Chris Packham wants the nation to know the truth - and he hopes his new documentary does just that

For Chris Packham, telling the truth has never been optional. The naturalist and broadcaster has spent the best part of his career urging anyone who will listen to take a closer look - whether it be at nature, science or our own impact on the planet.

And now, in his new documentary Greenwashed, directed by Mexican physician-turned-filmmaker Sofía Pineda Ochoa, Packham wants viewers to take yet another closer look, but this time at the environmental movement itself.

"Well, Sofía invited me," Packham told Radio Times regarding how he became involved in the almost three-hour long film.

"Sofía and I share an interest in plant-based living for a multitude of reasons, and so it was that, and then thinking more broadly about the aims and objectives of the film, the population side is something that I touched upon before I made a programme for the BBC called 7.7 Billion People and Counting."

Greenwashed takes aim at some of the widely accepted ideas of modern environmentalism, but asks a difficult question: Are today's "green solutions" really solving the crisis or distracting us from it?

The documentary has already been broadcast across 40 public and cultural television channels in 10 Latin American countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay, and is now freely available to watch on YouTube. And for Packham, that accessibility is paramount.

"At a time when it's very difficult for people to access accurate information, it's important to try and put out there a resource which people can go to learn the truth," he said. "Think about those issues, have those conversations, and therefore instigate the processes of positive change. And the fact that it's on YouTube, accessible to everyone for nothing, is really important, because for me, that's essentially public service broadcasting."

The film features contributions from leading scientists and thinkers, including Sir Partha Dasgupta, William Rees, Dave Goulson and Claire Kremen — but it's Packham's direct contribution that cuts through.

Packham told Radio Times: "I think that one of the problems that we've got at the moment is that the scientists - the people who are presenting the data - are not getting access through to the public, or their stories are not getting that access.

"Science communicators like me are not, within the framework of our normal work, able to disseminate that information in a way which is essential and communicable to our audience. So the very fact, again, is you've got a programme that's based on science, presenting the facts as we know them at this point in time, and it's free public service broadcasting."

There are key talking points explored across Greenwashed, including veganism and animal agriculture, in which the documentary challenges the idea that individual consumer choices alone are "saving the planet", and examines why animal agriculture's environmental footprint keeps expanding despite well-meaning lifestyle shifts.

But it's important that the message of Greenwashed shouldn't be one of despair, with Packham presenting many reasons to stay hopeful, even in the face of challenging circumstances.

"We can make a difference," he told Radio Times. "People say, 'I'm a drop in the ocean.' I say, 'What's an ocean but a multitude of drops.' If you change, I change. These people change. We go out there and we all feel good and start getting excited about the fact we've done something positive. It spreads and that's it.

"I think that one of the key messages is that in the film we see things that will improve people's lives personally, decisions that they can make that will improve their lives. But what we've got to say is that that becomes the fuel for asking for the bigger changes. And those bigger changes are political changes, and there are changes to the brunt of the way that we organise our society and the way that we organise our businesses and the economic structures and so on and so forth."

He continued: "So we can do so much and that so much is very important because we feel good about it, and therefore we come together and we're unified over our objective. But we can't stop there, because ultimately, we've been doing all that stuff for some time and we haven't been able to reach those people who are making the bigger decisions.

"And what's clear from the film is that we've got to get to that point soon."

And Packham's argument goes further than misconceptions alone, with him telling Radio Times that he believes Greenwashed asks audiences to not just learn the truth, but to use it.

"We're involved. We're part of it now. We're part of it in a creative sense, and we're part of it in a destructive sense, and by looking at that film and understanding all of those things, having those discussions in your mind, having those discussions at the breakfast table or sat around the dining table will give people the capacity to build resilience and hope, because they will see we've got to address this issue."

Continuing, he explained: "Therefore we can either do it ourselves, or we're going to have to ask other people to do it for us, and those are the people that we put the crosses in the box for. And at the moment, I think that one of the benefits is we've got all the misinformation coming and the mischievous, malevolent nature of social media.

"Everything's known, everything is out there. So I have access to that, which means I'm empowered to think about doing something about it. Knowledge is power and that's what Greenwashed is about. It's about giving people knowledge to empower them. I think giving people choices to make the right or wrong decisions is really important."

Greenwashed is available to watch on YouTube.

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