The presenter believes prime-time TV dramas like the BBC One soap could reach audiences who may not otherwise engage with environmental issues.
Packham said it “would give me the capacity to communicate to an audience which I don’t talk to in my sphere of work.”
Soaps have previously drawn attention to climate change, such as with a crossover event back in 2021 which coincided with the COP26 Conference.
Characters from Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Doctors, Holby City and Casualty popped up in each other’s shows.
This included characters fighting pollution, reducing their carbon footprint and growing their own vegetables on allotments.
Chris Packham shares that TV can play a role in raising awareness about the environment
In a recent interview with Radio Times, Packham said television could play a greater role in raising awareness.
The Springwatch presenter, who was born in Southampton and now lives in the New Forest, is well-known for his environmental work.
However, he pointed out that most programming about the environment reaches viewers who are already concerned about the climate emergency.
He explained: “The trouble is, I keep popping that bubble and looking outside, and I see that other people are not aware of the gravity of that crisis, or some of them are still in the position where actually they’re denying… and that’s really scary.”
Packham called for broader and more integrated coverage of climate change across all types of media output.
He added: “What I would like to see is, is that integrated into broader output, so properly into news obviously, properly into weather where we talk about climate as well as weather – but also into dramas.”
The 65-year-old also suggested that sport, with its huge audiences, has an important part to play in the conversation.
Packham shared: “I mean sport – we’ve got a World Cup at the moment which is the most climate-damaging World Cup ever.
“More teams, more travelling, more flights – just nonsensical.”
He argued that sports coverage should reflect on its environmental impact and help inform the public.
Packham added: “Sports should be having that conversation because sport is massively popular and millions of people watch it.
“That’s an audience which we have an obligation to tell the truth to and present opportunities for progress to.”
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