Narrated by high profile figures such as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – and timed to coincide with COP26 – new documentary 'Scotland: Our Climate Journey' depicts how the country became a leading light in the global movement towards net zero emissions
IN the trailer of a new documentary charting Scotland’s progress in the fight against climate change, Nicola Sturgeon said: “The future of the planet is in our hands right now, and it’s just unthinkable that we fail to face up to this.”
Scotland: Our Climate Journey, set to release this month during COP26, and presented by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) in collaboration with Balfour Beatty, follows Scotland’s climate journey through the past, present and future.
It focuses on how far the country has come as one of the leading nations in climate change policy, and how far it still has to go.
The film takes viewers through the journey beginning over a decade ago,with the forming of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition and the eventual passing of the 2009 Climate Act, then branches out to explore real world examples of the change that this legislation helped to inspire across Scotland.
This insightful feature-length documentary is narrated by a wide range of individuals from across the country, offering different perspectives, but all contributing in the battle against climate change.
As the film uncovers the journey of policy, industries, communities, farmers and scientists, we will learn that Scotland already possesses most of the tools and expertise needed to fight the climate crisis.
RSGS CEO Mike Robinson said: “Scotland of course has a way to go in the fight against climate change. No country has yet done enough to tackle this global issue.
“But while we still have a long way to go, we still need to take time to acknowledge the change we have made so far.
“This documentary brilliantly depicts the journey of Scotland in setting targets and building a response, and asks contributors to reflect on the future and its net zero targets.
“Sometimes it can feel like an uphill struggle, but I hope this documentary will encourage and invigorate all of those who are doing the right thing to keep pushing, and inspire others to follow them.”
The film is the second feature film created by Scout Studio duo Finbar O’Sullivan and Ted Simpson, who travelled the length and breadth of the country, from local communities in Glasgow to communities in Aberdeenshire and from Perth to Dundee to Holyrood.
Producer Finbar O’Sullivan commented: “Making this film has been an incredible experience. When we began production early in 2021, we realised very quickly that the scope of the stories we could cover was enormous.
“One of the most difficult parts of the whole process was deciding who to visit and which stories to tell. There were so many amazing options.
“Having had the opportunity to travel throughout Scotland, meeting people from all walks of life, all working hard and contributing in their own way to the climate fight, was nothing short of inspirational.
“We hope that people watching the film will leave it with the same sense of hope and encouragement for our shared future that we felt as we were making it.”
Director Ted Simpson commented: “This felt like a really important film to make. Scotland has so much to be proud of in the fight against climate change, with genuine lessons that can be shared worldwide.
“However, there is also so much work to be done. For me, finding the balance between these amazing stories, and amplifying the voices who are showing the way for future progress, was a fascinating challenge, and a real privilege. I can’t wait for audiences to meet some of the characters we filmed. I hope they really get a sense of the very real action that’s happening all across Scotland in this most important of issues.
“There is so much to explore in this realm and we’re certainly inspired to keep finding and sharing these stories in the future.”
Mike Robinson added: “We are already being approached by communities, businesses and schools who are really keen to run screenings of this film.”
-
To view the trailer, register interest in screening the film, or keep abreast of the latest news regarding new screenings, please visit: www.scotlandsclimatejourney.co.uk
-
For more information on Scout Studio and their upcoming projects you can visit their website at www.scout-studio.co.uk
--------------------------------------
Get an online lesson in sustainability
THE Herald is determined to play its full part in the climate change debate, having recently launched a pioneering new initiative in conjunction with The Climate Solutions Network.
This unique online programme has been developed by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) with the universities of Stirling and Edinburgh and the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Climate Solutions Accelerator provides a quick, simple and rounded introduction to the fundamentals of climate change.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here