Project Description
Due to its immense sociocultural influence and economic resources, the global screen media industry has been at the forefront of raising awareness for the political and social issues resulting from accelerated environmental instability. These include a range of climate change symptoms, rapid species extinction, and problems of environmental justice.
Over the past two decades, not only have these subjects been more prominently represented on screen, but sustainability and eco-friendly rhetoric have become central to the rebranding of studios, the activism and social capital of movie stars, and the publicity strategies designed to draw audiences to cinemas, television, and streaming services.
However, the 21st century relationship between screen media and the environment has another, far less positive aspect that demands urgent scrutiny: its environmental and social footprint. This leads to the following major environmental risk categories:
Energy: The advent of the digital age and the vast electronic infrastructure required to support digital production and distribution has resulted in the rapid expansion and diversification of the industry’s energy use. It has become a major burden on energy grids, and while media companies are increasing mindful of securing energy from sustainable resources, its impact remains under-addressed.
Waste: media production is a rampant producer of greenhouse gases, toxic pollutants, and non-biodegradable waste, ranging from PPE used on sets to the metals embedded in digital devices.
Environmental justice: as the major media producers of the global media environment rely on exploitative practices like outsourcing and precarious work conditions, so the media industry’s relationship to environmental justice issues globally replicates these inequalities with runaway productions being just one example of a production mode premised on exploiting more relaxed environmental regulations and natural resources in locations around the world.
Agency: while environmental programmes, such as those run by BAFTA and the PGA, exist, their adaptation into industry business-as-usual faces major ideological and operational challenges. Environmental programmes tend to be perceived as ‘nice-to-have’, not as urgent priorities, which, in practice, means that they remain ineffective and marginalised in the wider industrial picture. This especially applies to contexts with voluminous production, but few directly allocated resources to address their environmental impact.
Addressing these challenges – which are certain to be exacerbated by the continued proliferation of digital services – is essential to alleviating their environmental impact and ensuring that the industry’s rhetoric on environmental responsibility is reflected in its practice.
Furthermore, the fact that the impact of the infrastructure required for the creation and delivery of digital products is largely hidden from the consumer increases the need for the Global Green Media Network as a means of encouraging transparency, raising awareness and exploring potential solutions.
To do so, the Global Green Media Network encourages media professionals, academics, environmentalists, activists, and reporters to join in dialogue to rethink the industry’s environmental responsibilities.