The climate crisis is the biggest event of our time. So why isn’t the entertainment industry dealing with this issue anymore?

One would think that the people of Hollywood—most of them with their Tesla models, vegan diets, and the eco-friendly beauty products they use—could tell stories about the climate. Despite the few examples, such as the film “Don’t look up(“Don’t Look Up”) – Global warming is largely absent from nearly all modern TV and film productions, according to a new study from the University of Southern California.

The Media Impact project at the university’s Norman Lear Center analyzed 37,453 scripts for TV episodes as well as films released from 2016 to 2020. related terms such as: “greenhouse gases”, “sea level”, “clean energy” and “fossil fuels”.

According to the Los Angeles Times, this is a “collective failure of epic proportions” not only for human civilization, but also for TV and movie viewers.

“As the crisis deepens and more Americans experience climate change firsthand, fictional stories about climate are starting to look far from reality,” the study says. “Stories related to the climate crisis are not only good for the planet, they are in the interest of an industry that seeks to engage audiences through authentic characters and narratives.”

Some people just don’t understand. #The Big Bang Theory pic.twitter.com/8zDebj21rH

— The Big Bang Theory (@bigbangtheory) September 23, 2022

Influence on fiction

But do we need programs with strong political overtones in entertainment media such as film and television? “A lot of times people feel emotionally charged when it comes to this issue and how hopeless everything is,” she told the LA Times. Erica Rosenthal, director of research at the Center for Normal Learning and one of the report’s authors. “It could hinder action. What stories like this can do is reinforce the belief that change is possible.”

This is the vision of studio executives interested in maximizing profits. But there is reason to believe that television and cinema can change the way we see and interact with the world. Referring to previous research, Rosenthal said that sitcoms “Will and Gracehelped reduce anti-gay prejudice.

Also, the presence of characters posing as immigrants can reinforce—at least among television viewers—a culture of support for immigration policy.

Many screenwriters are already gearing up to include climate change references in their stories. The researchers found that a popular climate series with a line about penguins at the Los Angeles Zoo “losing their home to global warming” was “The Big Bang Theory» CBS company.

It is difficult to understand how such narratives affect the behavior of viewers – for example, what model of car they drive, how much meat they eat, how much food they throw away. But with a well-written script, Rosenthal is optimistic.

Netflix movement

Netflix is ​​taking the first step towards producing more environmental and planetary content. A few days ago, the platform announced that it intends to add a series of related documentaries, including the second season of the documentary David Attenborough“Our Planet” and the new series “Our Universe”, narrated by Morgan Freeman.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Deadline