Winds Of Change
Cristobal is a cotton farmer in the northern coastal desert of Peru. He lives in a small village that has no continuous supply of water or electricity. The water that he does have is being threatened at its source in the Andean mountains by climate change. And Cristobal does not believe the electricity grid will reach his village, so he is investing his savings in a wind turbine, which will allow his family to have light at home to see at night. For another village in the Andes, having access to electricity through renewable energy has enabled its school to rival that of any urban environment; unlike most rural communities in the world, this one is growing.
Credits
- Directors
- Alex Bak
Directors Statement
It’s only up in the Andean mountains that you see how the glaciers have been devastated by our changing climate; and now it is visibly affecting the people living nearby. 40% of Peruvian glaciers have disappeared over the last 4 decades. Standing under these giant rivers of ice, it clear that whatever changes any one person can make is not here. The difference that a wind turbine can make to an entire family, by lighting even just one light bulb, is incredibly powerful. Some of the complex social dynamics of urbanisation are visible from the rural perspective; renewable energy could alter these for the better through education. This is not specific to Peru, but is relevant across the whole world.
runtime: 22 min
screening: July 3rd