About us
a sustainable lens on film and television practice
The global screen media industry, with its vast cultural influence and economic power, has become a key player in environmental awareness. In recent years, environmental themes such as climate change and species extinction have gained prominence in screen media, with sustainability becoming central to industry branding and marketing.
However, the industry faces a significant and often overlooked challenge: its own environmental and social footprint, which demands urgent scrutiny.
the problem
environmental risks in screen media
Energy
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The media industry's energy consumption has surged due to the vast electronic infrastructure required for digital production and distribution.
waste
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Media production is a rampant producer of greenhouse gases, toxic pollutants, and non-biodegradable waste – from PPE used on sets to the metals embedded in digital devices.
environmental justice
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Major media producers often exploit relaxed environmental practices and labour practices, perpetuating global inequalities and environmental degradation across various locations worldwide.
agency
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Environmental programmes by organisations like BAFTA and the PGA struggle to become standard industry practices, often seen as 'nice-to-have' rather than essential. These initiatives remain ineffective and marginalised, particularly in high-volume production contexts, where resources for environmental impact management are limited.
“Addressing these challenges is crucial to reducing the industry's environmental impact and aligning practices with their environmental rhetoric. Moreover, the environmental cost of digital infrastructure remains largely invisible to consumers.”
Global Green Media Network aims to encourage transparency, raise awareness and explore potential solutions. We encourage media professionals, academics, environmentalists, activists, and reporters to join in the dialogue to rethink the industry’s environmental responsibilities.
objective
The Global Green Media Network (GGMN) provides a platform for collaboration between academic research and industry practice. GGMN explores the connection between environmentally sound media practices, local cultural values, media industry dynamics, economic policies, and climate change challenges.
GGMN facilitates dialogue between two key stakeholder groups:
collaboration
Industry organisations and academic experts — to develop more environmentally responsible and sustainable media production initiatives.
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Academic collaboration between the humanities, social sciences, economics, environmental sciences, and pedagogy experts — to develop methodologies and educational strategies that make media education more environmentally responsible and responsive to contemporary industry realities.
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principal investigators
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Dr Pietari Kääpä (University of Warwick) is an Associate Professor in Media and Communications at the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies and the author of Environmental Management of the Media
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Dr Hunter Vaughan is Senior Research Associate at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH), University of Cambridge. He is the author of Hollywood’s Dirtiest Secret: the Hidden Environmental Costs of the Movies, and is a founding editor of the Journal of Environmental Media.
Personal site: www.huntervaughan.net
