Instagram/@americaferrera
The Solutions Project has come out with a new video called ‘Building Home Future’ narrated by the actress America Ferrera, portraying the climate migration as an opportunity rather than a crisis for the sharing of resilience and innovation. The video says that climate change migrants carry the necessary know-how and solutions to the new communities which thus motivate the people to come together and act rather than be fearful and isolated due to environmental displacement. This is a very timely message as climate change migration is on its way to being a global phenomenon that no one can avoid.
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The video starts with a very simple, yet at the same time deep question: Where is home? It suggests that home is not just a location on a map but it is also a feeling of safety, love, and heritage. The video is narrated by Ferrera whose voice is full of warmth and reassurance and acknowledges the terrible living conditions that are leading people to move—extreme heat, fires, and the increase in the cost of living—however, at no point does the video give up on the narrative of hope. The video makes a bold statement: ‘Fear is the easy option, and it is a fear of what is beyond our control.’ ‘But to go there does not equal to the loss of us,’ states the video.
Brave is what the video actually portrays; it is a calling for bravery that is at the same time wise through the past and the victory over hardships. It builds a picture of mutual assistance in which the new neighbors are viewed as the main players in the resistance to climate change. The video gives examples of the with the talents and knowledge and skills that the migrants can bring: urban farming, solar energy jobs training, better city planning, and community buildings that encourage resilience. The main point of the discussion is that different life experiences are the ones that create a society that is stronger and more adaptable. ‘The knowledge regarding the possibilities in a future with a changing climate is greater with us, collectively,’ says Ferrera while narrating.
The text mission of the organization supports this claim and says, ‘It is easy to give in to fear and isolation in the middle of disaster, doubt, and climate crisis. But we cannot stop here. The fact is, we are absolutely dependent on each other.’
But, the comment section showed a very different, much more fragmented digital picture than the one suggested by the video. To the extent that while many users felt comfortable showing their support for the united actions, a big part of the conversation was directed to other international crises thereby bringing up the issue of how difficult it is to keep one’s focus on just one topic.
One user rather bluntly confronted the organization on its focus in Africa, saying, ‘We are still waiting for you to cover Nigeria or Sudan, right?’ This statement is an example of the situation where there is a demand for advocacy groups to be involved in all worst-off countries and at the same time the coalition’s challenges of working on all fronts are overlapping.
Another response was just aggressive and it said: ‘Why not go and ask the 50 plus Muslim countries that you support, what are they doing about climate change??? Oh wait, nothing!’ The response clearly shows that the climate debate is often interwoven with larger political and cultural conflicts which makes the search for agreement very difficult.
In the meantime, users who were sympathetic and shared their heartbreaking stories formed a different kind of thread of dialogue. One person even submitted a very touching and detailed request for help, saying that, because of their dire situation, they were about to be evicted and needed food for their family. ‘I swear by the one who raised the sky and spread the earth that there is not even a single day’s food inside our house… We are being threatened with eviction,’ were the words of this very unfiltered and private appeal for assistance just below the permission denial of a professionally produced advocacy video. This raw and direct reminder of human suffering—through which policy discussions, which are often abstract, try to engage with—was very powerfully illustrated by the video’s message of hope.
Among all this noise, a comment from Sweden brought the discussion back to the very point with a specific solution-oriented argument. The user mentioned, ‘Today the Swedish government took a decision allowing uranium mining. Undoubtedly, this will have a bad impact on the environment and climate… We are taking so many backward steps it is scary.’ The user not only pointed to a part of the world that is viewed as progressive but also highlighted that the struggle between protecting the environment and economic growth continues even in such regions.
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The video featuring America Ferrera could be interpreted as a hopeful and confident call for unity and shared responsibility. The claim that the combined strength of all of us is in the invitation of new people and new ideas is not only sufficiently made but also very convincingly so; at the same time, however, the chaotic and sometimes painful online responses the video received were also very powerful testimonies of its own. The paving
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
