Why we must continue to act to ensure a greener screen industry

The last few years have seen positive steps when it comes to environmental sustainability and climate storytelling in the screen industry. Helping lead the charge is BAFTA albert who support the film and TV industry to reduce environmental impacts of production and create content supporting a vision for a sustainable future. Their research shows climate references now cross multiple topic areas with “over 70% of productions [in continuing Dramas and News] including climate content.” And a further 31% of productions on average, across all genres, are including climate content “with the themes of food and agriculture, nature, waste and consumption being the most popular.”

If we want these positive steps to creating a greener screen industry to continue though we must continue to act. One way to do this is to keep climate storytelling front of mind in every pitch and every commissioning decision. After all, as Charlotte Moore, from the BBC says: “65% of the UK get their information about climate change from the television. I think that means it’s the responsibility not just of factual but of all genres to really tackle the issue and make sure that they include it in their programming”.

That’s why BAFTA albert’s 2025 Green Light Season is so important. A series of, discussions and screenings designed to inspire content makers to take our collective commitment to sustainability to new heights, the season is packed with practical and motivating talks to help the industry keep moving forward.

Here BAFTA albert’s Managing Director, Matt Scarff, shares why the industry needs this type of event at this moment in time…

Q. Why is it’s important to build on momentum when it comes to talking about climate issues on screen?

The impact of the climate crisis is being felt across the world, from extreme fires, heatwaves and rising sea levels, the frequency is becoming more regular and the impact more severe. As the reality intensifies, public awareness and the urgency to act are growing. We have a unique window of opportunity to reach audiences who are looking for answers and ways that they can make a difference.

For programme and film makers this intensifying period of climate change also brings with it a cultural movement that present new and interesting stories to tell. We know audiences are ready to act when they connect with climate storytelling. In 2024 Channel 4 showed Joe Lycett Versus Sewage which saw over 40,000 viewers act and demand change from their water companies.

Not only does storytelling reflect our cultural narrative but it also helps shape it. When climate issues are woven into stories—whether through drama, comedy, or documentary—it makes the issue more relatable, less abstract, and more emotionally resonant. Momentum means embedding climate into the fabric of how we understand our world.

There has been some great work across the industry so far that lays the foundation and infrastructure for even more successful climate storytelling. But we’re at a crossroads. Building on momentum will ensure stories of climate change aren’t just background noise but that they become central to how we understand our world and our role as the screen industry in helping to shape its future.

Q. How does the screen industries representation of climate issues help the public understand what is happening and empower them to act?

TV, film and games have a unique power; designers, writers and producers take the often overwhelming and complex topic of climate change and translate those stories into narratives that audiences feel emotionally connected to.

We know that by building an emotional resonance audiences begin to understand details more intimately and feel propelled to act.

Often stories of climate change can seem complex, full of numbers, graphs and facts that are challenging to digest. But as an industry of storytellers, we can bring these facts to life in a way that audiences understand.

There are many ways this can be done. It could be turning the science into stories, showing audiences, the impact of climate change rather than just telling them, making conversations around climate a normal part of our everyday conversation or meeting viewers/ players where they are. Expanding stories beyond doom to include stories of climate change in comedy, scripted, unscripted entertainment or even in sport.

Impactful storytelling also creates a feedback loop where we see other industries or sectors acting. Mr Bates vs the Post Office is a great example of this. The show drove an entire cultural shift from the public to the government, after years of no action, post masters across the UK suddenly saw change.

The screen industries can take complex stories, often untold and use different formats and genres to bring them to life in a way that resonates with a wider variety of viewers and in some cases generate public and social discourse forcing positive change.

Q. What can the industry do to keep pushing forward in creating content to help audiences navigate the climate crisis?

The focus of the Green Light Season is to build on the momentum that already exists across the screen industries and encourage programme makers, directors, producers and broadcasters to see how they can take action to help audiences navigate the climate crisis.

The first and perhaps most obvious is to incorporate stories of climate change into the everyday. Programmes like Emmerdale are brilliant at helping normalise sustainable choices by seamlessly incorporating them into storylines. Whether it’s a new electric car in the village or putting on the washing on at 30 degrees.

We know from BAFTA albert research with York University that audiences also engage when stories are focused on solutions. Evidence suggests that audiences respond to narratives that show change is possible and individuals or communities can make a difference. It’s also important that storytellers platform diverse voices. Credible storytelling requires inclusivity and truthfulness. Viewers will see through stories that don’t come from the source.

Finally, it’s important that programme makers and games designers can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Making sustainable changes to production practices, whether that is moving away from diesel generators or implementing a circular economy on set, it reinforces that climate action is possible.

BAFTA is excited to be hosting the Green Light Season, a series of discussions and screenings designed to inspire content makers to take our collective commitment to sustainability to new heights. Through this season of activity we’re asking for the industry’s help to explore how we can create TV and films that support an inclusive conversation about climate change where everyone feels part of the mission.

The season kicks off on Thursday 19 June with a screening of Ocean with David Attenborough followed by a Q&A with co-director Keith Scholey.