Climate Change Oppression: Media Production as the Practice of Freedom

Abstract

Communities most vulnerable to climate change must educate themselves on how to adapt to the new challenges they face. The use of participatory media, especially video, can be an effective tool for doing so, allowing users to incorporate indigenous knowledge and create an alternative to the dominant, objectifying narratives of conservation and development. Following the methodology of educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, a program in community-based media, with an emphasis on social and environmental action, has the potential to empower the world’s oppressed against the challenges of the coming decades.