Hairdresser Presents Climate Change Documentary Selected by Filmmaker

A 22-year-old hairdresser has temporarily set aside her styling tools to host a new documentary film focused on climate change. Jaz Njie was chosen by one of her clients, filmmaker Claire Wallerstein, to present the new film “because she is from the generation that gets a lot of their information from places like TikTok and YouTube, and that is where you really get this rampant misinformation people are being exposed to now”. Ms Njie, a member of Gen Z and a mobile hairdresser, expressed her satisfaction at being involved in the 40-minute film, which premiered on Monday at the Cornish Film Festival in Falmouth. “It’s just been probably the best work I’ve done so far, I’ve really enjoyed it,” she stated. As part of the documentary, titled #ClimateScam?, Ms Njie engaged with scientists, sceptics, and individuals who have researched the reporting of climate change. She recounted meeting “people who had spent their lives doing this [climate change confirmation] research” who were “really sad about what’s going on in the world”. She commented: “You see a social media post that is literally just been made by a site in one day and… spreading these rumours and people just go straight to that.” She added, regarding climate change deniers: “They [climate change deniers] need to look at the people who have been spending their whole lives doing research.” The Gen Z member, a demographic defined as those born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, noted that in her profession, she has encountered clients who deny climate change, as well as friends who also do not believe in it. She stated: “I think we all just need to put our heads together and focus on the problem that we’re all seeing happening.” She continued: “We can see the floods happening, we can see the droughts, we can see the fires.” Ms Njie conveyed her happiness to return to cutting hair and conversing with her clients, but also articulated her hope for additional presenting opportunities in the future. BBC Cornwall can be followed on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.