October 26th, 2021

CNN launches Call to Earth Day: a day of action to safeguard our planet’s future

CNN is launching Call to Earth Day, a day of action dedicated to conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability.

On November 10th, during the final week of the COP26 summit, the cross-platform initiative will champion those around the world who are making a difference and inspiring positive change.  It will also invite others to participate by taking their own actions.

With a comprehensive combination of dedicated TV, digital and social media-based coverage, alongside a series of unique live events, Call to Earth Day will see CNN partner with schools, individuals, and organizations across the world to raise awareness of environmental issues and engage with conservation education.

Coverage plans for the day will see CNN’s global presence examine environmental solutions and explore projects from locations around the world, including reports from the USA, UK, UAE, India, China, Brazil, and Hong Kong.

Live coverage will come from locations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the United States.

Connect the World with Becky Anderson will present a special show dedicated to Call to Earth Day from the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. There will also be interviews with people making a difference and championing change, including an exclusive discussion with filmmaker, explorer and Rolex Testimonee James Cameron about oceans, climate change and exploration.

Anyone wishing to participate in Call to Earth Day, simply needs to pledge to do something positive to protect the environment on November 10th. Hundreds of schools and other organizations across the globe have already signed up to participate in the day.

Mike McCarthy, EVP & General Manager, CNN International, said: “There is nothing more universal than the need to fight the Climate Emergency, and we want to use CNN’s platforms as a rallying cry. Call to Earth Day is a new way for us to help invigorate the discussion around the fundamental issues we must tackle and highlight the people who are getting out there and making a difference.  We will also be using our news programming across TV and digital to challenge leaders in business and politics to take action.”

CNN will also air a 30-minute special, Protectors of the Planet, anchored by Richard Quest, ahead of the day itself, on November 6th examining five sustainability projects. It will feature the work of scientist and filmmaker Ellie McKay, in the UK, marine biologist and ecologist Jon Cybulski, in Hong Kong, conservation biologist Shahriar Caesar Rahman, in Bangladesh, and two Rolex Awards Laureates, the veterinarian Olivier Nsengimana, in Rwanda, and conservationist Kerstin Forsberg, in Peru.

Call to Earth Day is part of Call to Earth, a major network initiative launched by CNN in 2019 in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet initiative, shining a light on those committed to safeguard our planet for future generations. Over the last two years, this award-winning programming has told stories of change-makers, visionaries and ground-breaking projects making a difference to the world around them.

Ellana Lee, SVP & Managing Editor, CNN Asia Pacific, added: “Call to Earth has already helped us to raise the profile of some remarkable people and projects.  Call to Earth Day takes this initiative and broadens it out.  Our hope is that it will inspire young people and communities all over the world to take tangible actions and play a part in taking on what really is the greatest challenge facing mankind.”

CNN will host a major digital interactive page, on which people can share their activities, pledges, events and other contributions, alongside CNN’s own range of Call to Earth Day content.  There will also be a dynamic live blog to capture the events of the day in real time, alongside a range of feature articles and op-eds from leaders within the conservation space.

Participants can also share their contributions and promote their events on social media using the hashtag #CalltoEarth.

CNN’s Call to Earth partnership with Rolex is built on shared values, as CNN has long championed important causes and reported extensively on the environment while Rolex has supported individuals and organizations contributing to a better world through its Perpetual Planet initiative, which includes the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, the company’s association with Mission Blue and its support of scientific partners to increase our understanding and raise awareness of environmental issues.

About CNN International

CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 445 million full-time households and hotel rooms around the globe. With programming that originates from CNN studios in Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Hong Kong, London and New York, CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America, and has a US presence that includes CNNgo. CNN is a leading source of online news and continues to innovate and invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours. CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI’s non-news programming division. CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,000 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a WarnerMedia company.

About Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers, pushing back the boundaries of human endeavour. The company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet and reinforcing its commitment by launching the Perpetual Planet initiative in 2019. Rolex is committed for the long term to support individuals and organizations in their quest to protect the planet and use science to understand and devise solutions to today’s environmental challenges. The Perpetual Planet initiative for now focuses on three key areas: supporting individuals who contribute to a better world through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise; preserving the oceans, notably through the company’s association with Mission Blue; and understanding climate change through data as part of its enhanced association with National Geographic.