Documentary about women and climate change screened at UPEI

By Sam Arseneau

A scene from ‘Hands On: Women, Climate, Change,’ shown at UPEI Thursday.

As a part of an international event week, a documentary exploring women tackling climate change around the world was screened at UPEI Thursday.

The screening was hosted by Cinema Politica Charlottetown in partnership with the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) and the UPEI Environmental Studies Society as a part of International Development Week 2020.

The film  was called ‘Hands On: Women, Climate, Change,’ a 48-minute documentary that profiles five women from four different continents. It explores their motives to tackle climate change through different means such as policy, protests, education and innovation.

Leo Cheverie of Cinema Politica Charlottetown spoke about why UPEI was chosen to hold the event.

“UPEI hosted many International Development Week activities last week and both ACIC and Cinema Politica believe in partnerships with groups like the UPEI Environment Committee,” he said.

Cheverie also spoke about the importance of student reach with these events.

“As we heard the message of Greta Thunberg and others, we have a limited time in which to act and it is the younger generations that will have to deal with the climate crisis so the sooner we act the better.”

International Development Week 2020 is an initiative to inspire Canadians, particularly youth. The event week teaches about initiatives surrounding global issues and how to contribute to social causes.

One member of the UPEI Environmental Studies Society, Choyce Chappell, spoke about the student perspective on attending events such as this.

“Attending events together allows us to meet students, sometimes even from other programs, that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to and build up our sense of community,” Chappell said.

“When talking about the climate crisis and environmentalism, so many people think, ‘I’m just one person, what can I do?’ But when you have a community, you realize that the small things can make a difference when done in a large amount.”

Chappell told the Cadre that ‘Hands On: Women, Climate, Change’ was a good choice to be screened because of its links to several social causes including environmental issues and sexism.

“The particular film that was screened looked at environmentalism and climate change intersected with the issue of sexism, and seeing information like this shows us all the different possibilities in dealing with it, and is good in teaching that the solution isn’t going to be one-size-fits-all, either.”

This event was a special educational experience attendees.