"Green Storytelling" is the name of the trial, the issue of climate change more accessible to make. The German television has some catching up to do.

Because it is so beautiful: a cliché photo: Mark Peterson/Redux/laif

If a prominent actor as recently Russell Crowe at the ceremony of the Golden Globes about the catastrophic effects of climate change talks, then, this is now no longer the exception. In fact, the climate is currently one of the most important topics in Hollywood: Whether in front of or behind the camera for several months, producers, Stars, Studios and transmitter put the issue high on their Agenda.

And in Germany? How approaching the Film and television industry in this country, the subject. They discussed it, of course, how to do it here, in the relevant talk shows and produced to some very well-made, but also, of course, a more sophisticated documentation. That's enough? How is it with fiction and entertainment? Why is it in these segments of the television so little about the climate?

That asks, for example, and producer Philip Gassmann, involved since years in this field and to become a kind of experts for the "green" TV Director. "The subject has fallen over the years in the doghouse," he says, to the extent that rule at the stations a certain amount of reluctance: "Who cares anyway? It was not everything?“

The sun mainly due to the fact that this area is going to been told wrong, criticized Gassmann. "Either as a catastrophe scenario, in which the end of the world threatens, or a moralisiernde narrative with the raised index finger."Also the for decades in various media and established character of the Eco-Spießers with self-knitted Norwegian sweater and jute bag is no good, at best, to be a joke.

In the UK, for example, is quite different. The BBC is not a only requires sustainable production standards, but has called on all sections in the transmitter to make thoughts such as "environmental sustainability", i.e. sustainability in terms of content, can play a role – in all Genres, over the whole of the BBC program. From the sports coverage of Comedy to Dating shows. Meanwhile, the public broadcaster can refer to a whole series of relevant programs.

Already in 2017, before the Fridays for the Future, the BBC showed of the produced black-and-humorous Mockumentary "Carnage" that "eco" can also be entertaining. The fictional documentary tells the story of a world in the not-too-distant future, in which the consumption of meat is forbidden.

Or on football broadcasts, which the BBC is now about the CO2 emissions of the respective team cities informed. With regard to the German media industry, at least, noticed producer Gassmann, no special use of the Directors and producers on the topic of: "The 'Green Storytelling' is in the German television, still a lot of potential," he says.

"The subject has fallen over the years in the doghouse"

Some initiatives, Germany is trying now with the theme forward. For example, the Online Video contest "Take 17" initiated, among other things, of the University of Trier, in the case of the young people are called with their own content to the complex sustainability process. The scientist Peter stern, who initiated the competition with, and objected to the type, as in the past, climate is predicted, especially in the talk shows. "There is only contradictory positions without reflection, compared to what giving the audience only a sense of helplessness and Resignation."

The Cologne-based TV producer Wolfgang Link believes that it is possible to delight you with entertaining formats, the transport at the same time, information, viewers for climate issues. Link prepares, among other things, is currently a major public event for the spring, which is also broadcast on television: At "Comedy for the Future" to many of the well-known German Comedians, including, for example, Atze Schröder and Michael Mittermeier, with the sustainability goals of the United Nations to deal with. This is, hopefully, not only "green", but also entertaining.