In 2021 concern over climate change reached an all time high in the UK. While campaigners and Hollywood often depict a wilfully ignorant public snoozing while the planet burns, in reality more of us are more worried than ever before.
And climate content and storytelling is - rightly - becoming mainstream. From reflections on extreme weather to characters experiencing eco anxiety, weâre grappling with the planetary peril we face via the stories we tell and share.
But the way we tell stories and share information about climate change matters. It whether and how people hear and understand the issue. Whether audiences look away - or - or they listen, engage and act.
My organisation, On Road Media, supports people to tell stories that inform and inspire. Here we look back on the climate content thatâs helped to awaken and activate audiences over the last year - and those we need to tell in 2022.
1. The People vs Climate Change
An unlikely tearjerker, this documentary follows the everyday Brits called on to take part in the first Climate Change Assembly. It reminds us that the climate story is fundamentally a story about people. And that for all our flaws and foibles, people are generally decent and compassionate. When invited in, we can all be part of the solution to the climate crisis.
2. The Earthshot Prize
âWe know where this story is heading. And we know we must give it a different endingâ said David Attenborough at the star-studded Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. While most climate content loudly sounds the alarm and leaves us there, Prince Williamâs Earthshot story is about what happens next. The blend of urgency and agency - and the stories of people around the world getting on with tackling the climate crisis - helps audiences push past fear and fatalism.
3. UK soaps uniting to address climate change
With their cherished place in our homes and our lives, soaps and dramas have a unique ability to win hearts and unite us. By coming together to weave climate change into and across storylines, the soaps helped people across the UK engage with the COP26 conference - and to think about the changes they want to be part of. Holby Cityâs young Sammy even took climate change into the hospitalâs boardroom, movingly comparing the planetâs worsening health to his own.
4. Shop Well for the Planet
Another reminder that people care deeply and are keen to embrace planet and wallet friendly actions in their homes, diets and travel. From driving âGretaâ (the electric car), to eating more veg and less meat, families around the UK are hungry for change.
5. Donât Look Up
âWhy arenât people terrified?â is a frustratingly familiar refrain for climate scientists and campaigners. tens of millions of times in its first week of release, this apocalyptic Netflix blockbuster is a thinly veiled depiction of humanityâs response to the climate crisis. Attracting audiences and debate with its comically dark all star performances, itâs also a stark reminder of how readily we dismiss anyone shouting âweâre doomed!â
The stories we need in 2022
The biggest threat to life on Earth is that we resign ourselves to our current trajectory. That we believe weâre doomed: unable to change course and repair our planet. With our eyes already open to the emergency we face, we need more stories that highlight the emergency exits. We need to see how we can make our way through them together.
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