Focus on exploring solutions to climate change
Following a call out in 2022, the independent production sector’s response to Channel 4’s Climate Emergency brief resulted in a season of programming focused on exploring solutions to climate change, which C4 promoted with a bold ad campaign.
Typically, individuals have been the focus when it comes to making behavioural changes to reduce their carbon footprint, but this campaign aimed to switch the focus by calling out the actions/inactions of politicians and large corporations.
Insightful programming
The newly commissioned programmes included:
Chris Packham: Is it Time to Break the Law?
With the cost of the climate crisis threatening the natural world, Chris looks at what he and the rest of us can do to save it and goes on a personal journey to decide for himself if it’s ethically acceptable to break the law to protest against government on climate change.
I thought that Chris Packham’s “Is It Time to Break the Law?” was the best climate documentary I have ever seen because it tackled problems in very efficient, logical, powerful and ethically-minded ways. I recommended it to my friends and family (because I think it is important that people watch it.) Thank you for giving this the ‘green light’.
16 to 24 male
The Big Climate Fight.
Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mary Portas identify the practical steps that governments and big business can take to eliminate our carbon emissions and urge the government to act and save us money at the same time.
The Big British Beef Battle.
Hosted by Ade Adepitan, this surprising and disruptive documentary looks at the impact of diet on climate change and how beef can be made more sustainable.
A positive response
Overall, there was a positive response to the season of programming, with viewers describing it as “interesting”, “informative” and “challenging” which brought complex but important issues to its audience in a balanced and engaging way.
- 86% agreed that shows like this are important for raising awareness related to the climate crisis.
- 90% agreed that the government should be doing more to support and fund the production of sustainable energy in the UK.
- 50% of viewers claimed to have spoken to others about the issues raised within the season.
- 2 in 5 viewers claim to have been inspired to make some kind of change in their lives as a result of watching the programming.
It was heart-breaking, galvanising, necessary, urgent TV. It’s the kind of TV that only publicly funded broadcasters can make and we need more of it.
35 to 44 female
