September – Climate Momentum

Climate Momentum

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In these otherwise dark times of war and violence, the global mobilization for the climate has been a welcome ray of sunshine.

Starting with the unexpected success of the People’s Climate March, nearly a billion people in 160 countries took to the street to call for action, the energy culminated with last week’s Climate Change Summit at HQ.  An exceptional gathering of heads of states with the leaders of the private sector. A Summit that, to quote the Guardian, ‘has changed international climate politics forever.’

To keep the momentum going on climate change until the crucial gathering of world leaders at COP21 to be held in Paris in December 2015, UNRIC and a number of UN information centres around the world, have launched a series of communication initiatives. The most wide reaching of which is Metro Photo Challenge (MPC), the world’s largest photo competition. In partnership with DPI, Metro newspaper has dedicated the 2014 edition of MPC to the climate with the theme My Green City. Metro is a global newspaper read by over 18 million urbanites on subways in 150 major cities in the world. The competition is open to everyone everywhere. The prize is a four-day trip to New York and a possible meeting with an, as yet to be determined, UN official. (We are hoping for the UN’s new messenger of peace for the climate.)

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In May, hopefully at the Cannes film festival, we hope to launch a mobile film festival on the climate. Action for the Climate. A global smartphone video competition with a very smart concept. One issue, one minute, one film. And more often than not, no words.

Meanwhile we invite you all to join and spread the selfie petition by tweeting a #Selfie4Climate in your language

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Accompanying us throughout with positive energy and good humour has been Elyx, whose common sense views of the climate issue are followed by thousands on social media.

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