Don’t Look Up | Does reality meet fiction?

Generator of discussions (and reviews) since its release on Netflix, the satirical film Don’t Look Up (cosmic denial) highlights the gap between the panic of scientists aware of an existential threat to the Earth and the denial of politicians, the media and a section of society. Do climate scientists, another crisis of which the film is an allegory, feel driven by the same feeling of helplessness as Randall Mindy and Kate Diabaski? The Press interviewed four Quebec climatologists.

Sylvain Sarrazin
The Press

Valerie Simard
The Press

Philippe Gachon

Discouragement, anger, anxiety: the emotions felt by the protagonists of Don’t Look Up Did they find an echo in Philippe Gachon, professor of hydroclimatology at UQAM?

“Absolutely, it joined me on several aspects,” he says, lamenting that despite the evidence brandished by scientists, they are struggling to be heard and to generate action. “In the film, the coordination is so bad that we end up making decisions that don’t make sense. In reality, we actually have a big sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, and it’s not for lack of reports,” he notes, referring to those of the IPCC, but also of the UNDRR. (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction), which led to the Sendai Protocol, ratified by Canada in 2017 in its presence. “What have we achieved four years later? Not much. With each crisis, we are caught off guard. »

At the head of an inter-university network on floods, he observes a delay between the words and actions of those in power. “We also see it in the film, politicians fill mandates to be able to get elected a few years later. And that is frustrating. That doesn’t mean they don’t understand certain issues, but I don’t think they have yet realized the magnitude of what awaits us. »

Despite everything, a spark of optimism animates him: that of the mobilization of the younger generations, who will live with more marked consequences. “I think they understood the problem. There are Greta Thunbergs everywhere on the planet, eco-anxiety is growing among them. We must help them by putting ourselves on their level, so that they take action without repeating the mistakes of the previous generation. »

Sylvain Sarrazin, The Press

Alejandro DiLuca

Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at UQAM, Alejandro Di Luca is one of the main authors of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose The first part was published last August… the day the announcement of the transfer of star player Lionel Messi to PSG was announced. In France at least, one has eclipsed the other. Although he nevertheless says he is satisfied with the echo the report has received in the world, the researcher admits that he is sometimes driven by a feeling of powerlessness and discouragement.

“I felt that,” says this specialist in regional climate modeling and extreme climatic events. But I feel that very often. »

“The film shows the complexity and the difficulties of communicating science well so that the data lead to changes in society. There is a whole job that depends in part on us, the scientists. It is often difficult to properly communicate the seriousness or severity of the situation. There is probably also a responsibility on the part of the media. We see in the film how entertainment is more important than even the end of the world! »

But, according to him, an encouraging point, our capacity for action in climate matters is greater than before a comet heading straight for the Earth.

Valerie Simard, The Press

Alexandra Lesnikowski

Like many moviegoers, Professor Alexandra Lesnikowski, head of Concordia University’s Climate Change Adaptation Laboratory, found the film both funny and painful. “It very much reflects the frustration felt not only by the scientific community, but also by the general public,” she says. But despite periods of discouragement, she considers herself “cautiously optimistic”.

The climatologist recalls how difficult it can be to find the right formatting for scientific messages – we see the protagonists of Don’t Look Up skate and evolve on this.

To his eyes, Don’t Look Up is in itself a powerful communication tool, capturing the public’s attention and provoking discussions on climate change.

Another point addressed: how economic interests threaten to confuse the issue, the film denouncing the capitalist greed that parasitizes the solutions. “Climate change is itself the historical result of economic and political inequalities, causing some interests to prevail over others. There is always concern that interests rooted in our current system, causing large emissions, could hijack the agenda of a transition to new technologies or a new economic system,” she argues, noting that all voices should be heard. during the climate transition.

Sylvain Sarrazin, The Press

Alain Royer

“The majority of people believe in it now [au réchauffement climatique], but that does not translate into very concrete actions,” laments Alain Royer, professor in the geomatics department at the University of Sherbrooke. Specialized in climatology, he has been studying the effects of warming in the Arctic for 20 years.

Alain Royer says he is optimistic by nature. The disaster scenario where everyone dies at the end, very little for him. ” We are going to find. Man is smart enough to stop destroying himself and when it gets really bad… There are long-term solutions that require funding. When I see the phenomenal sums that have been put on COVID, which is a good thing, I tell myself that if we did the same thing for technological development, to change energy sources, that would be great. »

However, he feels an effect of saturation in terms of information. “People say, ‘Okay, it’s okay, we get it.’ Indeed, we understood, but afterwards, we must act, ”recalls the one who is critical of the media, social networks and politicians.

” I think that Don’t Look Up, through parody and satire, can have a positive effect. It’s obvious. There is something that falls on us and it does not bother us. It is well seen. »

Valerie Simard, The Press