World’s first "climate positive" feature film verified by the UNFCCC

The Norwegian film industry steps onto the climate action stage and gets acknowledged by UNFCCC.

Motion Blur Films has made a bold statement about its commitment to climate action by taking action to lower greenhouse gas emissions and then offsetting double the amount of unavoidable emissions associated with the production of its movie, “Amundsen”. This means that “Amundsen”, will not only be “climate neutral”, but “climate positive”. To achieve this outcome, Motion Blur joined the UN’s Climate Neutral Now initiative while collaborating with Norwegian company CHOOOSE to purchase UN-certified credits.

The climate positive message of this film release, which is expected to be the biggest Norwegian release of 2019, is extremely timely because “Amundsen” is an adventure film about Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen, who was the first man to reach the South and the North Poles. Sadly, the vast ice caps at the Poles are already melting as the effects of human-induced climate change take hold. This film will help to highlight the need to take action to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Motion Blur’s commitment shows that the film industry can play an important role in helping raise public awareness about the urgent need for climate action from all members of society. The film industry is particularly well placed to do so given its ability to reach wide and diverse audiences. In addition, bringing climate awareness into the mainstream will help to ensure that governments receive the support they need from citizens to act on their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Amundsen Premiere in Oslo, February 2019

Speaking about their climate positive commitment, Motion Blur stated that: “Roald Amundsen believed that the poles affected the global climate. We recognize that climate change is caused by humans and that we must also be a part of the solution. We have therefore done what we can to make the production of the film "Amundsen" as environmentally friendly as possible. Our partnership with CHOOOSE is an important part of this work”.

In order to make the production of “Amundsen” as sustainable as possible, Motion Blur implemented, among others, the following measures to reduce their emissions:

• Reducing food waste and donating leftovers;
• Offering vegetarian meal options;
• Trying to eliminate single use plastics on set;
• Ensuring that all electrical equipment and lights were turned off;
• Using efficient lighting;
• Establishing a system for recycling all suitable materials;
• Reusing previous materials and selecting sustainable ones for the new products, as much as possible;
• Donating materials used during shooting for use in other locations;
• Encouraging the use of public transportation among staff.

“Amundsen comes at a time of growing awareness around the need for bold climate action to protect our way of life, biodiversity, and ecological zones such as those in the cryosphere. We welcome Motion Blur’s leadership and support for global climate action”, said Niclas Svenningsen, who leads the Climate Neutral Now initiative of UN Climate Change.

Official story on UNFCCC: https://unfccc.int/news/world-s-first-climate-positive-feature-movie