Documentary film: What will happen if the Earth warms by 1.5 degrees?

A documentary co-financed by IKI shows the impact of climate change on the Caribbean.

The aim of international climate change policy is to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius. But scientists believe that a temperature rise of just 1.5 degrees could lead to irreversible damage to ecosystems and terrestrial and marine areas.

The film '1.5 - Stay Alive' by the Spanish film-maker Lucian Segura takes a closer look at this issue using the example of the Caribbean region. He describes the far-reaching consequences such warming will have for biodiversity, fish stocks, coastal protection and the survival of Caribbean coral reefs. The documentary also shows how climate change will impact the people who live on the islands and along the Caribbean coastlines and whose living space and homeland is increasingly being lost.

Scientists and those directly affected are also given a chance to share their views. The film highlights the characteristic features of the Caribbean, from Haiti and Trinidad all the way to Florida and New Orleans, and shows how performers of diverse musical styles are dealing with the challenge of climate change.

The English-language film, which is nearly one hour long, was co-financed by Blue Solutions, a global project of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). The project supports the establishment of a network committed to the protection, sustainable use and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems. Participants in the network share their strategies, instruments and experience and test pilot measures. To support these efforts, the project organises workshops and is setting up an online platform.

The film uses a combination of various genres including factual documentary, music video and nature film to convey the diversity and beauty of the Caribbean as a natural environment and cultural space and to galvanise action. Various international experts, such as Tilman Altenburg from the German Development Institute (DIE), contributed their expertise to help make the documentary. You can view the video here on the IKI website.