On the Antalya sidelines of COP31, the world’s longest running climate summit now in session from November 9 to 20, a familiar creative tension returned to the screen world. Film and television professionals say they want to tell more climate stories. They also say the path from pitch to greenlight is strewn with practical roadblocks that outlast the enthusiasm in the writers’ room. That is the picture emerging as industry groups gather to compare notes on a new global creatives survey.
The exercise, initiated by the UNFCCC’s Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action Film and Television Alliance with Ipsos, is designed to map opportunity as well as constraint. Early discussions around the poll point to three stubborn blockers. First is money, especially the lack of small but catalytic development funding. Second is commissioning risk, where buyers fear “issue fatigue” or didactic scripts. Third is craft capacity, from access to climate consultants to help with story notes, to legal and packaging advice that can speed viable projects to market. Audience demand is not the problem. Research from Rare’s Entertainment Lab shows viewers across multiple genres want more climate reality on screen.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell framed the stakes in plain terms during the unveiling of ECCA’s new strategy in September. “Climate action does not just need policy and investment. It needs imagination. Creative and cultural sectors reach people in ways no communique could,” Stiell said. The argument is simple. If culture shapes what feels normal and possible, then the screen trades carry a civic obligation that sits alongside their commercial calculus.
For African markets, the implications are immediate. ECCA’s own research identifies Nigeria among the Global South hubs where strategic development funds could unlock mainstream, exportable climate stories, while pairing cash with mentorship, scientific advisors and access to networks. It is a reminder that Nollywood’s scale and speed can be an asset if financing and editorial support arrive early enough in the pipeline.
Institutionally, the machinery is being built. ECCA’s 2026 to 2030 plan promises to convene a global community of practice, translate climate policy for creatives, and champion decarbonization in production. Selection criteria for a refreshed Accelerator City model were scheduled for announcement at COP31, alongside a slate of film and television sessions intended to connect the industry more directly to the Paris process.
What to watch next is straightforward. As COP31 programming unfolds, survey readouts and case studies will test whether commissioners adjust buying priorities, and whether philanthropies or public agencies step into the development gap. Parallel research streams are also queued up, including new analyses of how often climate appears on screen and where the portrayal still falls short. The audience, it seems, is already leaning in. The question is whether the gatekeepers will match that appetite with resources and courage.
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