CNN International and YouTube Join Forces on Climate Change

CNN International and YouTube are joining forces again to host an interactive debate on Climate Change.  It is expected that the debate will offer an unrivalled interactive on-demand news experience that showcases the full depth of CNN's video resources.   CNNI will seek the views of CNN’s global citizens on the key questions facing governments, global agencies and individuals to invite them to join in the global conversation leading up to the Climate Change Conference in December. The one hour debate will air on CNN International on December 16th and will stream live on CNN.com.

This is the second time CNN is joining forces with YouTube for an interactive debate, following the successes of the groundbreaking CNN YouTube debates surrounding the United States Presidential elections of 2008.

The announcement comes days after the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York and in the same week as the launch of “Raise Your Voice”, the YouTube channel that will be devoted to getting the user’s views around December’s Climate Conference 2009 (COP 15). CNNI will launch a joint promotional and viral campaign leading up to the debate and during this time, web users and viewers will be invited to join in the conversation. Through the channel, users will be able to contribute their own opinions and questions some of which will be answered by a panel of experts at the debate. Users can submit their videos with their questions via www.youtube.com/cop15 and cnn.com/ireport.

CNNI will close its coverage for the year with the fourth instalment of the Going Green which will drive towards the debate, a discussion of the key challenges facing the participants. The network’s green coverage around the UN Climate Conference will be the culmination of this year’s commitment to environmental issues. Under the network’s Going Green franchise CNNI has developed week long global programming strands and special presentations focusing on “Your Green World” and “Green Light for Business” as well as the upcoming October half hour special “Green Pioneers.”

"Our worldwide viewers are very vocal on climate change and want a voice, this debate format gives them,” said Katherine Green, Senior Vice President of Programming.  “CNN’s environmental related programming allows us to capture and dissect this initiative for a global audience – and analyze what governments, businesses and individuals around the world are doing in the face of public concern."