Ridley Scott launches climate campaign: 'We are at the threshold of an abyss of disaster'

LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

• Raised by Wolves (2020), The Martian (2015) and The Gladiator (2000) director Sir Ridley Scott launched a trailer with stark warnings for both the global tech industry and humankind itself
• Scott launched the trailer at Web Summit, together with Luis Neves, global CEO of Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), and André Azevedo, Portugal's secretary of state for digital transition, as part of GeSI's Digital with Purpose campaign
• Scott joined the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer and tennis star Serena Williams at 100,000-attendee online conference Web Summit

Sir Ridley Scott today at Web Summit launched the trailer for GeSI's Digital with Purpose campaign, a movement aimed at encouraging the global tech community to face up to the "crisis" of climate change. Scott launched the trailer at the 100,000-attendee Web Summit – the largest tech conference in the world.

Scott – director of Raised by Wolves and The Martian – said he became involved with GeSI's campaign in an effort to make it clear to people across the world that our planet is on the brink of "disaster".

"The luxury of science fiction is that it's fantasy. We're dealing with reality. We're being way, way too polite about where we are. We are at the threshold of an abyss of disaster, and people keep being polite about what's going on. I think it's time to get much tougher and much stronger.

"Right now we are in a warzone; we are in a crisis state. We are at crisis. Somehow, you've got to pull this together into a far more stringent directive as to what you have to do to fix the problem," said Scott. 

Scott launched the trailer with GeSI global CEO, Luis Neves, and André Azevedo, Portugal's secretary of state for digital transition.

The trailer's narration outlined how the Digital with Purpose campaign aims to ensure the tech industry helps in the world's fight to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and adheres to the terms of the Paris Agreement. 

"Humankind and Earth face serious threats that require urgent intervention. Digital with Purpose is an ambitious movement exclusive to companies and leaders committed to accelerating their positive impact and driving sustainable change through digital technology.

"It is a movement of leaders joining forces in a race to deliver against the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. By giving technology a transformational role that puts the planet and humankind at its core, can we reverse the effects of climate change and positively impact our societies?" said the trailer's narration.

About Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an Academy Award-nominated English film director and producer known for the 1979 film Alien, Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner, The Martian, Alien: Covenant, and more. He is also the founder of Ridley Scott Creative Group.

About Web Summit
In the words of Inc. Magazine, "Web Summit is the largest technology conference in the world". Forbes says Web Summit is "the best tech conference on the planet", Bloomberg calls it "Davos for geeks", Politico "the Olympics of tech", and the Guardian "Glastonbury for geeks".

Useful Links:
Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/
Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/
Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ