Watch the Climate and Us on a BBC.com microsite: www.theclimateandus.com and on the GCHA website: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/the-climate-and-us-series.
Note: UK and China visitors should view the videos on the GCHA website
London, 31 October 2023: With the COP28 climate summit just one month away a groundbreaking new series of films exploring the urgent health challenges posed by climate change launches online today.
The Climate and Us – produced for the Global Climate and Health Alliance by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions – BBC Studios’ commercial content studio– investigates how the climate crisis is affecting human health. The series tells the story of how people working at the nexus of climate and health, and beyond, are working on solutions.
The Climate and Us streaming series takes audiences on a cinematic journey across the world, highlighting the critical link between our changing climate and its profound effects on our wellbeing. Through 31 compelling stories – 24 films and 7 articles – spanning six continents, the series explores the realities faced by people worldwide – from the wildfires destroying homes in California, to the air pollution smothering residents in Jakarta to the strain on people’s access to clean water in South Africa. As well as focusing on communities affected by climate-related disasters and emerging health crises, it also highlights the incredible resilience of people impacted – and the wide-ranging solutions we employ to shield our everyday lives.
The 24-episode series is split into three chapters, corresponding to the following areas of exploration:
Impact of Climate Change on Health: The changing climate brings grave risks for human health. What are the solutions that mitigate cause and effect, improving both the environment and the public health it influences?
Greener Healthcare: The healthcare sector has a vital opportunity to lead by example, in mitigating and adapting to climate change. How are organizations in the sector building greater resilience while also addressing their own environmental impact, and in turn saving lives proactively?
The Change Makers: Those least responsible for climate change are most likely to feel its effects. How are young people, health workers, NGOs and marginalized communities mobilizing to confront this crisis head-on, ensuring that no one is left behind?
Each episode and article focuses on a different story– from the young people reconnecting with themselves through a surf school, to the company installing solar panels on emergency clinics – and explores a range of impacts climate change is having on our health and the solutions being implemented to mitigate them. Through thought-provoking storytelling, interviews with both experts and the people living with the realities of climate change every day, and important scientific research, the series underlines the importance of public health in the midst of this global crisis.
The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), which brings together health professional and health civil society organizations taking action on climate change, worked alongside the BBC StoryWorks team in the development of the series, with organisations in the alliance’s network and across the health community invited to share stories for potential inclusion.
“The Climate and Us puts a human face to the growing climate crisis – and through telling these stories, demonstrates that there is nothing more important than our health and wellbeing”, said Dr Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance.
“Every day, those of us in the health community witness the toll that climate change and its impacts – extreme storms, heat waves, droughts, sea level rise and flooding – take on people’s lives, their health, and wellbeing. While the threats and challenges are significant, hope lies in the many efforts people all around the world are making to respond to every aspect of the crisis.”
“We are thrilled to bring to life these stories that do not shy away from the impacts we’re facing, but instead share some of the solutions that exist, or are being created. We hope this series brings home that the climate crisis ultimately affects us, the human race, and how it impacts us and the natural world we’re a part of and depend on. We hope that The Climate and Us inspires people to not only have hope, but to feel empowered to drive a rapid and just transition toward a healthy and sustainable future, while addressing the impacts of climate change today on people all over the world.”
Contact:
Contact the Global Climate and Health Alliance communications team, +34 691 826 764 (Europe) – [email protected] is checked regularly.
Notes:
Watch the Climate and Us on a BBC.com microsite: www.theclimateandus.com and on the GCHA website: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/the-climate-and-us-series.
Note: UK and China visitors should view the videos on the GCHA website
About GCHA
The Global Climate and Health Alliance is the leading global convenor of more than 150 health professional and health civil society organizations addressing climate change. We are a consortium of health organizations from around the world united by a shared vision of an equitable, sustainable future, in which the health impacts of climate change are minimized, and the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation are maximised.
Find out more: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/about/