C4 joins Global Climate Strike with social media walk-out and weather takeover

20 September 2019

Channel 4 is joining the Global Climate Strike today to walk alongside its young viewers as young people worldwide protest to end the age of fossil fuel and demand more urgent action to be taken on climate change.

For the first time Channel 4 will disrupt its usual evening weather report with a special takeover tonight – and Channel 4 and E4’s key social media accounts will stand alongside young people in the UK and go on strike from 9.30am until 5.30pm today, after the last post at 9.29am to signal the walk-out.

Additionally, continuity announcers will share facts drawn from World Meteorological Organisation research throughout the day on Channel 4.

This follows a range of commitments set out by Channel 4 to reduce its own impact on the environment to tie in with Global Climate Strike and ahead of the UN Change Summit next week.

Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon said: “Global Climate Strike is a massive event initiated by young people around the world and it’s right that Channel 4 marks this momentous event as the UK plays its part. This is about us acknowledging what is of uppermost concern to young people, our core audience.”

Channel 4’s Chief of Staff Lynette Huntley, leading the broadcaster’s environment action plan, said: “As well as taking action ourselves and setting out a long-term action plan, we are committed to working in partnership with others in the sector to harness the power of creativity in tackling this massive global challenge.”

Channel 4’s commitment to becoming more environmentally responsible includes the following measures:

• Channel 4 will commit to using 100% renewable energy supplies from March 2020 and maintain its promise to zero waste going to landfill
• Single use, unrecyclable plastics will be removed wherever possible from its Horseferry Road HQ canteen
• As a member of the BAFTA Albert Consortium, the leading initiative on sustainability for the film and television industries – and as a publisher broadcaster which commissions all its programming from the independent production industry – Channel 4 will mandate the use of the Albert calculator on all productions. We will be encouraging all suppliers to achieve Albert certification and will be exploring how to provide help especially to smaller suppliers in that process
• All Channel 4 staff will undergo Albert training
• Channel 4 will publish its first environment plan in 2020 with a view to becoming a carbon neutral business
• Launch of 4Earth, a group of environment ambassadors formed of staff across Channel 4 and led by Executive sponsor, Lynette Huntley, to help inspire change, on and off screen, at Channel 4

Notes to editors

• Key social media channels striking include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Creative/production credits:

MARKETING

Head of Marketing - James Walker

Deputy Head of Marketing - Laura Ward-Smith

James Smart – Group Social Media Manager

Letitia Becher – Senior Social Media Exec

4CREATIVE

Acting Head of 4creative - Chris Wood

Creative Director – Eoin McLaughlin  

Creatives – Shannon Cripps and Bethany Wood

Business Director – Jane English  

Exec Producer - Shananne Lane

Gregg Carter - Junior Social Video Director 

CONTINUITY

Group Continuity Manager – Paul Sapsford