Aquaman might not mind if the oceans rise, but moviegoers might.

That含羞草研究社檚 one of the takeaways from a new study conducted by researchers who set out to determine if today含羞草研究社檚 Hollywood blockbusters are . The vast majority of movies failed the 含羞草研究社渃limate reality check含羞草研究社� proposed by the authors, who surveyed 250 movies from 2013 to 2022.

The test is simple 含羞草研究社� the authors looked to see if a movie presented a story in which climate change exists, and whether a character knows it does. One film that passed the test was the in which Jason Momoa含羞草研究社檚 Aquaman character says, 含羞草研究社淗ey, I don含羞草研究社檛 mind if the oceans rise含羞草研究社� to Ben Affleck含羞草研究社檚 Bruce Wayne.

But most movies fell short 含羞草研究社� fewer than 10% of the 250 films passed, and climate change was mentioned in two or more scenes of fewer than 4% of the films. That含羞草研究社檚 out of touch with a moviegoing public that wants 含羞草研究社渢o see their reality reflected on screen,含羞草研究社� said Colby College English professor Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, lead researcher on the study.

含羞草研究社淭he top line is just that the vast majority of films, popular films produced over the last 10 years in the United States, are not portraying the world as it is,含羞草研究社� Schneider-Mayerson said. 含羞草研究社淭hey are portraying a world that is now history or fantasy 含羞草研究社� a world in which climate change is not happening.含羞草研究社�

Researchers at Maine含羞草研究社檚 Colby College along with Good Energy, a Los Angeles-based environmental consultancy. The results were peer reviewed, and the authors are seeking publication in scientific journals. The researchers view the test as a way for audience members, writers and filmmakers to evaluate the representation of climate change on screen.

Some results were surprising. Movies that at first glance appear to have little overlap with climate or the environment passed the test. Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach含羞草研究社檚 emotive 2019 drama about the collapse of a relationship, passed the test in part because Adam Driver含羞草研究社檚 character is described as 含羞草研究社渆nergy conscious,含羞草研究社� Schneider-Mayerson said.

The 2022 whodunnit Glass Onion and the 2019 folk horror movie Midsommar were others to pass the test. Some that were more explicitly about climate change, such as the 2021 satire Don含羞草研究社檛 Look Up, also passed. But San Andreas, a 2015 movie about a West Coast earthquake disaster, and The Meg, a 2018 action movie set in the ocean, did not.

The authors narrowed the selection of movies by excluding films not set on Earth or set before 2006 or after 2100. They found streaming services had a higher percentage of movies that included climate change than the major studios did.

The study is 含羞草研究社渧aluable for marketing purposes, informational purposes, data accumulation,含羞草研究社� said Harry Winer, director of sustainability at the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Winer, who was not involved in the study, said it could also help serve as an incentive to connect audiences with climate stories.

含羞草研究社淭he audience will be more open to hearing a dialogue about what is right and what is wrong,含羞草研究社� Winer said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a conversation starter.含羞草研究社�

The study authors said they see the climate reality check as a kind of Bechdel-Wallace test for climate change. Alison Bechdel, a cartoonist, is credited with popularizing that test in the 1980s by incorporating her friend Liz Wallace含羞草研究社檚 test about gender representation in film into a comic strip. The test asks if a movie includes at least two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man.

Bechdel herself spoke highly of the study含羞草研究社檚 climate test, which she described as 含羞草研究社渓ong overdue含羞草研究社� during this year含羞草研究社檚 Academy Awards season. Bechdel said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that 含羞草研究社渇or a movie set in the present to ignore this existential threat just doesn含羞草研究社檛 make sense anymore含羞草研究社� in the age of climate change.

含羞草研究社淚 do worry that screenwriters might do it in a kind of rote way, which could be counterproductive, just like rote 含羞草研究社榮trong female characters含羞草研究社� are,含羞草研究社� Bechdel said. 含羞草研究社淏ut injecting an awareness of our communal plight into the stories we ingest seems like a no-brainer.含羞草研究社�

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