You’re 15 years old and naive. You’re concerned about your future and the consequences of climate change. You want to be a part of the solution. You’re thinking bigger than “turn out the lights.” You’re ready to fight for your future, for a sustainable world. But the reality that no one is listening to you hits you smack between the eyes. What do you do? Do you walk away and hope that the big guys and governments fix it? Or do you use your power and the power of youth to tell the truth?
For Slater Jewell-Kemker, the answer was in the power of youth and film. Since she was six years old, Slater has been in love with and making movies. So it was only natural that when she started to think about how she could really change the world, the answer would be through storytelling and filmmaking, specifically her documentary An Inconvenient Youth. Slater brings a fresh perspective to this frightening and urgent issue of climate change by focusing on the human element. An Inconvenient Youth doesn’t question data that’s universally accepted by climate scientists, so it’s not a documentary filled with graphs and numbers. It’s a film that focuses on the hearts and dreams of young people who have devoted themselves to change – to a sustainable future. My interview with Slater:
Climate change is a horribly abstract, big, scary and overwhelming issue. But if we share stories about our own lives in regards to climate change that are personal and heartfelt, we can make this climate crisis a more human story and one of the heart -- not just numbers on a page. If we can do that, then maybe the general viewpoint will be one of excitement at changing the world for the better and not one of fear or greed. Slater Jewell-Kemker Age 21
What do you think is one of the most important things in the world that needs to be fixed?
It’s very difficult for me to answer when asked a question like “What is the most important thing in the world to be fixed?” because the world is seemingly full of stories that reveal how broken it is. But for me, it’s climate change because it’s linked to EVERYTHING. It’s about so much more than just our environment -- it’s about education, gender equality, poverty elimination, food security, social justice, everything. Because the only way for us to fix this problem of climate change is to reinvent how we live as human beings with ourselves and with the planet. In order to build a new society that is truly in balance with the environment we need to bring up the standard of living for all humans so we can progress and move forward together. It won’t work otherwise. We’re seeing that now with China, India and Brazil -- they have every right to develop and be successful and powerful, but it would be exciting and inspiring if they focused on being successful, powerful AND green energy leaders.
What are you doing to help fix it?
I was 15 years old the first time that I truly connected to the climate crisis. I was one of dozens of youth delegates at the 2008 Environmental G8 Summit and filled with a naive hope and promise of collaboration with my leaders. My new friends and fellow representatives were from countries like Bangladesh, Australia, the Maldives, Nepal -- countries currently suffering from extreme effects of climate change. I remember realizing that it didn’t matter what I said. No matter what words of comfort I had for them, it didn’t change the fact that their homes were still sinking beneath rising sea levels, their crops and houses battered and blown away by increasingly deadly storms or decimated by runaway fires. Their lives had been completely upended and changed. As a girl from the Western world I felt responsible and I felt ashamed and I felt guilty. Because of the lifestyles I and many people like me lead, because of the decisions my leaders had made or refused to make, people were suffering. My friends were suffering, people halfway across the world I’d never met were suffering and dying because of climate change -- something that I had contributed to all my life. It was a devastating realization for me.
At a certain point I decided that I could either go crazy keeping an eye on all of the stuff that’s wrong, that’s going wrong, that is getting worse. Or I could focus on what is going right, what is blossoming and beautiful and positive in the world. The hope that I was looking for made up the global youth climate movement -- young people all over the world living and working on the front lines of climate change doing everything they can to affect climate change policy and shift global consciousness to create a world that’s a little closer to the one our parents promised us. By capturing their messages, dreams and stories on tape I could give them a voice. And by giving others a voice, I found my own.
As a storyteller, I can effect the emotions of those around me and hopefully inspire them to be just as passionate about climate change and how we can change the world as the young people I follow in my documentary work.
One really cool thing that has arisen out of An Inconvenient Youth is my collaboration with the amazing TED Prize winning Architecture for Humanity folks. Two years ago when I filmed in Nepal, I was staying and working in agricultural communities on the front lines of climate change that were (and still are) being hit really hard by erratic monsoons, flooding, drought and water-borne diseases. Do you know that Nepal is the fourth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change? What really astounded me is how these people I could not communicate with opened up their lives to me and my team. They truly recognized us as fellow human beings and connected with us on a heart level. I was blown away by the generosity of a community that in Western terms had nothing. I felt terrible just leaving after this life changing experience. That’s when we hooked up with Architecture for Humanity to co-create a Climate Solution by developing a prototype off-the-grid facility for small communities most affected by climate change. These shelters, designed to collect fresh water and solar power, are more than shelters during times of emergency. They are year-round safe spaces designed to address each village’s cultural and communal needs. It’s a solution that’s green and sustainable.
The goal is to work with the villagers on a structure they need versus doing the easy thing and throwing designs at them that don’t help or reflect what they want or need. Last summer, my Nepali subject Alina Pokhrel, architect Latha Kovelamudi, my mom and producer Wendy Jewell, and I traveled back to this small village to begin the design/assessment stage of this Climate Solution. One very exciting potential for this project is that several NGOs are interested in using it as a facility in other South Asian communities affected by climate change. Not everyone will obviously go out and do something like this, but this kind of innovation and thought for the future in regards to adaptation will be very helpful in how we handle this crisis.
Sometimes this climate crisis can be just that- overwhelming. I get lost in my own worry. But I have this quote tacked up on my wall that I tell myself whenever I’m blue: ‘To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing’ (Raymond Williams) I think that’s how any major problem is tackled- through grace and hope and optimism.
What can others do to help fix it?
Fixing this crisis will not be as easy as changing light bulbs or buying biodegradable laundry detergent. Of course changing your buying habits and your lifestyle is a good step: drive less, walk more, eat local/organic, be conscious of where the clothes you buy come from, consume less energy and make sure it’s from a green source (wind, solar, tidal, nuclear, etc) as opposed to coal, gas or oil. But the biggest thing would be to pressure your government and local leaders to actually work at the climate crisis seriously and to change policy. Let them know you care. If they’re not moving in this direction, then elect people who are -- you will be sending a powerful message. The simple choice to be willing to adapt is an enormous step. Because if we all do that -- if all of us as individuals are willing to change the way we live -- we will win this fight against climate change and create a world that we will be proud to leave our children.
Throughout this journey of An Inconvenient Youth I’ve begun to regard climate change not just as a fear soaked apocalyptic scenario, but as an incredible opportunity. It’s an opportunity to recognize the interconnectedness of all living things. Regardless of language and nationality, we are all human and we are all a part of this planet and we are all family. It’s an opportunity to create a sustainable, caring and just society that values people over profit, that wholeheartedly celebrates the sacredness and lifeblood of the planet we depend on. It’s an opportunity to embrace love as a real solution, as something that is not childish but a wonderful and beautiful truth that just feels right. It’s an opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of each other.
I’m going to share with you an old Hopi prophecy that my friends and I in the climate movement think about quite a lot amidst everything: "When the Earth is dying, there shall arise a new tribe of all colors and all creeds. This tribe shall be called the Warriors of the Rainbow and it will put its faith in actions not words.”
I am only one person, but in the end what is a group of people, a movement of people, other than many individuals, many “one persons?"
Although the feature documentary of An Inconvenient Youth is yet to be released (after five years of shooting, Slater is seeking funding for the final edit), Slater has released a number of short films which have been screened in classrooms and at film festivals around the world. Slater also teaches filmmaking workshops in-person and online to empower kids to take action and make their voices heard.
