The Scale of Hope
We are living through a climate crisis, the negative effects of which are already being felt in many parts of the world. The future will bring increasing competition for scarce resources, which will undoubtedly displace and disempower many people. These questions can become very overwhelming and leave most people feeling helpless, small and overwhelmed. While many would like to do something about it, there seems to be no hope of finding and implementing a permanent solution. But that’s exactly what Patagonia’s latest film, “Scales of Hope,” offers. This is an inspirational film that shows how one man can be proactive in facing the challenge of climate change.
The protagonist of the film is Molly Kawahata, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration. She is also a dedicated alpine climber with a dream of climbing higher and more challenging mountains while constantly improving her climbing skills. This desire to overcome seemingly impossible circumstances is reflected in her lifelong passion for protecting the environment and mitigating the effects of global climate change. As she works to prepare for her mountaineering expedition in the Alaska Range, Molly is also working on hope-centered strategies and narratives for addressing climate change. In a life-affirming twist, her mental health issues led her to find a way out.
Molly suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder for about a decade until her second day at the White House was confirmed. It’s never been a shame, and after treatment, she fell madly in love with ice climbing. Indirectly, discovering her hyper-inclined personality helped her redefine her personal approach to climate change.
During his tenure in the White House under President Obama, Kawahata embarked on a mission to deliver a climate message with optimism in contrast to decades of dire, apocalyptic and desperate warnings. People are more likely to respond when they see the health and benefits of reversing climate change compared to their “looming doom,” and much of the messaging is about the situation. She recognizes that while the climate crisis is looming, humanity can solve it through a zero-carbon economy and that this message needs to be shared with all.
We accompanied Kawahata on a tour of the Topaz Detention Center in Utah. This is where the U.S. government detained Japanese-Americans, including their grandparents, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The harrowing visit reaffirmed their long-held belief that truly aggressive climate action must be changed so that current policies and systems are progressively less impacted on the global population. Someone in the White House decided that rounding up Japanese-Americans was a policy, and all of them did. The same applies to environments.
To do so, people must register and vote for climate-conscious government officials, regardless of color, race, political affiliation, or religion. Kawahata now uses social media (especially Instagram and Tiktok) to educate young people about the importance of climate politics and engage in political and social discussions.
Directed by: Josh “Bones” Murphy
