Carbon Footprint

Here's all the details of how much carbon dioxide we pumped into the atmosphere in making and distributing The Age of Stupid. Was it worth it? That depends entirely on how many people see the film and what action they take as a result.... Climate change is a win/lose game - either we keep the planet habitable for human life or we don't... So if our film contributes to the answer turning out to be "yes", then our 150-odd tonnes were well worth it. If it doesn't, then all our emissions will have hastened the apocalypse one step nearer. Meet you back here in 2050 when we'll know either way.

 

1. Production Emissions (2004->2008)

48 flights, 124,000 miles 68,100
Food for 1,277 meals 13,400
Train trips, 23,612 miles 4,100
Boat trips, 497 miles 3,200
Cameras, computers, tapes, CDs etc 2,800
Heating two offices ( pretty cold) 1,100
2 helicopter flights, 105 minutes 735
Car trips, 2400 miles 740
Tubes & buses, 1,480 miles 95
Bicycle & walking trips,13,100 miles 0
Electricity (green supplier) 0 
TOTAL 94,270 Kg Co2

Equivalent to

  • 1% of the emissions of the Hollywood film, The Day After Tomorrow
  • 8 British people for 1 year
  • 4 American people for 1 year
  • 1000 Tanzanians people for 1 year
  • 91 people living sustainably for 1 year
  • 1 of Piers’ big turbines for 6 days
  • Recycling 910,000 bottles
  • 15 British homes for 1 year
  • 18 American cars for 1 year
  • 185 gas patio-heaters for one month

 

 

2. Promotion Emissions (2008->2009)

UK Premiere

 4,700*
Australia/NZ Premiere TBC**
USA/Global Premiere TBC**
9 flights, 77,763 miles 42,800
Food for 4,106 meals 3,000
Train trips, 4,992 miles (inc 8 people to Copenhagen, Dec'09) 3,143
Embedded: Cameras, computers, tapes, CDs etc 2,930
Heating two offices (pretty cold) 410
Ferry trips x 2 6
Car trips, 830 miles 54
Tubes & buses, 1,110 miles 60
Bicycle & walking trips,13,100 miles 0
Electricity (green supplier) 0
TOTAL 57,103  Kg Co2

* The UK Premiere produced just 1% of the emissions of a normal premiere. See full calculations here.
** We are waiting for the final calculations for the Oz/Kiwi and USA premieres, but the biggest emisssions were caused by the Team Stupid flights to get there, which are included above. NB. The NZ premiere was zero waste and the USA premiere was run on renewable energy (a mixture of solar and biodiesel from waste (not from rainforest or palm oil)). 
NB. Despite accusations in the blogsophere, it is not true that VIPs flew to the Global Premiere. All celebs who attended the New York event were already in the city for other reasons and other celebs attended their local cinemas and watched the event by satellite, rather than flying to New York.