Why storytelling matters in climate education

Climate change is a global emergency, but it is also a deeply personal one. Yet helping students understand a crisis and inspired them to act are two very different challenges.

Research consistently shows that storytelling does what data alone cannot: it builds empathy, makes complex issues accessible, and connects global challenges to human experience. By seeing people and communities experience the realities of climate change, students can connect with the issue in ways that facts and figures along cannot achieve.

Film can be especially powerful in the classroom, combining image, voice, and emotion to create 'emotional memories' that can shape how we think and act long after the screen goes dark.

The Climate Story Lab films were created to harness this power of storytelling for climate education. Designed for primary and secondary school educators, the three award-winning films, together with ready-to-use screening guides and lessons plans, provide an engaging way for young people to explore climate change and inspire and encourage meaningful climate action.

Created by Filipino filmmakers with input from climate advocates, the films span animation, fiction and documentary, exploring the impact of climate change on people’s lives, cultures, food systems, health, and livelihoods in the Philippines. The accompanying classroom resources help teachers turn these stories into discussion and action, while connecting local experiences to climate challenges facing communities everywhere.

Over the past year, the films have been screened at more than 20 international film festivals and have received six awards, including Best Animation and Best Film for Children. They have also been used in school and community screenings throughout the Philippines.

The three films include:

• Vanishing Fireflies – an award-winning animation exploring biodiversity loss, typhoon recovery, and childhood resilience (ages 5–11)
• The River in the Noodles – a documentary about climate change, food culture, agriculture, and community resilience (ages 11+)
• The Prophecy – a narrative film exploring climate justice, coastal ecosystems, and intergenerational knowledge (ages 11+)

We invite you to bring these stories into your classroom. Each film and its accompanying resources offer an accessible, engaging way to start conversations, deepen understanding and help students explore their own role in climate action.

We hope you and your students enjoy the films.

Claudia Modonesi, Associate Director, Picture People MSP.