Rainn Wilson to Host New Climate Change Series

Rainn Wilson to Host New Climate Change Series

Emmy-nominated vegan actor and comedian Rainn Wilson is hosting a new documentary series on climate change and the environment.

In “An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change,” the star of “The Office” (2005 – 2013) learns first-hand about the ongoing climate crisis and speaks directly with leading scientists and activists. These include teenage environmental advocate Greta Thunberg, astronomer and climate activist Sævar Helgi Bragason, and arctic scientist Dr. David Hik.

“Before our current devastating pandemic, I took a trip to Greenland with some climate scientists to explore that other devastating future pandemic – climate change,” said Wilson. “I knew nothing about climate science and global warming, and I’d never seen a glacier before.”

“The amazing, fun, and terrifying journey seen in ‘An Idiots Guide to Climate Change’
really opened my eyes. It was my idiotic way of exploring this extremely non-idiotic issue,” he added.
Award-winning digital media company SoulPancake—co-founded by Wilson—produced the six-part docu-series. It follows the launch of SoulPancake’s Instagram live series “Hey There, Human” which was created after the COVID-19 pandemic led to regional and national stay-at-home orders around the world.
According to the company, both series aim to “inspire and connect” global audiences, informing and encouraging them to “take action and build a better tomorrow.”
Greta Thunberg is TIME's Person of the Year
Greta Thunberg protests global warming during a school climate strike. | Greta Thunberg

Climate Change

Human-caused climate change is accelerating, which could lead to irreversible damage if comprehensive action is not taken. In the latest episode of “An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change,” Bragason explains several ways that people can adopt climate-friendly lifestyle changes.

These include eating less meat, wasting less food, recycling and reusing as much as possible, and purchasing pre-owned items. He also highlighted the need to fly and drive less.

Wilson, who created a significant carbon footprint while producing the show, has said he aims to offset this. Planting trees is a particularly common form of carbon offsetting, as it removes C02 from the atmosphere.

In 2017, Wilson announced on Instagram that he adopted a vegan diet for health reasons. He reported several benefits, including increased energy and healthy weight loss, but also acknowledged the reduced environmental impact of a plant-based diet.

According to scientific researchers, adopting a vegan or plant-based diet is the single most effective way to combat climate change.

New episodes of “An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change” will premiere every Tuesday on the official SoulPancake Youtube Channel.