This paper explores two approaches that academia could take to help the UK TV industry embed more climate content in its outputs. The UK TV industry has made impressive strides in measuring and reducing its carbon footprints (McWhirter, 2022). This is in large part thanks to the BAFTA-chaired ‘albert’ (https://wearealbert.org) initiative with directorate involvement from organisations such as the BBC and Netflix where programmes seek positive CO2e reductions and certification. In recent years emphasis has switched focus to what can be achieved editorially to embed climate content in factual entertainment to high-end TV (HETV). Toolkits and guides for scriptwriters and creators are growing – including from albert – to help nudge behaviour change. This paper amalgamates some of these resources and posits a Climate Mise en Scene concept for HETV: an academically informed endeavour, drawing from some research areas around communicating climate science. For example, from Stoknes’ (2015) five barriers to effective climate communication. However, is such an initiative – that builds on existing industry-focused work – enough to inspire creatives to launch new ideas or alter existing ones? If the meta-aim is to inspire audiences for the journey to Net Zero, then a Climate Mise en Scene only adds to the growing ‘carrot’ toolkits. Therefore, perhaps the efforts of academia are better placed in arguing for a tougher ‘stick’ approach. Firstly, with enhanced industry actions. Given albert’s non-scoring editorial question in their certification process already asks how climate has been considered: How far could that approach be pushed towards mandatory requirements? Or, secondly and more controversially, are stronger regulations and media policies now required
