Locations
Harare, 13 February 2020 - Today, celebrities and youth activists met with UN officials, governments and civil society to launch Mission 1.5, a campaign that aims to bridge the gap between people and governments on ambitious climate action.
Mission 1.5 aims to give 20 million people around the world the opportunity to have their say on ways to limit climate change that they want to see adopted by government leaders. The campaign, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), hopes to address the disconnect between citizens and governments that has seen a groundswell of public opinion by citizens around the world, including school strikes and mass protests.
The campaign is built around an internet and mobile-based video game, developed by UNDP alongside experts in game development, climate science and public polling, in which players take on the role of climate policymakers and make decisions to try to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
After the game, players are asked to vote on key climate actions they want to see adopted. This data will be analyzed and delivered to governments, who often lack access to reliable information on public opinion on climate action.
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.
The Mission 1.5 game is available at www.mission1point5.org and can be played by people in every country in the world.
Zimbabwe has not been spared from the effects of climate change. The 2019 cyclone Idai that hit Eastern Zimbabwe, the recent floods in Binga and the persistent long dry spells that have affected food security and electricity generation at Kariba are all evident of the urgent need for climate action. In light of these prevailing climatic challenges, Zimbabwe has joined other nations in committing to tackling climate change by, committing to reduce emissions by 33% by 2030.
In Zimbabwe, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is working with the Government to set a sustainable economic development path with low carbon emissions in energy, manufacturing, agriculture,forestry and waste.
UNDP will also support government efforts towards revising the current Naionally Determined Contributions to be submitted by COP26. This will be supported through UNDP's Climate Promise initiaitive.
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said: "Together with partners from across the private and public sectors, we have the ability with this campaign to connect millions of people with their governments in an innovative two-way discussion on solutions to the climate crisis, and increase ambition ahead of the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow later this year.”
Anne Madzara, UNDP Zimbabwe’s specialist in climate change and environment protection said, “Climate change is affecting everyone, and Mission 1.5 is one way for citizens to define a common action we all want to see at national level - so let's play the game and let our voices be heard.''
About Mission 1.5
Mission 1.5 was developed by UNDP and partners as an online platform that educates people on climate action and connects them with their governments and policymakers. The campaign is called Mission 1.5 because we must act now to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
For more information:
- www.Mission1Point5.org
- Follow UNDP on social media for regular campaign updates:
About UNDP:
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations
Media contacts:
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Anesu Freddy
Communications Associate
UNDP Zimbabwe
anesu.freddy@undp.org
