ecoSanity.org’s TIFF ecoRazzies Campaign 2008 — Our Take on TIFF
The 33rd annual Toronto Int’l Film Festival (TIFF): 10 days, 500+ celebrities, 312 films from 64 countries, 350,000 tickets, 60+ million in fossil-fueled revenue, and NO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY.
Meanwhile, over the same 33 years that the festival has existed, species populations have declined an average of 27% (an extinction rate of 1% – 50,000 – species per year – up to 10,000 x higher than the natural or ‘background’ rate!). With the rapidly accelerating impacts of global heating, there will be at least another 27% decline in far less time. Deadly climate change is happening NOW and, while heavily corporate international mega-events are not the biggest or most direct causes of this problem, the negligent culture of excess that they promote sure is.
In 2007, ecoSanity.org carried out a peaceful disruption of TIFF with a brief blockage of vehicle access to a gala at Roy Thompson Hall.
In 2008, we organized an ambitious, six-day volunteer mobilization to peacefully engage the public about the urgent global emergency and social injustices posed by the climate crisis.
What’s the Problem with TIFF?
1. TIFF has NO official environmental policy and a pervasive disregard for environmental responsibility
Implement a thorough, ambitious, industry-leading environmental policy that would not only make the festival as green as possible, but also set high environmental standards for everyone associated.
2. TIFF is aligned with numerous green-washing companies and banks
For starters, disassociate with RBC until they become a climate responsible leader in the banking industry.
3. TIFF results in the carbon footprint of thousands of associated flights, limos and SUV’s
Don’t fly everyone in. Instead, transform approach into a cutting edge, screens-only video conference.
4. TIFF promotes a culture of excess…
…despite the growing detriment to the people of the most impoverished nations who are suffering and dying from the devastating impacts of rich nation-induced climate change RIGHT NOW (increased poverty, spiking food prices, dwindling fresh water, starvation, disease, drought, desertification, ocean acidification, flooding, rising sea levels overcoming entire island states, genocide, resource wars).
Instead of excess, promote sustainability and conservation.
5. TIFF’s new Bell Lightbox tower is not LEED certified (environmental building certification) and, to our knowledge, was given no environmental consideration
With TIFF’s scale, influence and footprint should follow the absolute moral responsibility to take aggressive action. Given the dire state of the climate crisis, it must happen fast.
The Climate Crisis is an Urgent, Global Emergency!
NASA‘s James Hansen, the first leading scientist to warn of the dangers of global warming before a U.S. Congressional committee 20 years ago, recently returned to warn that the Earth’s climate is nearing dangerous tipping points, to call for a national carbon tax and to declare that the CEO’s of energy companies should be tried for crimes against humanity and nature.
“We have reached a point of planetary emergency…”, he said. “…climate is nearing dangerous tipping points. Elements of a perfect storm, a global cataclysm, are assembled…”. “…the oft- stated goal to keep global warming less than +2 C (+3.6 Fahrenheit) is a recipe for global disaster, not salvation.”
Al Gore‘s concern that America’s “dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuel” is at the core if its economic, environmental and national security problems recently compelled him to call for an urgent transition to 100% green energy in America within 10 years.
And in the new book, Climate Code Red: The Case For Emergency Action, Authors David Spratt and Philip Sutton argue that, in order to return to a ‘safe climate’, not only must we reduce carbon emissions 100% as quickly as possible by declaring an urgent global state of emergency in order to get beyond the suicidal denial of ‘business as usual’ (Read: The Perils Of Playing Nice), we must also figure out a way to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere.
The World Needs Leadership from Events Like TIFF
Few events pack the carbon wallop TIFF does into 10 so excessive, carbon- intensive days.
ecoSanity.org is based in Toronto, the festival is one of the highest profile media opportunities in the world, and the situation is urgent.
With TIFF’s scale, influence and footprint should follow the absolute moral responsibility to take aggressive action. We believe there is also tremendous potential benefit for organizers and sponsors to pursue an industry-leading transformation that would not only make the festival as green as possible, but also set high environmental standards for all associated.
Get informed. Get inspired. Get involved and help to motivate bold, new, transformative approaches and just, resilient, EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS to the climate crisis — FAST.
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