SDG Media Zone panel at UNGA says local climate stories can spur global action

At the SDG Media Zone during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Teen Vogue style director Alyssa Hardy moderated a discussion on using storytelling to turn climate reporting into action. The panel featured documentary producer Nikolai Khosrowaldu, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme, and digital creator and author Prajakta Koli.

Khosrowaldu said the panel's opening clip, filmed in Bhagapatiya Village, showed a community relocated after a severe storm and underscored why restoring natural defenses matters. "Nature can protect us," he said, describing a UNDP-backed mangrove replanting project filmed for Bloomberg's An Optimist Guide to the Planet.

Khosrowaldu emphasized the human cost of relocation: while relocated residents had places to stay, "it's not their home," he said, and communities must rebuild social ties as part of recovery. He described the series' approach as solution-driven and global in scope, visiting places from Finland to India to South America to surface ideas that could be adapted elsewhere.

Prajakta Koli said reaching young audiences requires simpler, more relatable language and connecting climate change to justice. "For the longest time, when we spoke to younger people about climate action, there were such big words used," she said, arguing that jargon, charts and dense figures often alienate potential participants. Koli added that many young people view climate as a justice issue because those least responsible often suffer most.

Both panelists said storytelling should prioritize concrete, local examples that show practical solutions and daily impacts. Khosrowaldu cited a filmed example from Peru about cloud-harvesting for water; Koli described UNDP mangrove projects in coastal Maharashtra that mobilize women to operate tours and home-kitchen enterprises tied to restored mangroves.

The panel also discussed novel, nature-based approaches seen in the series, including experiments with fungi to break down waste and private-sector innovations in waste management. Koli urged creators and organizations to use social platforms to surface audience questions and collaborate with young people rather than speaking at them.

Hardy closed the session by noting the new season of Bloomberg's An Optimist Guide to the Planet will premiere this fall; Khosrowaldu and Koli thanked attendees and encouraged viewers to watch and engage with the solutions featured.

The conversation focused on storytelling and communication choices rather than policy prescriptions; no formal actions or votes were taken during the session.