With The Conference of Parties, or COP26, taking place in Glasgow, the global conversation is – thankfully – turning towards the climate emergency. Raising the profile of the ongoing crisis is key if we’re all going to make lasting environmental change.

To keep that conversation current, we’re showcasing some of our favourite conservation documentaries to all Virgin TV customers at no extra cost on Virgin Media Previews (CH 100), offering the opportunity to learn more about the environmental challenges we face, while celebrating the beauty of our planet. 

COP26 Showcase

From Monday 8 November until Wednesday 10 November, we’ll be screening three eye-opening documentaries at 9pm every evening, available at no extra cost to Virgin TV customers.

Monday 8 November will feature Sky’s Ice On Fire, which explores the serious impact the melting ice caps are having on the rest of the world. 

On Tuesday 9 November, you be able to watch Discovery’s Great Global Clean Up. Zac Efron is joined by various other famous faces, using their celebrity to highlight the immense efforts being made around the world to help tackle the culture crisis. 

And on Wednesday 10 November, we’ll be showing The Story Of Plastic – another Discovery gem, shining a light on the human rights abuses brought on by the lifecycle of plastic.

The Love Our Planet collection

If after all that you’ve developed a thirst for further learning, we’ve got plenty more where they came from in On Demand. Check out our top picks below… 

David Attenborough meets President Obama

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

It wouldn’t be an environmentally-conscious round-up without national treasure David Attenborough. On what was the naturalist’s 85th birthday, he sat down with the then in-office President Obama, to discuss the future of the planet and their mutual admiration. 

Jane Goodall: The Hope

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

Dr Jane Goodall is conservation royalty, right up there with Sir David Attenborough. On the 60th anniversary of her arrival in Gombe, the Tanzanian national park where she famously researched the chimpanzees, we hear about her other work, achievements and causes, including the creation of her non-profit organisation, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and the Roots & Shoots youth programme. 

Before The Flood

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

In this star-studded doc, Leonardo DiCaprio is on a mission to find out just how much humanity has damaged the planet – and if anything can be done to reverse it. The power of Hollywood might just be the push world leaders need to make lasting change, and the likes of Barack Obama, Elon Musk and the Pope certainly seem to agree. 

Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over: Eco Warriors

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

Stacey meets environmental campaigner Roc, a staunch environmentalist who rejects mains electricity and most of the trappings of modern life. He still visits London, via a 17-hour journey (involving an eight-mile walk, two ferries, two buses and three trains) to help lead the Extinction Rebellion and HS2 campaigns.

Six Degrees Could Change the World

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

Greenhouse gases are on the rise, gradually nudging up the global average temperature. A rise of 2°C would have an irreversible, extreme impact on how our planet behaves, never mind a 6°C increase, which some scientists are predicting by the year 2100. This National Geographic documentary explores all this and more.

The Plastic Nile

Find it in On Demand > Box Sets

Presented by award-winning Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, The Plastic Nile follows Crawford through Africa as she leads an investigation into the issues of plastic pollution from the river’s source of Lake Victoria, north to the mouth of the Nile in Egypt.