Stark COP26 Opening Ceremony Film Reveals Startling Climate Change Warnings

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) has opened. The hour-long Opening Ceremony for COP 26 is deliberately designed to be different from previous years, with a mix of formal protocol and cultural content. 

The Opening Ceremony of COP 26 is a direct call to action for world leaders. With the theme ‘Earth To COP’, it represents a direct intervention from the planet to hear its voice, heed its warnings and act now. 

Livestreamed, the estimated potential audience is over 2bn, all of whom have a direct stake in COP’s success. 

The ceremony content underlines what is at stake for the planet and future generations. It also carries a strong message of hope - that we have the means, the technology, the audacity and ability to tackle climate change. We need the collective will to advance progress at a much faster rate than at present. 

Underlining the call to action, a special short Earth To COP film called Action This Day played out - a deliberate echo of the words used by Winston Churchill when he signed off critical decisions. Alongside are contributions from Brian Cox, voices from around the world, young global environmental campaigners, music and poetry along with a film created by children from Blue Peter. 

The ‘Earth to COP’ film presents an eyewitness portrait of climate change. Using dramatic mobile phone footage from around the world, the premiere of this short film shows the extent of damage caused by the change in our climate, contrasted with the beauty of Earth - what is at stake and what our leaders need to protect. It underlines that we have seen some progress, but we need further and faster action.

The composer of the music for the film, Steven Price is an Academy Award-winning composer. In 2014 his ground breaking score for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity won him the Academy Award and Critics' Choice Award.

The Earth to COP film was independently produced by Harder Than You Think (HTYK). The film will be widely distributed, including through a principal partnership with Bloomberg, a global partnership with WWF and with TikTok, who share the ambition to help bring Earth to COP to a worldwide audience. It will also be played on digital screens across the UK.  www.earthtocop.org 

The production team: The ceremony has been produced by HTYT, an Emmy award winning creative and production company formed by Greg Nugent and Godric Smith out of London 2012. Greg Nugent directed the ceremony and created ‘Earth to COP’, including the short film which HTYT produced for the ceremony. 

It is independent of the government, who invited HTYT to have creative oversight, wanting to ensure that the collective voice and view of the billions impacted by climate change is heard loudly in the room at the start of the negotiations. Earth to COP will bring global voices directly into the room. 

Greg Nugent, co-founder HTYT said: “COP is the most important meeting most of the world has never heard of. The most powerful advocate and campaigner for positive action and change is our planet itself. The Opening Ceremony - Earth to COP - aims to ensure its voice is heard loud and clear, in the room, when the leaders are at COP. Our planet is speaking truth to power.”

The agency partner: AnalogFolk have supported HTYT on all digital executions for Earth to COP. Including the branded preview site, and full website hosting the Earth To COP film. AnalogFolk is also supporting all social activity, digital OOH, as well as digital assets provided for the ceremony itself. 

Bill Brock, founder AnalogFolk Group said: “Having the opportunity to be a part of Earth to COP and COP26 - the most important meeting in the history of the planet - is such an honour for AnalogFolk Group. Our strategy and creative work for the project aligns perfectly with our company ambition to be an impactful agent of change, for people, brands and society, in pursuit of a better world. So when Greg asked us to partner with him, we jumped at the opportunity.”