-
Climate change is one of the most urgent threats of our time, with its impacts becoming increasingly more severe and widespread. But it’s not too late to avoid the worst consequences – if we act now, and we act together.
The unscripted entertainment industry has a unique role to play in helping to raise issue awareness and advance sustainable solutions. Unscripted content features real people in the real world; its themes and genres intersect with many high-impact climate solution areas; and audiences come to many of the subgenres of unscripted entertainment expecting actionable takeaway. Furthermore, sustainable production practices behind the camera can contribute to an overall culture of sustainability while also reducing carbon emissions and waste. For all these reasons and more, the unscripted industry can inspire positive change – on screen for audiences at home, and behind the scenes with creatives in our field.
While we have seen examples of important but isolated leadership from unscripted creators and professionals, the potential of this sector has been underestimated and underutilized. Many in our industry are aware of the severity of climate change, but they may not realize the audience demand for seeing these themes and solutions reflected in content or the various ways these issues can appear in our stories.
Our Mission
Our mission is to lead the unscripted industry in addressing climate change by incorporating sustainability into our content, promoting environmentally responsible production practices, and inspiring collaboration across the industry to build a more informed and engaged global audience.
We strive to do this through three key pillars:
1. Production
We can lead by example in our own work. We pledge to evaluate and evolve pre-production and production practices to avoid waste, reduce emissions, and incorporate production efficiencies in our projects.
2. Audience
What we show on screen matters. We pledge to look for diverse and entertaining opportunities to include themes and solutions around climate and sustainability in the content we produce – from storylines that center these issues, to small moments and mentions – and will endeavor to recognize and avoid harmful on-screen representations that may promote damaging practices.
3. Industry
We are stronger together. We pledge to endorse these efforts within our industry, to welcome and consider ideas from our crews and employees, and to encourage our peers to join in this collective effort.