Keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees is critical for protecting marine ecosystems, and safeguarding the communities and livelihoods that rely on them. There are ...
Divers for Climate
#HotDiveSummer: Divers Advocating for Climate Action
GOAL
$30,000
australia > NATIONWIDE > regional
01/01/2024 > 26/10/2024
FIELD OF INTEREST
- Environment conservation & climate change
- Civic engagement and leadership
TARGET POPULATION
- General population
- Professional workforce
PROJECT SUMMARY
Keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees is critical for protecting marine ecosystems, and safeguarding the communities and livelihoods that rely on them. There are over 144 dive sites officially listed in Australia, which attract millions of visitors and workers annually, and more than 75% of these are directly impacted by climate change. Yet the diving community, firsthand witnesses to impacts such as coral bleaching and barren kelp forests, lacks a unified voice and a platform to share their stories.
We are currently working on a compelling short film that tells the story of Divers for Climate. The film shares our collective story – from documenting the climate impacts that the Australian dive community is witnessing firsthand, which we have already started filming in QLD, to conversations and workshops with divers and tourism operators about the need for action now.
The film is an entry point to systems change for a motivated yet untapped community of 400,000+ divers across Australia. Working with individuals from Cairns to Tasmania, the film is a rallying cry for divers to share their powerful stories and actively engage with decision-makers. We will launch the film during World Oceans Week (June 2024) in major Australian cities, featuring panel discussions with politicians, philanthropists, media, and changemakers.
This strategic timing precedes the QLD election and next year’s federal election to garner support for policies opposing fossil fuels. We have already started filming and need to raise a further $30k to cover with production costs and event delivery. All money raised will go directly towards the project costs.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Success will be where Divers for Climate becomes a recognized platform for ongoing climate conversations and the dive community emerges as a political force within the climate movement. The film is Phase 1 of building our community and will be a powerful tool in our ongoing advocacy efforts. It will continue to be showcased through screening events and social media content.
Our strategy involves organising screening events in the lead-up to State and Federal elections. Ongoing discussions with international groups like Girls that Scuba indicate excitement about hosting additional screenings. This global reach will leverage the film as a conversation point as significant elections take place globally.
Metrics include successfully producing a 20-minute short film and hosting three launch events, each with 100-250 attendees. Launch events in Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns will feature live Q&A panels, each with 3-4 notable industry representatives, and invite targeted politicians from relevant reef electorates, media, and community. Social media platforms will be leveraged to create awareness and grow our membership base. The launch will be accompanied by media releases and coverage by media outlets to gauge our growing influence. We will measure success through the number of media mentions, social media followers, membership sign-ups, donations, attendees, and connections made.
Divers for Climate
Divers for Climate is a community-led initiative made by divers, for divers, that aims to galvanise collective climate action across the dive community and beyond. We know how passionate divers are about the ocean and we know how many powerful stories they have to tell. At Divers for Climate, our goal is to channel the passion and stories from the dive community into stronger climate policies around the world. We envision a future where the voices of the ocean resonate in every politician’s office, reverberate through every media outlet, and echo on every stage.
Our community has already grown into 2000+ members around the world, with an online reach totalling up to 10k. We have successfully brought together divers and tourism operators across in-person and online events and alongside our film and launch event, are now preparing to run a series of on-the-ground workshops and training sessions to empower divers and tourism operators to become climate leaders in their communities.
This project will be delivered in partnership with The Undertow Media, an ocean media organisation committed to ocean conservation and storytelling.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
TOTAL BUDGET: $40,040
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ocean Culture Life (confirmed) | $5,800 |
| Crowdfunding (confirmed) | $4,240 |
| Funding gap (unconfirmed) | $20,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pre-production (Project planning and coordination, travel and accomodation) | $2,840 |
| Production (10 days filming interviews and B-roll, drone use, charter vessel) | $21,950 |
| Post-production (50 hours editing, colour correction, graphics, licensing) | $6,300 |
| Engagement, marketing and distribution (promotion, online platform set up, screening events) | $6,960 |
| Contingency | $2,000 |
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