in the film and television industry, was launched; Initiative “Green Rider“; Designed to promote climate action through actor contracts, this initiative helps actors, their agents, and crew managers ensure that sustainability measures can be implemented on film sets.

Instead of the usual requests for specific foods or luxury transportation, the “Green Rider” initiative calls for good environmental practices on filming locations, such as:

• Do not eat excessively, and reduce waste.
• Use low energy lighting.
• Requesting the production company to adhere to the “zero waste” policy regarding filming decorations.

When cinema drives planet consciousness

The above sustainable initiatives and steps are what the film industry should be, but there is another aspect of it, which is the need for it to participate in enhancing awareness of such issues, and not for its sustainability to be only in its production processes. There must be cinema that urges people to appreciate the blessing of nature and its resources. There is no doubt that it has the ability to shape public awareness and change behaviors, because it is able to transform environmental issues from cold scientific reports into living scenes vibrant with human feelings and experience.

Among the most prominent examples of this is James Cameron’s “Avatar,” a film that was an explicit call to reflect on our relationship with nature, a denunciation of the plunder of resources, and an awareness of the effects of the destruction of ecosystems. Through the planet Pandora, the audience felt the meanings of the spiritual connection with nature, as the film presented a model of a civilization living in complete harmony with its environment.

Therefore, the planet “Pandora” – through its biological network “Ewa” – refused to submit to the logic of plunder, so the “Na’vi” tribes rose up in defense of this delicate balance, in a symbolic scene that reflects the conflict between a civilizational model based on harmony and another based on exploitation and control.

This film – with its profound environmental messages – not only highlighted the disaster, but also called for something similar to an “environmental utopia,” where progress is redefined outside the logic of excessive consumption, and collective greed is replaced by the philosophy of “sufficiency.” Through the character of “Jake Sully” – the soldier who found salvation for his body and soul in nature – an inspiring human experience was presented about the possibility of reconciliation with the land and engaging in a struggle to protect it, not as a material resource, but as a living being.

What also distinguishes this film is that it went beyond the screen to leave an impact in the real world; The launch of the DVD version was linked to Earth Day, and a campaign was launched to plant one million trees around the world, in a real embodiment of the link between cinema and real environmental action. Thus, the film demonstrated how cinema is a force for profound environmental change, and has a pivotal role in building a new awareness that returns man to his natural position as a part of the system of life, not a master of it.

Cinema and climate have a proven relationship

Whatever ways there are to enhance sustainability in film production processes or through the films themselves; The climate crisis is no longer an intellectual luxury or a theoretical discussion. The planet Earth is groaning due to rising temperatures, in addition to successive climate disasters.

Therefore, it must be taken into account that such sustainable transformations in the film industry can – in one way or another – achieve Goal (12) related to promoting the concepts of responsible consumption and production, and Goal (13) related to climate action, and all of this requires integration between all sectors; Therefore, it is time for film production companies to put sustainability at the heart of their policies, not on the sidelines of their advertising campaigns.

Finally,Earth Guardscalls on filmmakers around the world to make sustainability part of their work; Because the film industry is capable of inspiring millions, and then we can use this power to benefit the environment, scene after scene, movie after movie.