The ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign, launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2021 to raise awareness about the climate emergency, won the CARE Award from ACT – Advertising Community Together, an international non-profit association which promotes the power of advertising creativity in raising awareness about the social and environmental issues.

The ad, the centerpiece of the campaign, was created in partnership with Activista Los Angeles, a multiple-award-winning creative agency. It features Frankie the Dino, a computer-generated Utharaptor dinosaur which is seen storming into the United Nations General Assembly, seizing its iconic podium, and urging stunned-looking dignitaries to avoid the dinosaurs’ fate—extinction—by making changes to tackle the climate crisis.

“We are very honored to receive this award which comes at a moment when world countries gathered in Egypt to discuss how to step up on climate action. The rapid acceleration of climate change presents the biggest existential threat to humanity ever known. We need to act now before it is too late,” said Camilla Brückner, Director of the UN and UNDP Office in Brussels, at the awards ceremony which brought together notable advertising and creative agencies.

The film has reached an audience of over 2 billion and garnered more than 4.000 media mentions across the globe. The original short film was voiced in 39 languages and features famous actors from around the world, including Jack Black (English), Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French). It has been translated into more than 60 languages.

UNDP’s ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign and film shines a spotlight on fossil fuel subsidies and their negative impact on the planet. Last year, US$423 billion was used in direct subsidies with 80 percent of those going to the manufactures. In 2022, because of the Ukraine war and the energy crisis, the subsidies will reach over US$600 billion by year’s end. The campaign and UNDP’s Energy Hub offer encourages countries to utilize those funds for socially impactful and positive solutions so they can benefit a green transition but at the same time leave no one behind.

Boaz Paldi, UNDP’s Chief Creative Officer, said that the short film was meant to reach the widest audience possible with a message of climate action. “The ad and Frankie the Dino tackle a very serious issue, decarbonizing our economies and reforming fossil fuel subsidies, but does it in a way that allows people across the globe can relate to, with a little humor and a lot of hope," Paldi added.

For more information on the ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign, visit www.dontchooseextinction.com