NOVA Launches 'Climate Across America' Initiative Spotlighting the Effects of Climate Change in Communities Across the U.S.

BOSTON, MA (January 16, 2023)—The award-winning PBS science series NOVA, produced by GBH, today announced the launch of a national initiative, CLIMATE ACROSS AMERICA, spotlighting how climate change affects communities across the U.S. and engaging audiences in productive conversations about innovative climate solutions. Leveraging the reach and power of the PBS system to drive a national conversation about local impacts and solutions—with major support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—NOVA is working with 10 public media stations and students in classrooms to produce and distribute climate-focused content, rolling out in spring 2023. Nationally, NOVA will present two new, one-hour climate documentaries, WEATHERING THE FUTURE premiering Wednesday, April 12, 2023 and CHASING CARBON ZERO, premiering Wednesday April 26, 2023, both at 9pm ET/8C on PBS and streaming at pbs.org/nova, on NOVA’s YouTube channel, and via the PBS App. 

“Climate change is a global problem, but the varied impacts are felt at a local level,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “This initiative provides a timely and unique opportunity to tell stories that shed light on the impacts of climate change on American communities while also showcasing the innovative solutions that individuals and communities are developing to adapt. We hope these stories will provide helpful and hopeful examples to others.”

NOVA will lead the conversation, working closely with local station partners–WHRO (Norfolk, VA), Nebraska Public Media (Lincoln, NE), WKAR (Lansing, MI), KPBS (San Diego, CA), Rocky Mountain PBS (Denver, CO), Alaska Public Media (Anchorage, AK), WFSU (Tallahassee, FL), Vermont Public (Colchester, VT), PBS North (Duluth, MN), and Northwest Public Broadcasting (Pullman, WA)—to create, share, and amplify climate-focused content including short-form videos, radio/audio stories, articles, e-newsletters, and social media posts. 

CLIMATE ACROSS AMERICA will extend into classrooms through NOVA Science Studio (NSS), NOVA’s youth program dedicated to teaching science journalism, digital media literacy, and video production to high school students. As part of the initiative, NSS is partnering with two stations–WHRO and WKAR–and working with three schools in each region. Over the course of six months, students will report on local climate change impacts and how their communities are adapting to or mitigating these impacts. In addition, NOVA will launch a series of virtual field trips featuring climate scientists and a PBS LearningMedia collection in collaboration with GBH Education.

“The mounting impacts of climate change are among the greatest challenges our society will face in the next century,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Julia Cort. “As crucial as it is, communicating effectively about climate has also become extremely challenging. NOVA's first climate documentary aired in 1983, and we have produced 30 more climate films since then, continually leveraging the latest research on how best to engage people in this difficult topic. We’re excited that this national-local collaboration allows us to share our expertise with the wider PBS system and the next generation of media makers.”

The locally produced CLIMATE ACROSS AMERICA content will be timed with two new NOVA documentaries premiering this spring:

WEATHERING THE FUTURE, premiering Wednesday, April 12 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS, will examine the dramatic ways in which our weather is changing. From longer, hotter heat waves, to more intense rainstorms, to megafires and multi-year droughts, the U.S. is experiencing the full range of impacts from a changing global climate. At the same time, many on the front lines are fighting back—innovating solutions, marshaling ancient wisdom, and developing visionary ideas. The lessons they're learning today can help all of us adapt in the years ahead, as the planet gets warmer and our weather gets more extreme.

CHASING CARBON ZERO, premiering Wednesday, April 26 at 9pm ET/8C on PBS will look at the ambitious climate goal recently set by the U.S. to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and slash emissions in half by 2030. But is that even feasible? What exactly would it take? The film examines the problem and identifies the most likely real world technologies that could be up to the task. From expanding the availability of renewable energy options, to designing more energy-efficient buildings, to revolutionizing the transportation sector, and more, the film casts a hopeful but skeptical eye. Can these solutions be scaled and made available and affordable across the country? Find out why there is still hope that we can achieve carbon zero and avoid the worsening impacts of climate change.

The CLIMATE ACROSS AMERICA initiative is part of NOVA’s Science and Society Project, with major support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The project is dedicated to telling stories at the intersection of science and society—stories that provide exceptional opportunities for audience engagement, nationally and locally, about the role of science and technology in our lives. In addition to partnering with 10 public media stations to produce localized multiplatform content and regional screenings, NOVA Education will provide an outreach toolkit for stations and communities throughout the U.S. to host their own events in spring 2023.

Audiences can follow the initiative online, starting in spring 2023, using the hashtag #ClimateAcrossAmerica.

WEATHERING THE FUTURE and CHASING CARBON ZERO will both be available for streaming timed to broadcast at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and via the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

WEATHERING THE FUTURE is a NOVA Production by Kikim Media for GBH. Producer is Kiran Kapany. Senior Producer for NOVA is Caitlin Saks. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. NOVA is a production of GBH.

CHASING CARBON ZERO is a NOVA Production by Mobias Media, Inc. for GBH. Producers are Miles O’Brien and Will Toubman. Director and Correspondent is Miles O’Brien. Senior Producer for NOVA is Caitlin Saks. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. NOVA is a production of GBH.

Major funding for WEATHERING THE FUTURE and the CLIMATE ACROSS AMERICA Science and Society Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the GBH Planet Future Fund.

Funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

This programming is part of a multiyear, multiplatform initiative from PBS that explores every aspect of how climate change impacts communities, countries, and the entire planet. The comprehensive focus represents PBS’s biggest-ever commitment to the topic, providing a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding climate change and exploring its intersections with conservation, biodiversity and the ecosystem. PBS and its member stations will create a rich destination of storytelling that details the challenges of a changing climate, while highlighting examples of hope and positive impact.

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About NOVA
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA’s important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards. As part of its mission to make the scientific enterprise accessible to all, NOVA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its work, from the production process to the range of stories we tell and the voices we amplify. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found at pbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math, and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV — including a 24/7 channel — online at  pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following  PBS on Twitter,  Facebook  or through  our  apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at  pbs.org/pressroom  or by following  PBS Communications on Twitter. 

About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Arthur and Molly of Denali, as well as WORLD Channel and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR®; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at wgbh.org.

Press Contacts:
Jordan Lawrence
DKC Public Relations
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Jennifer Welsh
NOVA/GBH
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