Adventurer James Levelle undertakes a daring 9,000-mile, fossil fuel-free odyssey to amplify young activists' voices at the UN, defying all the odds to prove that with togetherness and die-hard determination, nothing is impossible.
Adventurer James Levelle lives life on the wild side. After a hurricane nearly killed him he understands how deadly climate chaos can be. Jetting across the world, however, makes him part of the problem. Tired of doom and gloom climate anxiety, James has a crazy idea... Inspired by the next generation's efforts to make their voices heard in the climate emergency, James sets off from the UK on a 9000-mile race to document youth climate messages and deliver them in a film to the United Nations climate conference in Chile. His challenge is to get there by any means possible... fossil fuel free. Beginning on the South Coast of England he sails to France, then races through Europe to catch a tall ship that carries him across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. But before he sets off to cross the continent and the Andes Mountains, he receives devastating news. The Santiago climate conference has been cancelled and moved to Madrid. James now faces a seemingly impossible task... can he still find a way to document youth climate messages in South America and deliver the film to the UN in time?
Adventurer James Levelle lives life on the wild side. From frozen Arctic wilderness to the Amazon rainforest, he knows both the beauty and power of Nature. But as we destroy the Natural World and heat the planet, climate change is becoming ever more extreme with lethal heatwaves, biblical floods, unstoppable fires, and super storms that threaten the future of humanity.
Filming hurricanes nearly killed James so he understands how deadly climate chaos can be. Jetting across the world, however, makes him part of the problem. Tired of doom and gloom climate anxiety, James has a crazy idea...
Inspired by the next generation's efforts to make their voices heard in the climate emergency, James sets off from the UK on a 9000-mile race to document youth climate messages and deliver them in a film to the United Nations climate conference in Chile.
His challenge is to get there by any means possible... fossil fuel free.
Beginning on the south coast of England he sails to France, then races through Europe in time to catch a tall ship that carries him across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. But before he continues across the continent and over the Andes Mountains, he receives devastating news. The Santiago climate conference has been canceled and moved to Madrid.
James faces a seemingly impossible task: to honour his promise to amplify young South American voices and deliver them in a film to the UN Climate Conference... if he can get there in time.
The clock is ticking for James... and the planet. 'Race For The Future' is a real adventure like no other revealing not only the realities of fossil fuel free transport today, but a uniquely positive perspective on the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced as seen through the eyes of the next generation.
We meet James on his canal boat pondering the enormity of the challenge ahead as he packs his bike and bags ready for the three-month journey to the southern end of the world. On the south coast of England, the sea is calm as the sun rises on the first day of James's epic mission. He sails into the English Channel and quickly discovers fossil fuel free travel is more difficult and dangerous than he thought. James cycles through France, feeding sheep in the streets of Paris, meeting system-crashing young rebels and diving for toxic fishing waste, before tackling the Pyrenees Mountains where one wrong turn sees him struggling up a boulder strewn mountain path carrying 60kg of bike and bags. After a night wild camping James descends the mountain into Spanish Basque country connecting with young activists along the way. He speeds to Madrid where creative climate action takes to the streets as James is sucked into a stylishly rebellious demonstration before an impromptu invitation brings him to a peaceful protest camp miles from capital. An electric car whizzes James to the camp, where he discovers next generation activists preparing for a week of youth-led unprecedented global demonstrations. James is a natural at civil disobedience, but on the return journey his electric car runs out of juice in the worst possible position.
One roadside rescue mission later, James speeds his way to Seville where he boards the tall ship bound for South America. As the ship launches into the Atlantic Ocean the youth-led global climate demonstrations kick off around the planet. Aboard the ship James quickly learns the ropes and is put to work by young scientist, Fred, who is pioneering research into the health of our oceans by catching microscopic plankton in his manta ray trawling machine. James makes a stop in the Canary Islands where young activists reveal Tenerife's total dependence on fossil fuel. Afterwards James cycles across the island to labour away on a permaculture farm offering a fossil fuel free agricultural alternative. A final stop in Cape Verde is cut short as the ship is forced to leave harbour in a hurry when an unexpected storm rolls in. Mid-storm James slips and finds himself dangling from the yard mast 30 metres above deck. He struggles back to safety but before long the winds die as the ship enters the notorious doldrums. Adding insult to injury, news comes through on his satellite tracker that the UN climate conference in Chile has been canceled and moved to Madrid. It's a bombshell but James refuses to break his promise to document the climate messages of South American youths. The wind returns and soon the ship makes landfall in Uruguay. James relays his way across town on electric scooters to join a street protest in Montevideo where inspiring young activist, Clara, urges him to continue to Santiago where a People's Climate Festival will go ahead at the same time as the UN conference in Madrid. James is determined to complete his journey but must find a way to deliver the youth climate messages to the UN.
Running out of time James breaks the rules on a sea-faring shortcut to Buenos Aires and in Argentina a new problem threatens progress. There is no safe cycle route across the country and there are no trains. James's only option is to drive. He contacts every electric car manufacturer he can think of but is told, with no charging points cross country, it's an impossible journey. Whilst he waits to hear back from the last electric vehicle option he has left, James heads into the city to meet young people powering change in Argentina and helps transform a building site into a climate activist base. Next day, James gets hold of an electric car and begins a world record first electrically powered road trip from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. James blasts through Argentina drawing crowds at every stop and thanks to the hospitality and help of local people along the way he charges the car and makes it to Mendoza. Suffering a seven-year drought the city is on the frontline of climate change. James joins a massive anti-fracking protest before jumping back on his bike to take on his biggest physical challenge yet: the Andes Mountains. With only a few days left until Chile's Climate Festival and the UN Climate Conference kick off, he pedals as fast as he can. Huge haulage trucks blast past dangerously close and vicious winds almost stop him in his tracks, but he pushes on breathless to the 12,500 foot summit. Exhausted and starved of oxygen he races down out of the Andes and on to the Chilean capital, Santiago. Mass demonstrations rock the city. James joins the heart of the action and is tear gassed by riot police before heading for the hills that surround Santiago to participate in a huge carbon capturing reforestation project. Finally, James makes it to Chile's Climate Festival and tries to talk his way onto the big stage.
Amazingly, Clara, the young activist James met in Montevideo, is at the UN conference in Madrid representing the youth of Uruguay. Clara presents the film she helped James to make and as the sun sets in Santiago James makes it onto the main stage where he projects the film to a massive, hyped crowd. Mission accomplished.
