Teacher's TV A-Z of climate change

It's generally a mistake to whinge about one's own media experiences, but this one was too choice to miss.

Teachers' TV asked me to contribute to a teenagers' guide to climate change. I willingly gave a long and amiable account of my sceptical views. The movie duly appeared and was about as silly as could be imagined.

I mean by that that the young presenter was allowed to big-up the effectiveness of personal action on climate change with no hint being given that within any realistic political context the upshot would be... next to nothing. (He should have said: Action on climate change will not primarily be individual, and will be inadequate anyway.) This kind of tosh might be OK on Blue Peter, but it isn't anything like educational.

My own contribution was edited in way which offered a masterclass in the twisting of meanings.

I had four little moments:

(1) I was shown saying that climate change might be the worst thing to hit mankind and the planet, ever. I do think that is so. They missed out my saying that it might not. So my uncertainty angle was dumped. They also missed out that I wasn't sure the rich north would give much of a damn if the poor south suffered disproportionately from climate change.

(2) I said kids needed to go and study this stuff for themselves - they were being hopelessly taught by the Establishment and their teachers. The film rather made that point for me.

(3) I said anyone who bought a 4X4 SUV for suburban use seemed absurd. It's true, I do think that. But it was the only right-on remark I made amongst many more interesting not-right-on remarks.

(4) I was shown saying that today's kids might grow to deeply regret having listened to sceptics like me (but they were given no evidence that I was one).

I repeatedly suggested to the production team that they take my contribution out, or give me my footage so I could post it here, or edit a version of my stuff as a balancing act on Teachers' TV. But nothing came of any of those.