While the film is a work of fiction, brought to life by the imaginative power of AI, its heart beats with non-fiction truth. The story of Ben and Maya is an adventure, but the world they are fighting to save is our own, and the challenges they face are based on established climate science.
The central solution presented in the film, the Legacy Fund, is more than just a plot device. It represents a viable, powerful pathway to tackling the climate crisis. The principles behind it and the environmental scenarios you see in the movie are directly inspired by data from the world's leading scientific bodies, including the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and various other peer-reviewed sources.
The goal was to use the narrative of a fictional quest to illuminate a real-world solution. We invite you to explore the research and discover how the blueprint to saving their world is directly linked to the science of saving ours.
The greenhouse gas effect is a natural process where gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), trap heat from the sun. This effect works like a blanket, keeping the planet warm enough to support life. However, human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for electricity, transportation, and industry, have released an excessive amount of these gases into the atmosphere. This has also been compounded by deforestation, which reduces the number of trees that can absorb CO2, and certain agricultural practices. This surplus of greenhouse gases has made the "blanket" too thick, trapping more heat than is needed and causing the Earth's average temperature to rise, a phenomenon known as global warming.
The global community is working with a remaining carbon budget of approximately 400 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 emissions to have a reasonable chance of achieving our climate targets. However, with current global emissions at a rate of around 40 Gt per year, this budget is being depleted at an alarming pace. At this trajectory, we have only 10 years left before the entire budget is exhausted. To stay within our goals, this means that after just one decade, global emissions would need to plummet to zero—an unprecedented and near-impossible feat under current conditions. This stark reality underscores the urgency of a rapid and comprehensive energy transition.
For millennia, human progress was powered by muscle, with our world built by hand. Then came a revolution of iron and fire. Machines began to do the work of thousands, and factories churned out affordable goods, from textiles to tools, which were once unimaginable for the average person. This wasn't just an industrial change; it was a human one. It built our modern cities and laid the foundation for a higher quality of life, forever altering our existence.
A new global framework could offer a strategic path forward for all nations. For fossil fuel nations, the transition period would allow them to maintain their economic stability by producing blue hydrogen, provided they implement full carbon capture to meet new standards. Meanwhile, developing countries would receive direct investment from the fund for renewable projects, enabling them to build new, sustainable economies and create skilled jobs. This global shift would not only maintain but also improve the quality of life everywhere by reducing pollution and stabilizing energy prices. Most importantly, with energy becoming a shared global utility rather than a source of geopolitical power, a primary cause of international conflict could vanish, leading to greater global peace. To ensure participation, a powerful enforcement mechanism would be in place: any nation refusing to contribute would face isolation, losing access to the global market, international institutions, and even shared airspace. This collective approach would bind all countries to the shared goal of a sustainable and peaceful future.