Rainn Wilson, an alum from NBC’s The Office, will host an environmental docuseries with a guest appearance from 17-year-old activist Greta Thunberg.
An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change premiered on the YouTube page for Wilson’s studio, SoulPancake, at the end of July and will continue as a six-part docuseries.
“Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will be among Wilson’s guests as he embarks on a life-changing journey from an everyday, well-intentioned but uninformed liberal to strident climate activist,” Deadline reported. “Combining his wry, self-deprecating humor with genuine interest, the series brings viewers along the journey to learn what we need to do to protect our planet.”
Wilson, who is best known for playing the character Dwight Schrute on The Office, touted the series on Twitter with a clip and a message that said, “DON’T BE AN IDIOT (about climate change).”
DON’T BE AN IDIOT (about climate change) https://t.co/t1MJ8h9OVy pic.twitter.com/SHL9ZjmGaz
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) July 30, 2020
“Before our current devastating pandemic, I took a trip to Greenland with some climate scientists to explore that other devastating future pandemic — climate change,” Wilson said in a press release. “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 nonidiotic issue.”
The series will feature other guests in addition to Thunberg, including arctic scientist Dr. David Hik, Lancaster University professor of sustainability Dr. Gail Whiteman, and climate activist Saevar Helgi Bragason.
Thunberg grabbed headlines in 2019 when she delivered a speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, warning of the destruction of climate change.
“You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you?” she said. “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, and yet, I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.”
The teenage activist went on to win Time’s Person of the Year Award in 2019, becoming the youngest recipient in the magazine’s 92-year history.