IMPACT

The story of OVERBURDEN is playing out across the globe as the steel industry, second only to coal power generation for global greenhouse gas emissions, seeks to “green” its footprint. West Africa’s high-grade iron ore deposits, with their potential to produce low-emission, or “green” steel, has become an attractive site for leading multinational steel and mining companies, including ArcelorMittal, Ivahnoe Atlantic, and Rio Tinte. At the same time, the world’s iron ore mines are concentrated in areas of intermediate to high biodiversity prioritized by conservation organizations. Increasingly, mining and conservation concerns, seeking to extract value from the earth, are aligning their means and ends, as local communities are often left to deal with the inequitable consequences.

Following the film’s release, we will be launching an impact campaign, with support from the Munich Science Communication Lab and VolkswagenStiftung, respectful of and responsive to the needs of local communities in Liberia with whom we work, and that will also target international conservation NGOs and audiences committed to addressing issues of environmental and social justice. Stay tuned for updates.

For the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, we were pleased to assemble a promotional reel for Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency, highlighting the incredible diversity of habitats, plants, and animals we’ve had the pleasure of filming in Liberia for OVERBURDEN and past projects.