The  British Embassy in Lebanon  together with the environmental NGO IndyAct and its partners , American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and the Green party of Lebanon joined the world on the Global Day of Action Against Climate Change with a green carpet event premier of "Age of Stupid" on October 24th.

The Age of Stupid, itself is an enormously ambitious British drama-documentary-animation hybrid which stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite. ‘Age of Stupid’ is seen by many as "The first successful dramatisation of climate change to reach the big screen."

The event was attended by the British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy who arrived on a bicycle with other embassy colleagues as well as politicians, celebrities (Lebanese pop-star Ragheb Alameh, UN ambassador for climate change) and major stakeholders.

The British Ambassador to Lebanon in her speech said It is now less than 50 days before the Copenhagen summit on Climate Change. There is no room for failure. This film shows what might happen if we allow temperatures to increase by more than 2 C. It is not an exaggeration.

Full speech of HMA Frances

In the run-up to Copenhagen, the League of Independent Activists - IndyAct in partnership with the British Embassy in Beirut launched on Saturday the 'green carpet' premiere of 'The Age of Stupid', a British drama-documentary-animation film about climate change.

The event was attended by the British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy who arrived on a bicycle with other embassy colleagues as well as politicians, celebrities (Lebanese pop-star Ragheb Alameh, UN ambassador for climate change) and major stakeholders.

The Ambassador's speech:
'Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thanks you for coming today. There is nothing more urgent that the future if our planet.

This film will make you think. But it also sows how difficult it is for individuals to make an impact. It shows how important it is for of us to work together, to act collectively. To act collectively we need organisations like IndyAct. But we also need governments to show the lead.

It is now less than 50 days before the Copenhagen summit on Climate Change. There is no room for failure. This film shows what might happen if we allow temperatures to increase by more than 2 C.

It is not an exaggeration.

The day before yesterday the British Government published a map of the world showing what would happen if there is a global rise in temperatures of 4 C. The effects are global. We will all suffer. This is not just a question of the Maldives disappearing. There will not be enough food to eat or enough water to drink in most parts of the world. Those of us living near sea level in Beirut or London will disappear.

If we do nothing, if we fail to reach agreement at Copenhagen to keep temperature increases below 2 C. This is what will happen.

Governments can make a difference. The British Government is committed to reducing carbon emissions by one third by 2020 and we have plans to do this. We here in Lebanon can also help. One of the easiest ways to make a difference would be to use solar power to heat water. Lebanon could reduce its carbon footprint by nearly 30%. This idea is supported by the ministry of Environment. Another easy move would be to implement a public transport policy so that next time we come here we have a choice of coming by bus, or tram, or bicycle and not just by car. You can help endorse targets at Copenhagen.

We can still save the planet if work together. Thank you.'