Teenager's film on climate change (From Witney Gazette)

Teenager's film on climate change

5:30pm Thursday 24th March 2011 in Headlines By Ben Wilkinson

Ross Harrison

A TEENAGE director hopes his homemade documentary will be shown in schools across Oxfordshire to raise awareness during Climate Change Week.

Ross Harrison, 19, from Hailey, near Witney, set out to dispel the myths and find the real facts behind climate change.

His 40-minute film Beyond the Brink features interviews with experts including Sir David Attenborough and comes to the conclusion that climate change is real.

The former Magdalen School pupil, who started the film as a hobby in 2009, said: “I was frustrated with the debate that has been going on for years. I wanted to get to the bottom of it myself. I wanted to make a documentary about climate change but one that gets to the heart of the issue, one that gives an optimistic outlook of what we need to do in the future.”

The first national Climate Change Week ends onSunday and has seen a series of events aim to encourage people to act to save the planet.

Mr Harrison said: “At a time where it is probably quite off the radar, anything that is going to be raising awareness with people who otherwise would not be thinking about it is a positive thing.”

The Cambridge University geography student wrote to top academics including Oxford University staff and journalist and author Mark Lynas.

And he said the project took off when Sir David Attenborough, pictured, agreed to be interviewed. After hours of discussions, the youngster said he was convinced by the scientific evidence put forward by the experts.

He said: “Saying ‘climate change is terrible, we’re in big trouble’ hasn’t persuaded many people to rise to the challenge.

“There needs to be a new message that is appealing and inspiring – a fresh movement that anyone can feel part of.”

The student gathered sponsorship to get his film shown across the UK and every school in Oxfordshire has been sent the DVD. The documentary has also been shown as far afield as Kenya and the USA.

You can watch or download the film at www.beyondthebrink.org.