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

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

The test is simple 害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檚 Aquaman character says, 害羞草研究所淗ey, I don害羞草研究所檛 mind if the oceans rise害羞草研究所� to Ben Affleck害羞草研究所檚 Bruce Wayne.

But most movies fell short 害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檚 out of touch with a moviegoing public that wants 害羞草研究所渢o see their reality reflected on screen,害羞草研究所� said Colby College English professor Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, lead researcher on the study.

害羞草研究所淭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,害羞草研究所� Schneider-Mayerson said. 害羞草研究所淭hey are portraying a world that is now history or fantasy 害羞草研究所� a world in which climate change is not happening.害羞草研究所�

Researchers at Maine害羞草研究所檚 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害羞草研究所檚 emotive 2019 drama about the collapse of a relationship, passed the test in part because Adam Driver害羞草研究所檚 character is described as 害羞草研究所渆nergy conscious,害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檛 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 害羞草研究所渧aluable for marketing purposes, informational purposes, data accumulation,害羞草研究所� 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.

害羞草研究所淭he audience will be more open to hearing a dialogue about what is right and what is wrong,害羞草研究所� Winer said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a conversation starter.害羞草研究所�

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害羞草研究所檚 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害羞草研究所檚 climate test, which she described as 害羞草研究所渓ong overdue害羞草研究所� during this year害羞草研究所檚 Academy Awards season. Bechdel said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that 害羞草研究所渇or a movie set in the present to ignore this existential threat just doesn害羞草研究所檛 make sense anymore害羞草研究所� in the age of climate change.

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

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