San Andres Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico – The climate crisis in Mexico will be the main theme in a series of six short documentaries to be made by actor, producer and director Gael Garcia Bernal, together with writer and linguist Yasnaya Aguilar.
El Tema is the name of the new web series that will touch on some of the key points of the climate crisis in Mexico. The first episode will be presented starting this April 13 and episodes will be released weekly through La Corriente del Golfo’s YouTube channel.
The episodes narrate the histories and experiences of environmental activists, human rights defenders, indigenous communities and organizations such as Greenpeace Mexico, Oceana MX and Wikipolitica Chihuahua, among others.
Gael Garcia pointed out that it is difficult to accept that the climate is changing because of humanity “why would we systematically harm ourselves knowing that in the end we will all lose?” he said.
The episodes are framed around ecosystems and natural landscapes threatened by human impact in different states of the country. The topics to be discussed focus on the water problem in Chihuahua, air in Monterrey, coal in Coahuila, oceans in Cozumel (Quintana Roo), energy in Tabasco and food in Chapala (Jalisco).
Each will focus on a specific problem and will interweave visions, strategies and actions to propose solutions with a climate vision that is part of the country’s political agenda.
The writer, Yasyana Aguilar, denounced that there is an extractivist agenda in Mexico that puts resources at the disposal of political will, generating a dependence on fossil fuels. She also stated that megaprojects are currently being carried out in areas inhabited by peasant and indigenous communities where natural areas of high value for the ecosystem are being put at the mercy of “development,” thinking of the planet as a commodity.
The web series is an original idea by García Bernal and Pablo Montano, directed by Santiago Maza and produced by La Corriente del Golfo.