Five big lessons from producing a global series on the social, economic and political forces undermining meaningful global action on climate change. We have had more than 50 years of scientific data, economic arguments, books, petitions, documentaries, global resolutions. We know our planet’s ecosystem is breaking down and that much of the destruction is irreparable. So, why aren’t things changing faster?
That's the simple question at the heart of Al Jazeera English’s 10-part environmental series All Hail The Planet, presented, produced, filmed and edited by journalist Ali Rae alongside executive producer Meenakshi Ravi. While there’s lots of good journalism out there explaining how dire things are for the planet, this production decided to look at climate breakdown from a different perspective. We wanted to understand how human psychology, social history and vested capitalist interests have come to shape - and undermine - the response to our global eco-crisis. Because it’s not an absence of information, insufficient innovative technology or people’s scepticism that’s stopping meaningful change - it’s a ruinous lack of political assertion and will, driven by various systems of power determined to maintain the status quo.
With that in mind, this presentation will unpack some of the biggest lessons learnt from producing this 10-part global series. Spanning two years of production, Ali Rae and Meenakshi Ravi will also highlight the production challenges and opportunities when producing this style of series that sits outside of the traditional TV news production processes. This includes how to encourage viewers to connect local issues to the vast array of climate justice struggles around the world - especially in the Global South. We will also show how more than 150 vox pops from 10 locations around the world were captured to highlight people’s commonalities, confusions and concerns about the environmental crisis. The series was initially released online (with bespoke social media platform specific content), accumulating more than 3 million views, thousands of reactions and comments that revealed an appreciation for fresh climate perspectives. It was then broadcast to 310+ million homes in 150 countries across the globe. Since release, schools and universities have requested to use the series for a variety of educational purposes.
The aim of this presentation is to empower other journalists to consider a deeper, more comprehensive narrative about the ties that bind us together on a global scale.
Organised in association with Al Jazeera English.
