When it comes to environmental issues, Scandinavia is often the most fertile breeding ground for new ideas and movements. This was personified by Greta Thundberg’s ‘school strike for climate’ campaign. Indeed, Denmark, Sweden and Norway have always been three of the more progressive countries when it comes to fighting climate change, but is it enough? Whilst you’ll often find these Nordic nations at the forefront of any new initiatives, time is running out to save our planet.
In 2019, riding the wave of a campaign began by children and adolescents, the ‘red bloc’ came to power in Denmark. The Social Democrats, the largest party and whose leader Mette Frederiksen became Prime Minister, needed to act on the green mandate they had been given. This culminated in the creation of an ambitious law with the goal of reducing Denmark’s CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030. 70/30, the new documentary from Phie Ambo, charts its progress.
Following climate minister Dan Jørgensen, the former climate committee chair Ida Auken and two young activists (Esther Kjeldahl and Selma de Montgomery), 70/30 affords the viewer a unique insight into the political process. With so many competing interests to placate and satisfy, it requires a remarkable focus, both in terms of political persuasion and street-level activism. 70/30 shows what can be achieved when people pull together to realise a shared vision.
70/30 screens at CPH:DOX.
