Can Film & TV Drive Climate Action? IPSOS Survey Asks Creatives For Their Take On Barriers & Opportunities

EXCLUSIVE: A first-of-its-kind survey delving into what creatives and industry pros think about climate storytelling is now live. The Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) Film & Television Alliance, a group brought together by the United Nations and part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is behind The Global Climate Content Survey. It is being run by international market research outfit IPSOS.

The survey digs into what film and TV folks think about climate storytelling with a major focus on any barriers to making climate-related content, notably including how these relate to funding. We hear that film commissions and the UN itself is showing an interest in the results, the hope being it could lead to more support for creatives working on climate relevant projects.

Climate change and sustainability have become politically charged issues. The overwhelming scientific consensus, however, is that the use of fossil fuels is leading to temperature increases with wide-ranging consequences. The likes of BAFTA’s albert organization in the UK and Climate Spring are generating discussion within the industry. In terms of storytelling, producers and commissioners are increasingly tuned into the opportunity to include climate themes in programming across all genres, not just drama. Thematically, much of the content has also moved beyond scorched-earth apocalyptic visions to more varied and sophisticated narratives.

The survey asks industry pros and creatives questions including to what extent they have been involved in projects that have touched upon climate, whether they think climate storytelling can raise awareness, and what would spur them to include climate themes in their work.

Events such as COP and New York Climate Week now regularly feature sessions involving filmmakers, broadcasters, platforms and funders. ECCA screened climate content at the most recent COP, and Netflix, National Geographic and NBC Universal were among those speaking during NY Climate Week. The IPSOS survey, meanwhile, is the first global project of its kind, and is supported by the likes of the Futerra Solutions Union, a UK charity focused on how culture can impact conversations around climate change.

The survey is available in 15 languages and runs until end-February. The results will be made public in the spring. “We are especially interested in hearing from people involved in shaping content, including writers, directors, producers, developers, creators, showrunners, and commissioners,” the survey organizers said in their outreach to the industry. “All responses are confidential and will be used to better understand how to support creatives worldwide in bringing more climate-relevant stories to life and reducing the environmental impact of production.”