Journalists and creators took to TikTok to cover the COP26 conference in Glasgow, which came to a close on Friday.
The popularity of COP26 content on the video-sharing platform highlights the increasing number of reporters using the app to reach a younger audience.
Sophia Smith Galer, Senior News Reporter at VICE World News, created a range of TikToks live from the conference, from an investigation into COP26’s corporate sponsors to videos of protests outside of the event.
“It’s important for news that’s relevant to young people to reach them where they are; where they’re consuming content. That is rarely a linear news channel,” said Smith Galer.
A TikTok of the queues to enter the conference by Max Foster (@maxfostercnn) garnered 430,000 views. Foster also posted videos of Greta Thunberg’s arrival and a speech by teenage inventor Vinisha Umashankar.
Cam Whitnall (@camwhitnall) created ‘day in the life’ style highlight reels to show audiences behind the scenes of the conference’s GreenZone, while Alaina Wood (@thegarbagequeen) gave daily updates of the top stories.
According to TikTok, climate-related videos on the platform have gained over 20 billion views over the past year. In October, the platform said it was committed to ‘giving a voice to this generation most impacted by climate change and producing inspiring, accessible and engaging content.’