A Chinese NGO has invited people from across the world to participate in a film festival focusing on climate change. It is hoped the festival will raise awareness of what is an urgent global issue.

The fourth Handle Climate Change Film Festival is to be held in Shenzhen in October 2019.

Founder of the festival Chen Suping announced the news at a press conference during the ongoing 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland on Thursday.

He said the festival will welcome climate change experts, filmmakers and communication scholars from home and abroad to discuss topics such as climate communication, public participation, and how NGOs can participate in green communication.

"We've collected 4,056 film works from over 100 countries and regions," said Chen.

Gao Yun, who works with the China Meteorological Administration, said the administration will continue to facilitate the festival in addressing climate change and promoting the ecological civilization process.

Founded by the Innovative Research Institute of Science Popularization, a Chinese NGO, the festival is dedicated to showing thought-provoking films about climate change and environmental protection, as well as encouraging filmmakers to communicate climate change through film.

The festival also aims to spread climate change knowledge, raise public awareness of climate change and contribute to the care of the earth.