Bhubaneswar: There’s a strong Odisha connect to the second season of ‘An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet’, a highly-acclaimed series hosted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The second season of the series, which premiered on Wednesday, features the mangrove restoration work under the Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities (ECRICC) initiative in Odisha.
In the opening episode, titled ‘Protect’, Coster-Waldau visits Bagapatia village in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, where communities displaced by rising sea levels and coastal erosion are rebuilding their lives through climate-resilient practices.
Coster-Waldau is seen interacting with local men and women as he brings out how they are engaged in restoring mangroves and safeguarding their coastline as part of the ECRICC project.
The six-part series can be watched on Wednesdays on Bloomberg Originals. The series is also available on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Samsung TV+ and LG channels. It can also be accessed on Bloomberg TV, and will be available on demand on Bloomberg.com and YouTube.
In the show, climate advocate Coster-Waldau travels across continents, highlighting communities creating practical solutions to environmental challenges. The Odisha segment, which begins around the 15-minute mark of the premiere, showcases the importance of community-led action.
The first episode also shows stories from Denmark and Ecuador, as the presenter weaves a global narrative of optimism and climate action.
ECRICC is a collaborative effort of the Green Climate Fund, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and Odisha government’s Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, with implementation support from UNDP.