A Wicked Problem: transforming carbon emissions into a valuable resource

Created as part of the Reducing Industrial Carbon Emissions project, the documentary A Wicked Problem portrays the ground-breaking solutions being developed to transform carbon emissions in Wales from a ‘wicked problem’ to a valuable resource as we strive towards net zero.

The film does not flinch from depicting the threats posed by global warming, but showcases promising solutions and celebrates innovations. We meet engineers who, much like modern day alchemists, are turning carbon into essential nutrients and waste water into emission free fuels.

The film’s striking visual scheme and vivid soundtrack locate Welsh heavy industries in the breath-taking landscapes where a centuries-long legacy of coal mining and export helped generate the modern carbon-based economy-- and its planetary consequences--and now suggest creative paths to healing. It reminds us of what is at stake in the world, and all that we have to cherish.

At its core, this film is a story of transformation, beauty, and hope and allows us access to the human ingenuity at the heart of industrial innovation.

Stories allow us to open up emotionally and intellectually and to think about the scientific innovation at the heart of the RICE project and why it really matters. The George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of South Wales has collected over 50 stories and created a 30 minute documentary as part of the RICE project, a unique interdisciplinary collaboration bringing together storytellers and engineers to find hope in the face of climate chaos.