Snowpiercer is an American dystopian and post-apocalyptic show based on a non-stop moving train circling the world carrying the remains on the human species onboard. Seven years ago, the entire world became a frozen land of ice and the only thing keeping humanity alive is the “Eternal Engine” of the train. The series tackles the imminent threat of global warming and frames it as caused by humanity. Furthermore, the show places an emphasis on the socioeconomic injustices and class imbalance there is through the radical division between the lower and upper class.
Snowpiercer presents a series of contemporary issues ranging from global warming, hunger, class inequality, poverty, and sustainability. This futuristic science-fiction series provides a foreshadowing of the world’s future as well as the extinction of all species except a small group of humans. The show relates to Chase Hobbs-Morgan’s understanding of the conceptualisation of climate change within films as “global warming” sounds like a faraway issue where individuals can’t possibly make a difference. However, situating climate change within a setting of violence, and thus exploring social, political, and economic problems that rise with it, brings the issue closer to every day life (Hobbs-Morgan, 78). Therefore, Snowpiercer stresses its audience to reflect upon the drastic consequences of global warming, think critically, and take accountability for their negative contribution through the representation of climate change within a day-to-day setting.