Climate Lens
A 10-question interview with podcast hosts Tolmeia Gregory and Jake Randall, by pollen’s Lucy Gavaghan.
In late February 2025, Jake Randall and Tolmeia Gregory started to release ‘Lights, Climate, Action’, a podcast series discussing film and TV through a climate lens.
Curious about the project, we came up with 10 questions for the hosts. We hoped to build a better understanding of the use of cinema as a conduit for lasting climate consciousness and wanted to explore the mixed landscape of film and TV engaging with climate breakdown
The podcast is peppered with discussion of imagined futures, and alternate realities - utopian, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and all that lies between and beyond. The series kicks off with Don't Look Up, Landman, The Simpsons, and How to Blow Up a Pipeline. The defined focus of each episode grounds discussions which often feel ‘too real’ or ‘too distant’ to really absorb. Tolly and Jake explore cognitive dissonance, climate anxiety, fossil fuel propaganda, amongst connected climate and communications questions.
The hosts give each film or programme a fair hearing, airing out their reactions together and providing their listeners a sense of closure with the whimsical ‘how scorching are we talking?’ ratings section where they reflect on the overall impact, tactfulness, and storytelling prowess of what they've watched. Read through to find links to listen to the podcast, and to follow Tolly and Jake as they continue on their production journey.
A huge thanks from pollen, to Jake and Tolly, for giving your time to this interview process and for the wonderful watch list you're curating. We hope the pod grows from strength to strength.
1) How long have you been brewing the idea of Lights, Climate, Action?
Jake: The idea has been brewing for over two years. Tolly and I had been having ongoing conversations about the role of climate storytelling in film, and it struck me, especially as someone who studied film, how many podcasts exist that are hyper-specific to certain genres or even individual film series, yet none seemed to focus on climate storytelling in movies.
At the same time, we noticed that many incredible climate films weren’t getting the visibility they deserved. That’s what inspired us to create a space where these stories could be explored, discussed, and spotlighted.
2) How do you go about choosing films and series for your episodes?
Tolly: So far, we’re discussing films we’ve already seen and found relevant or new releases that critics are relating to the climate crisis. We don’t always end up agreeing with what reviewers are saying and we’ve realised we have quite a high bar for what should count as climate storytelling because ultimately, the film industry could be going a lot further in how it talks about environmental issues.
Jake: We’ve also found ourselves talking about films that we’ve genuinely loved and thought deserved more credit for what they say about the climate. We also knew we wanted to pick films that people would be surprised to see on a climate podcast, like The Simpsons Movie.
3) Is there anything you’ve watched for the podcast that has exceeded your expectations?
Tolly: Flow was really beautiful to me. I went into it knowing nothing aside from the fact that it follows the story of a black cat, and I’m glad it was so much more than that. I typically prefer films which are a bit more explicit with climate narratives but this one proved that it can be done without even uttering a single word. That episode will be out soon!
Jake: I’d have to agree that Flow was a film that deeply moved us, and I have been thinking about it ever since we saw it. I think it will have a lasting legacy.
4) Is there anything you’ve found particularly disappointing?
Wild Robot was a surprise to us because it was highly praised for its climate storytelling, but in our opinion, it really lacked anything of importance. Our episode on Wild Robot will surely be controversial!
5) Do you think there is any piece of cinema that couldn’t be analysed with a climate lens?
Tolly: I don’t think it’s possible to look back on every piece of film and TV through a climate lens, as not every piece of art has to reckon with it, however, I think as the climate crisis continues to disrupt all of our lives, including the lives of filmmakers, we’re going to see climate become a backdrop to more and more storylines. We’re living in it and so characters on screen will live in it, too.
Jake: I will agree with Tolly, however, I think that most films can be analysed through an intersectional lens if you connect different issues back to how they impact our climate - for example, Star Wars has an oppressive regime that wants to stop a revolution; that’s not far off what we’re experiencing around the world with crack downs on climate protesting now.
6) Has our capacity to absorb straightforward climate messages (science = evidence of breakdown = action) peaked?
Jake: I think straightforward messaging has become so normalised that it’s easy for people to ignore it or not acknowledge it any deeper than on a surface level. The whole world should be up in arms in response to what we’re doing to our ecosystems but the messaging is no longer shocking because we are consuming it multiple times a day.
That’s why art and media need to play a massive role in conveying climate messages in a way that truly connects with everyday people. For example, seeing your favourite TV show characters talking about why they’re worried about the climate crisis is probably going to have more of an impact than reading a news article.
7) In what, if any, ways do you think dystopian visions are helpful?
Dystopian futures are helpful to warn us away from the futures we need to avoid, giving us a foresight into what will happen if we don’t take action on climate change.
8) On a similar note, what can hopeful post-apocalyptic depictions unlock?
They expand our ability to imagine a world that could be better. We’ve really struggled to find utopian films that aren’t animated or set in a different world, and there’s a real problem with that. How are we supposed to share a positive vision for the future if we can’t even point to a film or a TV show that does it? Movies are more accessible ways of telling stories than other forms of art, and there’s a huge gap in the market for films that can truly inspire us to see the world differently.
9) Can you think of a scene that has lingered in your mind having watched for podcast-purposes?
Tolly: I watched it pre-Lights, Climate, Action, but there are so many scenes in The End We Start From which break my heart. We’ll be discussing it on the podcast but I don’t think I’ll ever be watching it again because it’s so close to home in terms of what my climate anxiety clings to. It’s an incredibly moving film.
Jake: The final scene of Don’t Look Up where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character says, ‘We really did have everything, didn’t we?’ sticks with me. I saw the film long before we started the podcast, but the scene resonates with me far more now that I’m deeper into my climate activism journey. Humanity is often lost in big disaster films, and it’s a very important line to end it on.
10) In your shared journey in climate cinema have you learnt anything new about one another's approach to climate storytelling?
As we mentioned, we’ve realised we have very high standards. Understanding the severity of the climate crisis means we feel especially desperate for stories that will make other people realise the same thing. We want stories that will engage the people in our lives who haven’t quite realised that they can play a role or that it’s something they should be concerned about.
Finding Lights, Climate, Action
Listen to the podcast on Spotify.
Follow the podcast on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube.
Learn more about the hosts
Tolmeia Gregory is an artist who loves a tearjerker or a rom-com. She currently works as an artist and climate campaigner focused on fossil fuel advertising.
Jake Randall is a cinephile with a film degree, a love for all things A24 and the odd musical. He works in comms and video production in the climate change and human rights sector.
Interview by Lucy Gavaghan, the pollen project.
