Abstract
Climate Warriors is a documentary that highlights the severity of the climate crisis and inspires action. Told from the perspective of activists, including Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Joylette Portlock, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film pairs scientific research with the issues of politics and social responsibility to highlight the multidisciplinary nature of climate advocacy and show what progress individuals have been able to achieve. Climate Warriors is organized as a series of stories and interviews. These stories of “climate warriors” highlight advocacy in politics, research in soil science and energy, and personal experiences of people impacted by pollution. Through focusing on specific climate warriors and the projects they are working on to combat the climate crisis, this film shows the power of individual action and the need to begin working on improving our relationship with the environment now.
The purpose of this film is to showcase climate warriors and the contribution they are making to protecting our environment. It shows the view that change is possible and is currently happening, but although great work is already being done, there is still so much more to do. The film focuses on activism on a community scale, showing how you do not need to be an important politician or internationally renowned public figure to make something happen. Arnold Schwarzenegger says during footage of the Austrian World summit, “Most of the action always is happening on a local and grassroots level.” Climate Warriors aims to present the issues of the climate crisis in a way that shows people that they have power to make a change.
Although Climate Warriors does not explicitly name any specific environmental sociology theories in its argument, there are numerous examples of applied theories throughout the film. One of the first presented was how humans perceive their relation to the environment. In Bell and Ashwood’s (2015) An Invitation to Environmental Sociology, the authors discuss the theory of environment versus invironment (body in dialogue with environment) and how those concepts affect our perception of our physical selves in relation to global ecology. Several of the activists from Climate Warriors were creating awareness of our anthropogenic effects on our environment as outlined through the dialogues of people in nature. They shared how we must see ourselves as part of the natural system and consider our consumption, energy use, and pollution. For example, Nikki Silvestri discussed how we can sequester our emitted carbon through producing biochar and incorporating it in our soils, and Edy Kraus showed how agricultural plant waste can be converted to straw pellets for use as fuel. Both of these climate warriors found solutions to the problems of waste management and closing the loop of production and consumption. They view themselves in dialogue with nature rather than above it, working toward a better global environment.
Additionally, politics was a major point of discussion in Climate Warriors. Governance related to climate issues requires an understanding of environmental sociology to properly address the needs of the people and enact effective change. Bell and Ashwood (2015) discuss the issues of the bottom-up (grassroots) and top-down (regulation) approaches to governance and how people respond positively and negatively to each. Climate Warriors shows a balance of both approaches. Arnold Schwarzenegger illustrates the top-down strategies through his work as governor of California when he fought for air quality regulations and pursued court settlements to make leaders accountable for climate change. On the other hand, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez shows the bottom-up approach through his advocacy work, speaking out and protesting in a grassroots movement to generate change at a local level, adapting to meet the needs of each place. The politics in Climate Warriors also highlighted the importance of listening to local knowledge, as discussed in An Invitation to Environmental Sociology (Bell and Ashwood 2015). Local knowledge is information gathered through community engagement and listening to people’s experiences and observations (Bell and Ashwood 2015). Xiuhtezcatl Martinez speaks about his experience as an Indigenous person during the film, recognizing that Indigenous communities are often at the front lines of climate change and environmental issues. His experience with the land and knowing people impacted by the Dakota access pipeline is critical to the dialogue of preservation and regulation. Kyla Peck also showed the value of local knowledge when she spoke at EPA hearings about her experience with asthma and air pollution. She brought a face to the issue and provided a perspective to policymakers that allowed them to see the real issues and concerns of the people. The governance strategies and the value of local knowledge as shown in Climate Warriors clearly illustrate the value of environmental sociology in a political context.
The theories of environmental sociology applied throughout Climate Warriors can be explored in more depth by pairing them with instruction and academic readings such as An Invitation to Environmental Sociology (Bell and Ashwood 2015). Students can engage with the film by writing short answer essays about how sociology concepts have been considered in the work of climate warriors based on what has been taught by the instructor or learned through supplemental reading. Depending on the focus of the class, instructors could highlight concepts related to the environment, politics, or relationships between people in Climate Warriors because the film covers a diverse range of issues. Another activity that instructors could use to help students analyze and understand the sociology behind Climate Warriors is a debate or presentation about a specific climate warrior. Students could choose a climate warrior from the film and using information from the film and any additional research they need, construct an argument about how well the climate warrior addressed issues of sociology in their climate advocacy work. Instructors could guide students by asking what issues the climate warrior faced, how their solutions relied on social relationships, and what impact the climate warrior has had on how people interact with the environment. In a presentation, students could be asked, “To what extent does this climate warrior address sociology concepts in their work?” In a debate, students could be asked to argue either what the climate warrior did well or what they may have missed. Any of these activities would allow students to think critically about the applications of sociology theory and help them identify the importance of sociology in the issues surrounding climate change.
Furthermore, educators could adapt Grosse’s (2020) TRAILS activity, which is designed to facilitate educator efforts to teach in solidarity with climate strikes and the people leading them and to encourage greater action toward climate justice. After viewing Climate Warriors, educators could ask students to get into groups and develop a focused environmental protest or strike in their community. The educator could ask students to use examples from the film to help develop their ideas. The class could vote on one group’s idea, organize the protest or strike, communicate the event with students and faculty, and show up in solidarity with one another. A reflection could be assigned following the event to gauge student, faculty, and community impact.
After viewing Climate Warriors, we were impacted by the message about individual action and the need for immediate change in a personal, academic, and professional context. We liked how the film portrayed the issues with urgency but kept the message positive and inspiring. This method of storytelling made us more receptive to the call to action than we would have been if the climate crisis had been shown as an insurmountable threat. By focusing on action while addressing the concepts and science behind climate change, the film prompted us to think more about how we can work toward being a climate warrior. The tone and organization of the film make it very approachable and entertaining while still educating students. We would recommend Climate Warriors to students working in environmental fields, political sciences, physical and life sciences, or humanities because it presents a lot of ideas that could be advanced through research in any of these disciplines. It is important to inspire young people to create change because these issues will take decades to solve. The multidisciplinary approach of the film makes it applicable to a wide range of studies and may spark ideas for graduates to pursue early in their careers. Nevertheless, Climate Warriors is presented in a way that people of all ages and interests would find informative and entertaining and would be beneficial for anyone interested in climate change.
Overall, Climate Warriors presents a compelling set of stories highlighting the work of individual activists that inspires community-level engagement in the issues of climate change. The way theories of environmental sociology are presented in Climate Warriors makes it an excellent pairing for class texts to encourage students to apply the concepts they are learning to real-life scenarios. Climate Warriors effectively covers economic, social, and ecological systems within the issues while showing practical solutions that respond to each of these systems. With clear applications to environmental sociology theory across a broad range of disciplines, the film shows how people from all walks of life and levels of public influence can work toward a better environment. The framing of the film through stories of “climate warriors” also amplifies the message that anyone can begin to advocate for the environment. As Xiuhtezcal Martinez says in the film, “Being a climate warrior is being able to understand the crisis that we face in way that empowers us to fight to preserve and protect that which is left.” Climate Warriors calls for people to respond to this message and continue to work toward a better global environment.