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
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.