Rockefeller Foundation Funds Landmark Climate Change Documentary
Eight-part series airs on BBC World News during the UN Copenhagen Climate Conference
London, England – On Thursday October 22nd, Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Judith Rodin announced the premier of Hot Cities, a new BBC documentary produced by Rockhopper TV. The eight-part landmark documentary series will explore the impact climate change on urban areas, ranging from health and water management to food security and migration. The first episode of the series, “Busting at the Seams” begins airing on Saturday October 24, 2009, exclusively on BBC World News.
The premiere of the series comes at a critical moment as world leaders continue negotiations leading in to the UN Copenhagen Climate conference in December. The complete series will premiere each Saturday in the lead up to Copenhagen and will culminate with a BBC debate on cities and climate change from Copenhagen during the last day of the conference.
“The Rockefeller Foundation is privileged to support the development, production and premiere of this landmark BBC series on the effects of climate change and urban areas. We know that increased urbanization will make the dangers of global poverty and climate crises especially acute in cities. The concentration of low-income people in high risk areas and on ecologically fragile land will increasingly expose millions to the consequences of imminent and worsening climate disruption.” said Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Judith Rodin. “We hope this series will not only educate on the impacts of climate change that are already occurring and promote proven solutions and inform the worldwide debate with the Copenhagen climate negotiations less than 50 days away.”
The support of Hot Cities compliments the Rockefeller Foundation’s $70 million investment to help some of the world’s most vulnerable populations build resilience to climate change – especially in Asia and Africa. The Foundation’s climate work is intrinsically connected to its work in urbanization, health, innovation and food security. In January 2009, the Foundation launched the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) – a network created to assist Asian cities in preparing for the potentially devastating effects of climate change. In Africa, the Foundation is investing in programs to develop drought resistant seeds, drought insurance programs for the world’s poorest farmers and microcredit lending, amongst others.
‘Hot Cities’ will document the threats climate change presents on a variety of cities such as Lagos, Shanghai, Durban, Surat and Los Angeles. Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as rapid and unplanned urbanization around the world has put a higher concentration of low-income people at an increased risk from climate change. These key issues include:
- Over the past 50 years, great weather disasters have caused 800,000 deaths and over a trillion dollars in economic loss.
- Fifty percent of the global population currently live in cities
- Urbanization will lead to 70 percent – or 6.4 billion people – living in cities by 2050
- 60% of the increase in Asia will occur during the next three decades
- Eight in 10 of the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change are located in Asia
- By 2050, climate change could bring 132 million people in Asia into hunger and poverty and a billion could struggle to find fresh water
- RF Announces Landmark Climate Change Documentary
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