Multinational Research Society Publisher

Climate Cinema as Environmental Pedagogy: Ecological Consciousness in Snowpiercer and Don't Look Up


Sr No:
Page No: 74-78
Language: English
Authors: P. Vydehi*, Dr. A. Anitha
Received: 2026-03-16
Accepted: 2026-04-17
Published Date: 2026-04-28
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Abstract:
Climate change has intensified the need for forms of public education that communicate ecological risk and social responsibility beyond scientific discourse. Cinema has emerged as a significant cultural medium through which environmental crises are translated into accessible narratives that shape public understanding. This paper examines climate cinema as a form of ecopedagogy by analysing Snowpiercer and Don't Look Up. The study employs ecopedagogy as articulated by Richard Kahn to explore how filmic narratives cultivate ecological consciousness and critical awareness of environmental crisis. The paper adopts a comparative approach to explore how two distinct cinematic modes represent the climate crisis. Snowpiercer presents a dystopian future shaped by a failed geoengineering attempt that freezes the planet. In contrast, Don't Look Up employs political satire to depict the inability of governments, corporations, and media institutions to respond responsibly to scientific warnings. The narrative illustrates how denial, spectacle, and profit driven interests undermine effective responses to ecological threats. Through these contrasting narrative strategies, the films reveal different dimensions of climate crisis. One visualises the consequences of ecological intervention and environmental inequality, while the other critiques contemporary political and media structures that undermine scientific knowledge. The paper argues that climate cinema functions as ecopedagogy by transforming environmental crisis into narrative experiences that encourage critical reflection on ecological responsibility and climate governance. Such representations expand public engagement with climate discourse and contribute to the formation of ecological consciousness.
Keywords: climate cinema, environmental pedagogy, ecological consciousness, climate governance, environmental justice.

Journal: MRS Journal of Arts, Humanities and Literature
ISSN(Online): 3049-1444
Publisher: MRS Publisher
Frequency: Monthly
Language: English

Climate Cinema as Environmental Pedagogy: Ecological Consciousness in Snowpiercer and Don't Look Up