‘He felt heard’: How a film brought a UN report to life in Xochimilco

A documentary drawn from United Nations University research was screened at the COP30 climate conference and film festivals across Europe. Its most important journey, though, was the one back to the Mexico City canals where it was filmed.Scientific reports rarely leave the shelf. Sometimes, though, the research itself becomes a real story that sparks conversations far beyond academia.That is what happened in Xochimilco, in Mexico City.In 2025, the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) published a report on interconnected risks. It asked why societies struggle to make the changes needed to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. One conclusion: societies must think beyond the short term and weigh the wellbeing of future generations.To bring that idea to life, the researchers turned to Xochimilco. For centuries, its chinamperos have cultivated chinampas – fertile plots built on wetlands that produce food while preserving knowledge handed down through generations. Today that living heritage faces urbanization, environmental degradation, climate change and a shifting relationship between young people and the land.The result was a documenta...