Climate storytelling: Why Article 12 of the Paris Agreement could unlock everything
Solitaire Townsend
This article was first published in Edie.
Storytelling is the basic programming language of human beings. From cave paintings and nursery rhymes to streaming platforms, storytelling is how people make sense of the world.
In the face of the climate crisis – an emergency defined by vast scales, distant forecasts, and complex scientific data – storytelling offers something that facts alone cannot: emotional resonance and personal relevance.
That’s why I believe one of the most neglected clauses in the Paris Agreement might just be our best hope for planetary transformation. Article 12 reads like a whisper of a promise amid the global cacophony of policy frameworks and scientific roadmaps.
This small yet powerful provision states:“Parties shall cooperate in taking measures, as appropriate, to enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information, recognizing the importance of these steps with respect to enhancing actions under this Agreement.”
In arcane COP-speak – the Paris Agreement says communications is important to enable the rest of its own provisions. We know that radical climate action won’t happen in a void – it requires a fertile ground of understanding, belief, and narrative.
Who, and how?
But whose responsibility is it to sow these story seeds? Politicians are too often gridlocked, and the news media has one eye perpetually on ratings. But the creative industries, especially film and television, are uniquely positioned to make Article 12 come alive. This $2trn industry has the creativity and cultural reach to shift mindsets, ignite passions, and make climate solutions feel not only possible but desirable.
A study by RARE found that 70% of American respondents think Hollywood should include climate-friendly actions on screen to help address climate change. Another survey revealed that one-third of Britons say TV has inspired them to make sustainable changes in their lifestyles. And according to the Aspen Institute, 74% of parents agree that children’s media should include climate solutions.
Can an organisation really claim to be ‘Paris-Aligned’ if it doesn’t have a strategy for public engagement and solutions storytelling? Of course, green marketing is an opportunity, but it’s also a responsibility for all Race to Zero signatories.
This COP29, I’m working with the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance and BAFTA albert to help centre this power, and Article 12, in the debate and the UNFCCC has a group dedicated to activating Article 12 – the Action for Climate Empowerment team.
For this to be more than a forgotten footnote in the Paris Agreement, governments must partner with and fund creative industries to bring climate solutions to screens around the world. We can’t leave this to market forces alone; while climate-themed projects are gaining momentum, too many of them still centre on disaster and despair, and too few offer a hopeful, solution-oriented narrative. It’s time to change that.
Calls to action
Here are concrete ways policymakers at COP can support the creative industries to help fulfil their own Article 12 commitments:
- Establish climate content funds: Allocate funds specifically for film, TV and creative projects that showcase climate solutions, innovation, and the humanity of people working on the frontlines of this crisis. The global creative industry depends upon ‘development funds’ to get creative ideas off the page and into screen. But don’t stop at funding documentaries: we need dramas, romances, thrillers and even comedies where climate solutions play a central role in the plot. These Funds would be especially welcome in the vibrant Global South creative industries (from Bollywood to Nollywood and beyond).
- Incentivise solutions storytelling: Offer incentives to productions that showcase climate solutions and use sustainable practices. Many nations and cities already offer tax breaks for productions in their spaces. Adding incentives for solutions storytelling would not only make productions financially feasible but also normalize environmental responsibility in the industry, creating a virtuous cycle of sustainable storytelling and practice.
- Support creative climate training programs: Equip writers, directors, and producers with the knowledge they need to accurately and compellingly depict climate solutions. Governments can fund workshops and fellowships that bring scientists and creatives together, bridging the gap between technical knowledge and compelling narrative. By nurturing this talent, we can create a generation of storytellers ready to tackle climate issues with authenticity and urgency.
There is so much more governments can do to inspire their creative sector with climate solutions, but this would be a good start.
Brazil has a huge creative sector with a global reach. What we’re starting here in Baku this year will grow by Belem in 2025.
With the help of creative industries, we can bring Article 12 to life, making climate action not a duty or a sacrifice but an exciting and dynamic part of the world we want to live in. So, let’s empower our storytellers, our artists, our dreamers, and let them lead the way to a sustainable future.
Solitaire Townsend is Chair of the Futerra Solutions Union and member of the UNFCCC ECCA Steering Committee on Film & TV