On Thursday 15th January, the day-long rain stopped just in time for 130 attendees to make their way to Perins School for New Leaf Alresford’s screening of recently produced British documentary System Update. Visitors were able to choose either a glass of local fizz from Candover Brook, or a soft drink, and took their place for the film.
Paul Maple’s film outlined the precarious situation we find ourselves in now, as a species living on planet Earth. With a 3℃ global temperature rise predicted, emissions continuing to increase, and the threat of cascading climate effects, the outlook for us is frightening. The film did not shy away from the scientific reality of the challenge before us. It touched on politics, economics, food security and flood risks, negative emissions technologies, and rampant consumerism, and explored system change concepts such as ‘degrowth’, fairer distribution of wealth, adaptation, resilience, citizens assemblies, activism and protest. It highlighted the importance of envisaging a better world for the future, where planned obsolescence is a thing of the past, where there are climate job guarantees, shorter working weeks, free and accessible public transport, and where we live in harmony with, and within the boundaries of, the planet.
The overarching, positive, and hopeful message was that we can ‘be on the winning team’, and take part in creating a brighter future. We can create a better economy that allows the living world to flourish. The film emphasised that there is global majority support for climate action, and urged us all to seize the power we have to make change.
The film screening was followed by a lively and inspiring question and answer discussion with a panel of expert commentators, including the film’s producer and director Paul Maple; local MP Danny Chambers; retired Investment Manager Simon James; and Ian Williams, Professor of Applied Environmental Science at the University of Southampton.
Questions began with New Leaf Alresford trustee Jenny Cridland asking Paul why he made the film and whether he felt it had realised the impact he intended. He told us that he wanted to inspire people to gather together and collaborate to achieve effective climate action – and that community screenings like New Leaf’s were a great example of this.
Professor Ian Williams urged us to look our children, grandchildren, or other family members’ or friends’ children in the eye, and ask ourselves what sort of future we want for them. Then we should look at ourselves in the mirror and ask “what am I doing to help achieve that?”. He implored us to “make the change”.
Simon James told us “not to let the perfect get in the way of the good” when it comes to climate action. None of us are perfect, but that should not prevent us from continuing to do good things, and to do better each day.
Local MP Danny Chambers said that people should have the right choices made more readily available to them. Green alternatives should be incentivised, and subsidised. He told us that political parties should stop looking at climate change as a separate, add-on issue. Action on the climate should be embedded in all aspects of government.
In terms of system change, Paul told us he was convinced it is happening and will continue, but that we are experiencing a false social reality where we assume the global majority don’t want change, when they do. Ian put the spotlight on renewable energy, which he said was gathering pace, with 100 days of fossil fuel free energy generation achieved in the UK last year. Simon also identified the growth in renewable energy, specifically locally generated community energy, as a good cause for hope. Danny pointed out that the net zero economy grew by 10% between 2023-24 but emphasised the need for governments to champion universities and research institutes who could achieve swift progress given enough support.
During the conversation, it became clear that there were many impactful but relatively small and achievable changes we might be able to make, now. For example, internet searches now default to using AI, which consumes 17 times more energy. We could look for search engines that don’t use AI in this way. Active travel (walking, cycling and public transport) is not only good for the planet, it’s better for us too. Switching away from gas guzzling SUVs and keeping older cars running for longer is by far the greener choice than constantly upgrading and buying new, which demands immense resources. Simon pointed out that climate friendly action could be as simple as changing your washing up liquid – giving the example of a household brand which, despite the fact that it is designed to be washed down our sinks and into our water systems, carries the warning that it is ‘harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects’.
When asked how we could possibly make meaningful change given the global challenges we are facing at present, Paul told us that there is enough desire for system change to make it a reality – but we need to link up all these green ‘internal islands of coherence’. The answer lies in connectivity, collaboration, and bold unswerving action.
The conversation continued after the Q&A had finished, with many inspired to think about what they could do next. If you would like to find out more about what’s happening locally, and explore how you might be able to get involved, go to www.newleafalresford.org or email enquiries@newleafalresford.org
If you aren’t local to Alresford, look for climate groups or nature charities near you, connect with like-minded people, and ensure that no one is an island, so we can achieve the interconnected, collaborative action Paul calls for.
New Leaf thanks Danny Chambers MP, Paul Maple, Professor Ian Williams and Simon James for volunteering their time and expertise