A public conversation can begin with a film. Lasting progress depends on what people do next.
Making a complex subject visible
Climate change unfolds across long timescales and many places. Film can bring these pieces together: a graph becomes a story, a distant landscape becomes tangible, and a technical question becomes a subject for discussion.
An Inconvenient Truth offers a case study in this kind of communication. Its Academy Award recognition is a clear marker of cultural visibility. Visibility alone, however, does not tell us how much a film changes behaviour or reduces emissions.
How to assess impact
- Awareness: Did people encounter new information, and could they explain it accurately afterward?
- Engagement: Did viewers ask questions, organise discussions or seek further evidence?
- Decisions: Did organisations change purchasing, energy or transport practices?
- Outcomes: Were changes measured against a baseline, and were other explanations considered?
Turn discussion into a project
Choose one question from a screening, identify a local decision connected to it, and agree on a measurable next step. Record the starting position and review the outcome after an agreed period.
Find a way to get involved or use our classroom discussion plan.