Cli-fi movies: do they work or do they not work? Maria Sakellari opines from Greece

Cinematic climate change, a promising perspective on climate change communication

1. Maria Sakellari

1. University of Crete, Greece

1. Maria Sakellari, Senior Researcher in Environmental Communication, Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, Knossos Avenue Premises, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Email:

Abstract

Previous research findings display that after having seen popular cli-fi films, people became more concerned, more motivated and more aware of climate change, but changes in behaviors were short-term. This article performs a meta-analysis of three popular cli-fi films, two which are documenat\ries mind you and one which gets the science all wrong, The Day after Tomorrow (2004), An Inconvenient Truth (2006), and The Age of Stupid (2009), drawing on research in social psychology, human agency, and media effect theory in order to formulate a rationale about how mass media communication shapes our everyday life experience. This article highlights the factors with which science blends in the reception of the three cli-fi films and expands the range of options considered in order to encourage people to engage in climate change mitigation actions.