Earthbook – The Earth Goes Online

How can the controversial issues of global warming, environmental and wildlife conservation and renewable energy come together in a balanced and meaningful fashion?  The answer is in the video “Earthbook” produced for Science Year 2012, “Project EARTH: Our Future.”

In cooperation with the Climate Media Factory, an animated short film was created using the language and aesthetics of the social networking site Facebook to provide background knowledge about climate change and its consequences. The plot is based on a thought experiment: What would planet earth post on its profile about human kind, if it could?

A time lapse shows how the earth develops virtual relationships with humans and raises the question of whether earth wants to be friends with a species that exploits its natural resources.  Only with the threatened termination of the Internet friendship does “man” begin to rethink its behavior. The German version of the short film already has more than 316,000 views on Youtube, and the English version has more than 38,000 views.

“The film makes people rethink their everyday cultural practice. In this way the film aims at raising awareness about the importance of the careful use of available resources”

Ephraim Broschkowski, producer at Climate Media Factory

“‘Earthbook’  puts the man-made climate change in a new and unusual perspective.”

Jürgen Kropp, PIK project manager of CMF

The conclusion of “Earthbook” certainly triggers powerful discussions, and the project as a whole has achieved one major accomplishment: it makes us think.

More links:

http://en.zukunftsprojekt-erde.de/
www.facebook.com/wissenschaftsjahr
www.youtube.com/user/wissenschaftsjahr
www.climatemediafactory.de

 

The Science Years is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in cooperation with the Science in Dialogue (WiD).  Since 2000, they have been promoting the exchange between research and the public.  In Science Year 2012, “Project EARTH: Our Future,” three key questions are addressed: How do we want to live?  How can we be economical?  And how can we protect our environment?  The Year of Science 2012 promotes the public debate about the goals, challenges and action areas of a sustainable development.