Climate Action Hub Exeter is hosting a free screening of The Oil Machine on Friday 17 February followed by a panel discussion led by James Dyke of the University of Exeter Global Systems Institute with environmental campaigners Caspar Hughes and Sarah Finch.
Directed by Emma Davie, The Oil Machine examines the complex ways in which oil and gas are embedded in our lives, why we need to transition away from their use and how we can do it.
It features interviews with activists, economists, investors and scientists as well as oil industry workers and executives, juxtaposing corporate convictions that continued drilling is compatible with climate change mitigation with critical perspectives on their claims.
Released in November last year, the film is being screened across the UK at more than 100 venues including cinemas, libraries and parish halls and at film festivals in Belfast, Inverness, Sheffield, Berlin, Amsterdam and Warsaw.
James Dyke will be joined by Caspar Hughes and Sarah Finch for a panel discussion on how to end oil and gas dependence after the screening.
Dr James Dyke is Associate Professor in Earth System Science and Assistant Director of the University of Exeter Global Systems Institute.
He has written more than 100 articles for publications including The Guardian, The Ecologist and The Conversation and is the environment columnist for the i newspaper.
He and his co-authors won a Covering Climate Now journalism award last year for their article Climate scientists: the concept of net zero is a dangerous trap.
Climate Action Hub Exeter in Bedford Street
Caspar Hughes is a climate and active travel campaigner who worked in the transport sector for most of his life before founding a cycling sport events company in 1999.
He has been campaigning with Stop Killing Cyclists and Extinction Rebellion since 2016.
Sarah Finch is a writer, editor and climate campaigner currently fighting a case in the Supreme Court over oil drilling plans at Horse Hill in Surrey.
The case is expected provide a landmark ruling about whether councils must factor in long term climate impact when considering applications for fossil fuel production plants.
Climate Action Hub Exeter opened in November last year in a vacant Princesshay retail unit in Bedford Street to offer events, film screenings and drop-in climate crisis information, advice and support.
It opens from 10am-4pm most days and also provides meeting space for local environmental and social justice groups.
The screening of The Oil Machine plus panel discussion is at 6.30-9pm on Friday 17 February 2023 at Climate Action Hub Exeter. The event is free and places can be reserved via Eventbrite.
