Premiering online and in NYC this Sunday night, “Disruption” Spotlights Growing Costs of Inaction, Spurring People to the Streets and Raising Stakes for UN Climate Summit
Showtime in NYC:
Sunday, September 7, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
John L. Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue, University Center, Room U100, New York, NY
SEPTEMBER 7, NEW YORK CITY: Disruption, a new documentary film premiering this weekend, and featuring some of the environmental movement’s top leaders, calls for a new strategy to address the climate crisis: a public movement and uprising that forces world leaders to replace rhetoric with action.
The world premiere of the film sets the stage for a historic groundswell of climate events in New York City at month’s end, including the People’s Climate March on September 21 and the UN Climate Summit on September 23 featuring President Obama and other world leaders.
Disruption seeks to answer a fundamental question: When it comes to climate change, why do we do so little when we know so much? The movie lays bare the science, the broken political process, the industry special interests and the civic disengagement that have brought us to this crossroads. Watch the trailer here:
The world premiere of Disruption in New York City is the flagship for hundreds of screenings taking place around the country on Sunday. A panel discussion will follow the premiere.
Panelists will include (more detail at base of email):
- Ricken Patel – Executive Director – Avaaz.org
- Eddie Bautista – Executive Director – New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
- Keya Chatterjee – Director, Renewable Energy and Footprint Outreach – WWF
“In the past, masses of people have taken the wheel of history and turned it,” says author Naomi Klein in the film. “We have a responsibility to rise to our historic moment.”
The title of the film, “Disruption,” refers to both the dangerous environmental tipping points after which the entire climate system could spiral out of control, as well as the need for a mass social movement to disrupt the status quo and business-as-usual approach which is inhibiting the bold actions necessary to protect the planet’s future.
The People’s Climate March will bring together upwards of 100,000 people in NYC to demand immediate action from the 190 heads of state in town for the UN Climate Summit. Over 700 organizations spanning labor, faith, environmental justice, youth, health, first responders, environment, have already endorsed the march and will be dispatching their members to attend.
The film calls for action strong enough to tip the balance towards a clean energy future. It features prominent climate leaders like Chris Hayes, Naomi Klein, Van Jones and others. The film aims to reframe the climate issue as not just an environmental concern, but a matter of social and economic justice, tying climate impacts, and their solutions, directly to issues that the public cares about most.
“This is not just about the environment, it’s about the community, it’s about jobs, it’s about justice,” says Eddie Bautista, executive director for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, one of the lead organizations for the People’s Climate March.
“This is not a green issue, this an all of us issue,” says Ricken Patel, executive director of the 38-million member civic organization, Avaaz. Avaaz is mobilizing its members around the world to take part in solidarity actions along with the march in NYC.
“There is no replacement for human bodies, standing as one, voices raised as one, making a political demand,” says Chris Hayes, the MSNBC host and leading progressive writer and thinker.
The international climate campaign 350.org funded and is distributing the film. The film is a production of PF Pictures, directed by Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott. PF previously worked with 350.org to produce the documentary, “Do the Math,” which helped spark the fossil fuel divestment campaign that has spread to hundreds of colleges, cities, churches, and states around the world.
Panelists details:
Ricken Patel – Executive Director – Avaaz.org
Ricken Patel is the co-founder and Executive Director of Avaaz.org, a global web movement to bring people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere. Avaaz—meaning “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organize citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want. Avaaz empowers a membership of nearly 40 million people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change.
Keya Chatterjee – Director, Renewable Energy and Footprint Outreach – WWF
Keya Chatterjee has a unique spin on the ‘big picture.’ Keya is part of WWF’s climate team, working on every level – local to global – to bring awareness about climate change to the masses and facilitate progress at the highest levels of government toward a new global climate treaty. She can talk in amazing detail about the climate change impacts we are already experiencing; the need to drastically reduce emissions worldwide; the links between climate change and poverty; and the barriers we need to overcome to reach a real global climate agreement.
Eddie Bautista – Executive Director – New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
Eddie Bautista is an award-winning community organizer and urban planner who serves as Executive Director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) and is a key organizer working on the People’s Climate March. NYC-EJA is a network of community-based organizations in low-income communities of color throughout the City. Founded in 1991, NYC-EJA organizes its member groups to advocate for the empowerment and just treatment of environmentally overburdened neighborhoods. Through NYC-EJA’s efforts, member organizations coalesce around City and State-wide issues that threaten the ability of low income communities of color to thrive.
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For more information on the flim, visit: watchdisruption.com
For more information on the People’s Climate March, visit: peoplesclimate.org