Nigerian pop star Yemi Alade as well as Cody Simpson, Jameela Jamil, Padma Lakshmi and Connie Britton are just a few of the famous faces to lend their support to a new campaign on climate change backed by youth activists from all over the world.
Fridays for Future protesters like Alexandra Villasenor, Licypriya Kangujam and Vanessa Nakate have all publicly backed Mission 1.5, which aims to educate and survey people worldwide on climate action. It comes at a time where more and more young people, many of whom are not yet of voting age, call for greater action to address climate change.
The Mission 1.5 campaign is built around a mobile game in which players take on the role of government leaders and make decisions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, a level that scientists recommend is safe.
The game was launched on Thursday, February 13, 2020 by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and partners including Oxford University, Twitter and Earth Day Network. By Sunday the game has already been played by 1.25 million people.
At the end of the game, players are able to vote on how they want governments to address climate change. The aim is to canvass the opinions of over 20 million people around the world by the time of the UN climate talks, which take place in Glasgow, UK in November.
The previous biggest international survey of public opinion on climate change canvassed 10,000 people across 76 countries, and was conducted ahead of the 2015 Paris climate talks.
Kathleen Rogers, President of the Earth Day Network, said: “We would urge as many people as possible to play and engage with the Mission 1.5 campaign. If the world is to avoid dangerous climate change, we need a critical mass of citizens to care about the challenges and demand urgent, ambitious action now from their leaders.”
Jennifer McDonald, Public Policy, Twitter, said: “Every day we see people discuss the effects of climate change on Twitter. Mission 1.5 is one way those concerns can turn into action. Initiatives like this help to elevate the conversation about the importance of protecting the environment.”
Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, former President of Ireland, said: “The climate crisis will not impact all people equally, so it’s vital that we include communities in the national debates on action to address it. Mission 1.5 is an excellent initiative that will help connect millions of people to these high-level discussions, and show governments there is popular support for action as we move towards the crucial climate talks in Glasgow.”
