Trump to receive ‘Stupid’ gong at climate awards ceremony
A part glitzy, part tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony will be held tonight at Edinburgh Filmhouse cinema in recognition of the contributions of various Scottish individuals and organisations to the fight against climate change. The awards will also name and shame some of the most notorious climate villains, including Donald Trump and some somewhat portly felines.
There will be some eccentric touches including bad jokes, penguins and other unlikely characters, and some very unusual awards statues.
The ceremony, to which tickets have already sold out, will follow a screening of the epic new film ‘The Age of Stupid’, which enjoyed a huge global premiere last weekend. Inspired by the film the award winners will receive ‘Not Stupid’ awards, with the villains receiving ‘Stupid’ awards.
The awards have been organised by Friends of the Earth Scotland and World Development Movement Scotland.
A spokesperson for the awards said:
“The Age of Stupid shows how action on climate change is required urgently. We thought this would be a great occasion to celebrate the amazing people and organisations that are rising to the challenge and achieving great things.”
“We’re also presenting ‘Stupid’ awards to some of the most notorious climate-trashers.”
“It’s quite a ceremony: we’ve got penguins, bad jokes and some very unusual awards statues.”
Liz Murray, head of Scottish campaigns for the World Development Movement said:
“The Age of Stupid is both a damning indictment of the way humanity risks sleepwalking into climate catastrophe but also a great wake up call to politicians and the public alike to take action now to stop it from happening. Stopping climate change is not something we can leave to future generations, it is the most pressing task we have before us now. The Not Stupid awards will celebrate those individuals and organisations who are already getting on and doing just that.
“WDM is really pleased to be part of the Not Stupid campaign, aimed at building a movement of people who will hold politicians to account both in Scotland as they debate the Scottish climate bill but also at the international negotiations later this year.”
Simon Bateson of Edinburgh’s Take One Action project, which has co-ordinated more than 20 events in Scotland around the film, said:
“Film is a unique way to engage many ordinary people with difficult issues and move them on to action. What’s great about Franny’s film, though, is that she has been working from the beginning with campaigners to ensure that they have as much ownership of the project as she does. That means audiences won’t go home with knowing what they can do locally afterwards.”
Take One Action patron and Palme D’Or winner Paul Laverty, added:
“Films are spurs of ideas – they open people’s minds. That makes this work in Scotland really, really important.”
ENDS
Media contact: Owen Davis 0131 243 2719 (office) 0131 243 2715 (redirect to mobile)
NOTES
1. The event takes place at Edinburgh Filmhouse, Lothian Road, 8.20pm, 21 March 2009
2. Pre awards pictures can be downloaded here:
http://scripts.foe-scotland.org.uk/images/DSC_0042.jpg
http://scripts.foe-scotland.org.uk/images/DSC_0003-1.jpg
http://scripts.foe-scotland.org.uk/images/DSC_0039.jpg
http://scripts.foe-scotland.org.uk/images/DSC_0029.jpg
3. Winners
‘Stupid’ awards
Category: Ostrich (head in the sand)
Nominations:
The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (climate change denying chairman and other practices)
Lord Christopher Walker Monckton (the elite of climate change deniers)
Ryan Air (for putting a cheap buck before climate change and charging for the toilet)
RBS (for putting billions of our money into climate trashing fossil fuel projects – and the rest)
Donald Trump (encouraging airport expansion and air travel)
Winner: Donald Trump
Category: Greenwash
European Emissions Trading Scheme (for failing to work and reduce emissions)
Scottish Power (extending life of dirty coal power stations)
British Energy (pretending that nuclear power is the answer to climate change)
The Scottish Government (large climate-change causing transport projects and more)
Winner: European Emissions Trading Scheme
‘Not Stupid’ awards
Category: Unsung heros
Nominations:
Nazim Merchant (long time poverty and climate change campaigner)
Gus Langlands (long time climate and environmental justice campaigner)
Cindy Cortillier (young, energetic, committed climate activist)
Eva Shonveld (key figure in Transision Towns in Scotland)
Mike and Karen Small (creators of the Fife Diet)
Winner: Mike and Karen Small
Category: Money where their mouth is
Nominations:
Aquamarine Power (wave and tidal energy company)
Co-op (taking climate campaigning to the high street)
Scottish Government (introducing potentially tough climate law)
Edinburgh Uni (making serious effort to reduce their climate impact)
Reclaimer (Provided recycling in Glasgow where council have been slow to act)
Winner: Edinburgh University
Category: Great Ideas
Nominations
The Fife Diet (helping us think about the carbon footprint on our plates)
Plane Stupid (engaging hundreds of ordinary people against the massive expansion of flying)
Fintry Development Trust (insulating homes with profits from community-owned wind power)
Cheat Neutral (for likening carbon offsetting to cheating on your parter, but paying someone else to stay faithful)
Transision Towns (harnessing the will of local people to make changes)
Winner: Fintry Development Trust
4. The Age of Stupid is the new four-year epic from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?