Need for powerful and impactive climate storytelling

Stories about the impact of climate change can be told from across the world, yet despite greater awareness, global emissions keep rising, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) website explains. This gap between awareness and action reflects how the climate story is communicated. Moving the focus of climate storytelling from what is scary to what is possible can unlock more ambitious, durable policies. Narratives rooted in solutions, justice and co-benefits can help bridge the gap between public concern and concrete political action.

Recognizing the need for and impact of climate storytelling, Netflix India and People Like Us Create (PLUC) have launched a new, first-of-its-kind Climate Scriptwriting Lab. It is designed to embed climate themes into mainstream storytelling by equipping a new generation of writers to weave climate perspectives into existing popular genres. The Lab celebrates India’s solutions on climate and nurtures fiction storytelling talent, equipping writers with the tools, resources, and networks to develop short films (fiction) and feature films (fiction) that carry the weight of our changing world. The aim is to combine India’s thriving creative economy with its ambitious environmental goals to create a space where the world can see India’s most creative climate solutions through cinema. The screenwriting lab is open to emerging writers working in any language from across India, with a focus on bringing in voices and stories from different regions and backgrounds. Those chosen will develop their screenplay alongside industry mentors. 60 writers from across the country will be selected, with a hybrid model of mentorship over eight months. There will also be in-person sessions in four cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Guwahati – for the writers, who will face an eight-member jury at the end of their lab.

In a blog, the Global Energy Alliance, emphasizes, “In our era of unprecedented environmental challenges, the role of climate communicators has never been more crucial. We stand at a critical juncture where awareness alone is no longer sufficient; what we urgently need is decisive action. Climate change is not merely an abstract concept anymore; it is a reality affecting lives across the globe. However, moving from awareness to action requires a nuanced approach. And it can happen through the power of stories led by climate communicators.”

Takeaways from a webinar organized by The Climate Group – to explore how communications can help shape a collective voice and tell the climate story better – stress that there is a gap between what people are experiencing around them and how it is being communicated in mainstream media and by civil society organisations. Climate communications will benefit mitigation and adaptation. There is a lack of on-ground climate reporting and coverage of how climate change is affecting marginalised communities. This is creating a disconnect between community experiences and what is transpiring in high-level climate conferences and negotiations. However, reporting about communities and summits/conferences are both important. Climate change is a complex topic. There are different angles to be communicated, and organisations are recognising the need to craft innovative communication products that can make the topic simple to understand, the webinar found.

The recent Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), India’s first citizen-led climate conference and a new Global South platform for climate solutions, had special film screenings in the run-up to its three-day event that brought climate storytelling into the city’s cultural spaces, ahead of sessions on urban resilience, food systems, and energy transition. The purpose was to connect cinema with climate action, encouraging dialogue on urban resilience and environmental impacts, according to their website. ‘When Climate Meets Cinema’ was a special film showcase held during Mumbai Climate Week 2026, featuring screenings of films focused on climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice. The event included discussions with filmmakers and experts.

A recent BBC Monitoring Insight states that the coverage of climate change in India has notably increased in recent years, with more focus now on the impact on domestic issues, policy implications and solutions within international frameworks. This increased coverage is linked to both international activities like climate conferences and domestic realities such as India’s high vulnerability to the impact of climate change, growing public awareness of local weather changes and the government’s active domestic climate agenda.