AMP Media is passionate about using video storytelling to address the existential crisis of climate change. We see such videos as a form of climate action. This crisis is, at heart, a communal call to action. The Earth’s atmosphere and oceans — the planet’s bloodstream — are heating up as if with a killing fever as its million-fold species, of which we are just one, face a massive die-off. What to do? Below are videos produced for the West Virginia Climate Alliance and others pondering this most important issue of the day.
“Hey Joe” climate video sings out to Manchin: “Hey Joe,” (set to “Hey Jude”) is a climate action music video directed at Sen. Joe Manchin’s big climate decision point. The song, written and sung by Ron Sowell, features a cast of dozens of people across West Virginia, harmonically urging Manch-n to support support the climate initiatives of the Build Back Better Act.
“Climate Common Sense”
“CLIMATE COMMON SENSE: Follow the science to a safer future”: WV Climate Alliance co-founders Perry Bryant and Angie Rosser, director of WV Rivers Coalition, along with WV House of Delegates member Evan Hansen speak of the importance of rooting climate action in the science of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. With imagery from around West Virginia and beyond, this video underscores what is at stake, locally, nationally, and globally.
“In Pursuit of Climate Justice”
“In Pursuit of Climate Justice”: Communities of color and low-income families have long suffered from living on the front lines of the dangers posed by the climate crisis and environmental catastrophe. ‘Fairness’ and ‘justice’ are two words central to climate activism. They speak to the need to look out for front-line communities, whose health and well-being are often most at-risk.
“Halloween Rally for Climate Action”
“Halloween Rally for Climate Action”: Experience a climate rally in the capital city of West Virginia on Oct. 30, 2021. The rally’s messaging was directed at WV Sen. Joe Manchin, urging him to stand behind climate legislation. “The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end,” renowned climatologist Michael E. Mann told the rally in a virtual address.
“LILLY’S CLASS: Kids Talk About Climate Change”
“LILLY’S CLASS: Kids Talk About Climate Change”: This video brings to life the booklet “Lilly’s Class: Kids Talk About Climate Change,” by Eleanor Spohr (copyright 2018). The booklet is sponsored by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby of Charleston WV. It’s available for purchase for classrooms and individuals by e-mailing: ehspohr@mountain.net. For more on the Charleston WV CCL chapter, visit: http://facebook.com/CCLWV/
“Why Care About the Climate Crisis?”
“Why Care About the Climate Crisis?”: Why should anyone care about the climate crisis? People from across West Virginia active in groups addressing climate change tackle that question, in light of their own lives, families, and communities.
“Windmills and Smokestacks of West Virginia, No. 1”
“Windmills and Smokestacks of West Virginia, No. 1”: Spend time in eastern West Virginia, you encounter wind turbines and smokestacks. When I posted pix of Mt. Storm Wind Farm, a friend said how nice it is to associate West Virginia with windpower instead of hillbilly drek. Windfarms also cause one to ponder the need to ditch a carbon-fired economy before we cook ourselves. Here’s No. 1 in an occasional video series on windmills and smokestack.
