Christian Aid Highlights the Global Climate Crisis with Olympics-Themed Campaign

Christian Aid, the UK charity fighting global poverty, harnesses the building excitement around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to urge people to “Join the race against the climate crisis” in a new campaign created by independent creative agency, Impero.

A hero film opens with shots of athletes competing as a sports commentator-style voiceover tells the audience “What you are about to see could well change history” before the tone and focus shifts.

In the scenes that follow, sports events are juxtaposed with images of climate change’s devastating impact, as the voiceover talks of things “heating up” and being “on fire" then warns how “Climate change is breaking new records each year”.

20% of Olympic nations face extinction from sea level rise and extreme weather by 2030. And, whilst the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5C above pre-industrial averages refers to the long-term, the exceeding of this target over the last 12 months indicates that this goal will be missed soon unless urgent action is taken.

The spot ends with a call to action to sign up to Christian Aid’s campaign to beat the climate crisis here.

The TV ad will be live for the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, from 26th July to 11th August. As well as the TV ad, the campaign also includes pre-roll videos across Olympics content on Sky Sports VOD, on climate content on Sky News VOD, and as in-feed videos on X. There will also be a Sky homepage takeover for 24 hours over the men's 100m final (Sunday 4th) and again for 24 hours over the women's 200m final (Tuesday 6th).

The ‘Join the Race’ campaign aims to reach a three million-strong mid-life audience of 30-to 50-year-old Christian believers in the power of collectivism and the positive role international non-governmental organisations such as Christian Aid can play.

Its aim is to drive awareness of climate injustice and how people can help support positive change.

Christian Aid’s director of fundraising and supporter engagement, Nick Georgiadis, said, “The last time representatives from every nation descended on Paris was the UN climate summit in 2015 where the Paris Agreement was signed. It’s terrible that nine years later that agreement is under serious threat with both carbon emissions and global temperatures continuing to rise causing ever more dramatic and record-breaking climate events.

With all eyes on Paris for the 2024 Olympics games, we hope our campaign can raise awareness of the dangers we face and inspire the collective action the world now needs.”

Alastair Mills, joint executive creative director at Impero, added, “Climate change is already impacting sport. Deadly summer heatwaves have become the norm in continental Europe, so it was inevitable they’d be in the headlines in the run up to the Paris Olympics. The campaign joins in with this narrative in a powerful and compelling way that engages our target audience – a group who, as mid-lifers, care deeply about how their actions set an example to their community and their families – and motivate them to act.”

Following recent research showing temperatures have increased by an average of 3.1C in July and August in France in the last 100 years – prompting questions about whether conditions could be too hot for Olympians competing in Paris – the message is relevant and timely.

A survey of those taking part in last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest found 85% saying the sport in general has suffered because of the climate crisis. This was an increase of 72% the year before.