The people of India bear the brunt of climate change’s impacts, having contributed the least to it, and continue to face a range of challenges. Born out of the adversity of climate change are responses around adaptation and mitigation leading to innovation – sometimes starting out as quick-fix but eventually paving way to long-term solutions for the planet. Tracing these stories of change, Planet India, a new landmark campaign, will spotlight and celebrate how the people of India are responding to climate and nature challenges with grassroots environmental solutions. In a first-of-its-kind effort, world-leading filmmakers have collaborated with top Indian cinematographers and content creators to empower India’s environmental heroes. Planet India will share their innovations and creative solutions for the planet with the world and in doing so, will inspire further action to protect our planet.
Launching ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, this ambitious campaign will reach 200 million people nationally and many more globally, inviting everyone to share their own unique Planet India stories. It aims to build a climate-positive community that inspires optimism and further action for finding solutions for the planet from across the world. The world-class footage captured for the project will be shared on the soon to be launched free-to-use Open Planet visual library, allowing other storytellers access to content that would have been previously out of reach.
Talking about the initiative, Tamseel Hussain, Founder and CEO of PlucTV says, “India is on the frontline of climate change, and we are responding with urgency and creativity to safeguard our beautiful country. Young people and communities from across the country are putting forward tangible solutions to fight the crisis and our creators are driving the conversation forward. This will be the biggest, most innovative storytelling campaign of its kind ever attempted in India and it has been an honour to partner with the makers of Sir David Attenborough’s iconic documentaries that have inspired so many. Planet India is going to change the game.”
India is no stranger to erratic rainfall patterns and extreme weather events that affect the farming community. Rising temperatures and heatwaves pose health risks, while coastal areas are vulnerable to sea-level rise and storms. Biodiversity loss threatens ecosystems and indigenous communities reliant on natural resources. The campaign, which looks at India’s solutions to handle such crisis, has been designed and led by India’s leading creator economy platform People Like Us Create (PlucTV) and Studio Silverback, with the team behind Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Our Planet’ and ‘A Life on Our Planet’. It has been made possible with the philanthropic support from DP World, the world’s leading provider of smart logistics solutions.
According to Colin Butfield, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Studio Silverback, “India is underrepresented in the global discussion of climate and nature solutions, despite the huge amount of innovation and action coming from the people of this country. We have been inspired by what we have seen in India and feel it is vital that we share these stories that matter and have the power to inspire an optimistic global narrative about the role we can all play to save our planet.”
More details will be released in the coming months when the campaign launches with a gala screening in Delhi, ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, bringing together leading storytellers, environmental leaders, filmmakers, and content creators, as well as celebrities, and garnering international attention for India’s climate positive creativity. In December, Planet India will take these inspiring stories of Indian grassroots innovation to COP28, UAE in Expo City, Dubai.
Rizwan Soomar, DP World’s CEO and Managing Director for the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa, adds, “Our support for Planet India is part of our commitment to creating a better future for everyone. We look forward to sharing the stories of people who are tirelessly driving positive change in their communities to address climate challenges. India is a country rich in nature and innovation, and these stories need to be told to a wider audience and celebrated. It is especially heartening to bring these stories from across the country to the forefront in this historic year of the Indian G20 Presidency.”
