Clockwork Climate
To solve the climate crisis, the world has convened 21 times under the auspices of the UN. Four decades of lofty speeches and dashed hopes. Despite increasingly alarming reports from IPCC experts, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, states have demonstrated their inability to meet the scale of efforts needed to stop global warming.
This film is an investigation into the global rise of geoengineering. After the secret military programs of the Cold War, several countries are once again developing techniques to intervene in the climate. Are they playing the role of sorcerer’s apprentices or saviors of the planet? As the climate crisis accelerates, will we really have a choice?
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisCurrent Affairs Written byBenjamin Landsberger, Pierre-Oscar LévyDirected by Pierre-Oscar LévyMontageStéphanie BoringCinematographyMathieu PansardSoundScott Kinzey, Fred Runner, Xavier Griette, Sara Lima, Dennis Gross, Joël Flescher, Christian Berthier, Yasin SalazarNarrationMarianne DenicourtSupported by CNC, Programme MEDIA Broadcasted by ARTE FranceDistributed by PBS Distribution Festival(s) Sélection officielle FOCAL International Award 2016 / Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2016 / Wildlife Vaasa International Film Festival 2016Year2015Duration84min
Geoengineering feeds off these repeated failures by offering a “Plan B” to those who want to preserve our way of life at all costs. Even the IPCC, in its 2015 report, had to come to terms with examining these techniques aimed at countering the greenhouse effect.
The most advanced research focuses on Solar Radiation Management (SRM). These methods propose to mimic the effect of volcanic eruptions by dispersing cooling particles into the upper atmosphere. However, many scientists warn of the potentially devastating effects of such an artificial shield on our environment. Creating artificial volcanoes is, after all, just reproducing disasters…
These seemingly futuristic techniques that promise to save the planet have a military past. Using exceptional archive footage, the film reveals former projects aimed at controlling weather and global climate as offensive weapons. They are part of the most secretive research programs of the Cold War.
In the United States, the military prioritized weather studies for fear that the Soviets might manipulate it with missiles and atomic bombs. Weather weapons were developed and used in Vietnam, instigated by physicist Edward Teller, inventor of the H-bomb and inspiration for Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove.”
Faced with the scale of the risks, both sides decided in the early 1970s to ban any local or global climate manipulation for military purposes. However, in the face of the climate crisis, the taboo has been lifted, and geoengineering has made a comeback in research. It has found its strongest supporters among those who, not long ago, questioned the very existence of global warming.
Low-cost and quick to deploy, SRM techniques are favored by politicians, companies, and lobbies who see them as a magic formula to avoid changing our way of life. Billionaires like Bill Gates fund geoengineering experiments in hopes of delaying the disasters predicted by the IPCC. Yet, the fear of side effects remains strong, and no experiment has yet been conducted outside of laboratories. For how long? If fear prevails, who will stop the climate sorcerer’s apprentices?
Press coverage
This film, as fascinating as it is terrifying, raises the question: who will strike first? A state facing a severe drought? Or a rogue billionaire? Captivating and alarming.
Télérama
Fascinating, this documentary—historical, scientific, and philosophical—compels us to reflect on our collective responsibility. It’s an outstanding investigation into a troubling alternative to reducing CO2 emissions.
Pèlerin
A troubling investigation, well-supported by high-quality participants..
Télé 2 Semaines
An informative focus on the history of geoengineering. When humanity plays God. Terrifying!
Télé Poche