Drawing on the best minds from around the world to focus on climate, economics, technology, civil society, agriculture and sustainability, 2040 maps out a pathway for change that can lead us to a more ecologically sustainable and equitable future. ​​
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Motivated by his 4-year-old daughter and concern for the planet she will inherit, Damon Gameau embarks on a global journey to meet the innovators and change makers pioneering the best solutions already available to us today to improve the health of our planet and societies. Inspired by these discoveries and guided by the many children he consults with along the way, Damon interweaves dramatic sequences and high-end visual effects to conjure a positive portrait of what ‘could be’ instead of the current dystopian future we are so often presented. ​​

​​Aimed at a broad audience that includes children and their parents, serious information is delivered with irreverence and humour. Experts are shrunk into scenes to emphasise a point, animation makes the invisible visible and visual effects show how scaling these solutions by 2040 will positively impact our lives and our planet. This rich visual approach combined with the structure of an intimate letter to a daughter from her father allows for lightness and cheekiness, ensuring the film is both entertaining and educational, with the end goal being to inspire action and change. ​​

​​Many academics believe that people become inactive or paralysed on this topic because it all just feels too overwhelming and alarming. 2040 is an aspirational film full of hope about the possibility to make changes that will shift the course for humanity and the planet. ​​This is the narrative the next generation needs to see, to aspire to, and to believe is possible. 

This film screening will be followed by short audience discussion about the film, environmental advocacy and lessons learnt. 

About the Chair: 

Dr Charles Ebikeme, Policy Officer, Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His previous research has focused on drug development for neglected tropical diseases, most notably African sleeping sickness. Prior to joining LSE, Charles has worked at the intersection of research and policy, focusing on mainstreaming health into sustainable development topics such as climate change and urbanisation.

Charles is currently part of the LSE team working on the African Health Observatory - Platform on Health Systems & Policies (AHOP). The partnership includes WHO’s African Health Observatory, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and leading research institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal, with further expansion planned. The Platform seeks to promote evidence-informed policy-making in the African region by synthesising existing research and generating new evidence on health systems performance. 

Charles is also a policy fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy. Charles is a writer and commentator on science, policy, and global health issues. His work has appeared in The Guardian alongside other outlets.

This film viewing is part of the Global Health Initiative Film Series