The People Vs Climate Change
Available screening types
Virtual
On-demand
In-person
Available until
Jan 12, 2026
Speakers Available
Available in
Worldwide
Brought to you by
The Doc Society Global Climate Playlist
About the film
Meet the ordinary Brits who’ll help decide how Britain solves the climate crisis.
Britain has made big promises about reducing our impact on the planet, but getting there means huge changes to our everyday lives. In this surprising and funny documentary, we follow members of the UK’s first ever Citizens Assembly on climate change, where 108 ordinary Brits are tasked with deciding what we should do to meet our climate change goals.
Organised by the UK Parliament, this historic event sees members of the public grapple with big questions about our future. As the Assembly members learn the science of climate change from experts and hear Sir David Attenborough thank them for giving up their time to this task, they begin to realise the huge significance of the decisions they must make.
Genre
Documentary
Runtime
1h 3m
Released
2021
Director
HARRIET BIRD
Producer
DOV FREEDMAN, CHARLIE RUSSELL
Executive Producer
FERGUS HAYCOCK, STEVE SMITH
Upcoming screenings
What people are saying
‘When The People Vs Climate Change ended, I dried my eyes and started it all over again. The real beauty of this documentary is that all the usual jargon associated with climate content is missing. This is a a story about people. “I’m just like a normal person, I don’t know anything, you know what I mean?” In the environmental movement, many of us struggle with stories. We know the problem. We shout about injustice, emissions, pollution, rising sea levels, global warming. We point to the science. And in our rush for urgency, we forget to paint a picture. We don’t stop to pick a wild flower and put it in our hair. We don’t lay in the grass, fingers entwined in another's, and watch fluffy clouds. This documentary showcases the power of good storytelling and how it can shape the climate journey we are all on. Beautiful stories will always take us somewhere else, so why can’t they take us to a better future?‘
Kate Chambers
‘Why the BBC's Climate Assembly documentary is a must-watch for business leaders and policymakers of all stripes‘
Michael Holder