UN Climate Change News, Mumbai, 22 July 2026 - UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Producers Guild of India and PLUC (People Like Us Create) today brought together leading voices from India's film and entertainment industry for a discussion with Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), to explore the power of climate storytelling in cinema, TV, and online content.
Filmmakers, producers, writers, actors, studio leaders and streaming platform representatives from the Indian film industry, hosted at Amazon Studios in Mumbai, discussed how creative storytelling can show how the climate crisis is permeating the daily lives of billions of people on the issues regular working people care most about.
At the same time, India's world-leading solar and cleantech boom is generating vast societal and economic progress that is incredibly rich in riveting, emotive, original and commercially compelling story-telling and content opportunities.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), said:
"The climate crisis and the transition to clean energy touch on all the things people care most about: Food on the table. The air we breathe. Jobs, livelihoods, and the next generation doing better than the last. And there are epic human themes. On one hand climate is a story of hubris and injustice. On the other it's a story of human ingenuity and cooperation. The challenge is to bring them into millions of living rooms. The best of these are stories of people responding to change, solving problems, creating opportunities, reminding us that we shape our world.
"We recognise the immense power of screen storytelling and culture in narrating the climate story. India's creative industries are particularly important: because of their cultural diversity, prolific output, and global reach."
Shibasish Sarkar, President, Producers Guild of India, said:
"Climate change is inarguably one of the greatest challenges confronting the planet and it is incumbent upon all of us, including the Media & Entertainment sector, to act now. Dialogues like these can go a long way towards not only sensitizing and educating stakeholders, but also arrive at practical solutions."
Dia Mirza, Actor & Producer, said:
"Stories have always helped us understand ourselves and the world around us. As our world continues to change, storytelling gives us an opportunity to reflect those realities in ways that are engaging, relatable and deeply human. I'm delighted to be part of a conversation that brings together the entertainment industry to explore how stories can spark meaningful conversations and connect audiences with one of the defining issues of our time."
Tamseel Hussain, Founder & CEO, PLUC, Creator of India's First Climate Scriptwriting Lab, in collaboration with Netflix India
"India is going through one of the most significant transformations in its history. From clean energy and innovation to changing livelihoods and emerging industries, these shifts are creating new stories waiting to be told. As one of the world's largest creative economies, India has a unique opportunity to reflect this moment through mainstream entertainment. The industry produces over 1,800 films every year, with millions of people working across the sector-many of whom are already being impacted by the realities of climate change."
The roundtable marks the beginning of a broader dialogue between UN Climate Change and India's entertainment industry on the role of storytelling in reflecting a changing world. By bringing together creative leaders, producers, platforms and storytellers, the convening has opened the door to potentially powerful collaborations that can make climate change real for billions of people.
The discussion was part of broader activities under the Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) initiative of UN Climate Change. It provided a space for an open exchange on how the entertainment industry can engage audiences with one of the defining issues of our time through stories that inform, inspire and entertain, and inspire action.
India is home to one of the world's largest and most influential creative economies, with stories that reach audiences across the country and around the world with over 1800 films released every year in over 20 languages. As climate change increasingly shapes everyday life, the conversation explored how mainstream entertainment can naturally reflect these changing realities through compelling narratives across film, television and digital media.
The discussion also explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration between the entertainment industry and the climate community, supporting writers, creators, producers and platforms in bringing climate narratives into mainstream entertainment in ways that are audience-driven, culturally relevant and creatively authentic.
The roundtable generated clear momentum and enthusiasm to explore more specific potential collaborations, agreeing to develop next steps for integrating climate and related concepts in storytelling, to reach mass audiences.
