Posted on 3rd November 2021

Broadcasters and streamers sign up to the Climate Content Pledge

Today the CEOs of the UK’s largest media brands will gather at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow to issue a rallying cry to the global industry to do more and better climate story-telling on screen across all genres.

In an industry first, 12 broadcasters and streamers have signed up to The Climate Content Pledge, which has been convened by albert.

The signatories – who represent over 70% of time UK audiences spend watching TV and film – are committing to using their content to help audiences understand what tackling climate change might mean for them, as well as inspire and inform sustainable choices.

The Climate Content Pledge signatories include: BBC, BBC Studios, Britbox International, Channel 4, Channel 5 / ViacomCBS, Discovery UK and Eire, ITV, RTE, S4C, Sky, STV, UKTV

View the full press release

We are so proud to announce the launch of this pledge today. It represents a pivotal moment in our industry’s sustainability journey and is an acknowledgement of the screen industry’s huge opportunity and responsibility to enable all audiences to engage with solutions to tackling climate change through all kinds of content

— Carys Taylor, Director of albert

The Climate Content Pledge

Climate change presents enormous challenges which will affect us all.

With the Paris Climate Agreement, nations all over the world have committed to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and avoid catastrophic runaway climate change, carbon emissions must be halved by 2030. The decisions that governments, businesses and individuals make now and over the next five years are crucial to setting a sustainable climate trajectory.  While the situation is urgent and grave, it is not without hope – every tonne of emissions avoided or removed can prevent further damage.

We, as members of the global screen industry, have a crucial responsibility to help our audiences engage with these challenges.

Therefore, we commit to the following principles:

  1. We will reach more of our audiences with content that helps everyone understand and navigate the path to net zero, and inspires them to make greener choices.

  2. We will develop processes that help us to consider climate themes when we are commissioning, developing and producing content.

  3. We will ensure that our efforts are informed by the science.

  4. We will recognise the importance of fair and balanced representations of visions for a sustainable future.

  5. We will work together:

    1. learning from and inspiring each other

    2. sharing relevant industry and audience insights and developing relevant metrics

    3. improving how we measure our impact.

  6. We will communicate regularly with our colleagues, partners, and audiences so that we can all play our part in meeting this shared challenge.

This pledge is a firm commitment from our industry to go further and faster to engage and inform audiences on the climate challenges we all face. At the BBC we will continue to tell the stories that matter, like in our powerful new drama The Trick, or help audiences consider greener choices through our best loved shows like EastEnders and with new programmes such as Shop Well for the Planet? – but we all have more to do and we must match these efforts off-screen too, which is why we’ve put plans in place to reach Net Zero by 2030

— Tim Davie, BBC Director-General

The panel assembled today, will outline how The Climate Content Pledge will build on the cross-industry collaboration facilitated by albert and the work that broadcasters have already been doing individually. They will discuss what it will take for the industry to help audiences navigate climate change, and explain what the Pledge means for them professionally.

The CEO panel takes place at BBC Scotland HQ today (3rd November) at 11am – 12pm UK time and will be streamed live via www.youtube.com/BAFTAGuru

Sustainability has always been at the heart of our business, from being the first carbon neutral media company, to launching the world’s first carbon neutral TV in Sky Glass. Now, using our content and reach in millions of homes, we have the opportunity to inspire our customers to make changes that will help us all get to net zero. This Pledge is an example of the strength of the broadcast industry to come together and drive significant action

— Stephen van Rooyen - Sky EVP & CEO, UK & Europe