UN Climate Change News, New York, 24 September 2026 - UN Climate Change unveiled a new strategy for its Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) initiative, which connects the power of storytelling with one of the defining issues of our time, at an event held during Climate Week NYC today.
The strategy is the result of a consultation process run by UN Climate Change since May, supported by the Wellcome Trust and ECCA's own members, to sharpen the initiative's purpose and rebuild its operating model for the years ahead.
Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, unveiled the strategy alongside ECCA members, including leaders from across the entertainment and culture sectors.
"In my world, climate is often described through targets, treaties, technologies and finance. All are essential. But climate change is about people," said Stiell speaking at the event. "It is about the food on our table. The air we breathe. The jobs we do. The bills we pay. And the chance for the next generation to live better, not worse. It is about the things we love and need: beaches, stadiums, theatres, sacred places and neighbourhoods that hold memory and meaning . . . Climate action does not just need policy and investment. It needs imagination. Creative and cultural sectors reach people in ways no communique, report or negotiation text ever could."
At the core of the strategy unveiled in New York today is a new ECCA Declaration, a principles-based document under which entertainment and culture organizations affiliate with ECCA's mission under Article 12 of the Paris Agreement: the commitment every government made to educate, empower and engage the public on climate action. ECCA equips members to engage policymakers in their own sectors and countries, amplifies climate storytelling already being made, and champions decarbonization already under way in the sector.
Operationally, ECCA will work through three functions: convening a global community of practice, connecting that community to the Paris process, and championing the storytelling and decarbonization work already happening, delivered through dedicated workstreams starting with film & TV, music and visual arts, with more to follow. A Steering Committee and an annual workplan will translate the strategy into action year by year, starting at COP31.
The strategy also confirms the next phase of Accelerator City, ECCA's flagship, place-based initiative. Liverpool, the UNFCCC's first Accelerator City, piloted nine decarbonisation projects across live music and screen production with additional strategic collaboration initiatives. Tyndall Centre, Manchester published its evaluation of Liverpool City Council's Accelerator year in June 2026. Selection criteria for a new Accelerator City/Cities will be announced at COP31, and Expressions of Interest will be immediately invited.
Today's strategy is a living document. Its vision holds through 2030, but several operational details, including the final composition and selection process for the Steering Committee, will be finalized in the coming weeks as ECCA moves toward COP31 in Türkiye this November, the first major activation of the strategy since today's launch.
