Dramatizing the climate crisis

So what kind of progress has actually been made?

“One colleague once described this as being like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. Scientists often claim that the earth is not warming, or that even if it is, it is all natural. ,” he says.

clarity

The battle between climate science and the forces trying to stop humanity from tackling the problem continues, and Santer believes that President-elect Donald Trump and his officials have failed to understand the mature science of climate change. He pointed out that he used words like “hoax” and “conspiracy” to explain it.

Santer admits that scientists are always asking themselves if they could have done more to avoid the current situation. “Knowing that here in the United States we elected a president whose entire worldview is diametrically opposed to science and scientific understanding, it feels like a bit of a failure,” he says.

“Perhaps we could have done better by convincing the public and politicians of the real urgency of why we must act decisively now to limit greenhouse gas emissions.” he admits.

But Santer believes that regardless of the strength of the science or the clarity of the message, the fundamental disagreements in the fight against the multimillion-dollar-backed companies would have persisted. “They would have continued the scorched earth policy, as Don Perlman notes in his book. Kyoto” he says.

scientist

Santer said Kyoto provides audiences with what mathematicians call the existential principle: proof that difficult things are possible. “Back in December 1997, despite Perlman’s efforts, the whole world signed the agreement, including Saudi Arabia,” he says.

“My hope is that we can get to work on the hard work of actually doing something about this issue, rather than just signing an agreement. We’re running out of time,” he says.

Santer hopes plays like the one in Kyoto will help educate the public about what’s at stake.

“If I write a scientific paper, it might reach a few hundred people, maybe a few more if I’m lucky. Kyoto has a much wider reach. This film will reach an audience of thousands who are not climate scientists. “It will reach them and give them food for thought,” he says.

responsibility

“One of the most memorable lines for me in the film is when Perlman’s wife Shirley asks, “Are we on the wrong side of history?” and Perlman replies, “No, humans are… “Even if climate change is a problem, Americans will find a solution to it,” he says, before launching into a long monologue about American exceptionalism.

Santa hopes so. Kyoto It will make people think about the consequences of being on the wrong side of history. “Maybe the best thing art can do is to make people pause and think about what it means if we ignore this. And our climate system continues to spiral out of control.” “There are fundamental changes in the climate system occurring over several years,” he says, “within a human lifetime.”

He also hopes this will prompt a response from scientists. “Theatre is a way of communicating. There are also podcasts, art installations and films like ‘Don’t Look Up.’ You need to explain in words and images what you are doing and what the expected outcome will be if you do nothing.

“All scientists need to think about how we communicate what we do. We have a responsibility to do that. There’s a real opportunity there. Kyoto It gives scientists a glimpse of what they look like.

this author

Katherine Early is a freelance environmental journalist. ecologist. Find her at Bluesky @catearly.bsky.social. Kyoto The production will run at Soho Place for 16 weeks, from Thursday 9th January to Saturday 3rd May 2025. Tickets can be purchased below. sohoplace.org.