UNDP is responding to the most pressing issue we face as a species with what we hope will be the largest ever survey on climate change.

Science indicates that we have just over a decade to avert climate disaster, and global citizens want action.

Mission 1.5, which launches worldwide on February 13, will give them a direct way to communicate to their governments the change they want to see.  

The campaign is based around a mobile game that educates people about climate policy and provides a platform for them to vote on the solutions they want to see happen. The votes will then be compiled and analyzed by researchers at the University of Oxford before being delivered to government leaders and climate policymakers.

Bold action needed

The information could help governments gain the confidence to take the bold action necessary to tackle the climate crisis. 

"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,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

Climate momentum is exploding. All over the world people are marching in the streets. They’re led by young people who have the most to lose, and they’re demanding that concrete action be taken. And yet there are millions more who aren’t engaged, or who feel they don’t have a voice.

High stakes

The stakes could not be higher. We are dangerously close to surpassing the global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees, the level that keeps us safe. The last decade was the hottest on record. Land and ocean temperatures are rising, polar ice and mountain is melting and weather is becoming more unpredictable and deadly.

The game, developed by UNDP with partners, was beta-tested last September and 1.25 million players voted. It is launching in all six of the UN’s official languages, and more languages will be added as the campaign progresses throughout the year.

Results will be compiled and presented by gender, age, and country. Using randomized samples, the global results will reflect how accurately people voted in each country. In this way Mission 1.5 will allow policymakers to gain vital insights into global perceptions about climate action.

Reaching new audiences

Mission 1.5 uses mobile gaming technology in an entirely new way. Instead of just a website, the game is delivered through ads in some of the most popular video games in the world.

The gaming industry is bigger than the film and music industries combined, and Mission 1.5 can reach people who haven’t been traditionally involved in climate discussions.

The data the game collects will help policymakers better understand how citizens in all corners of the earth are envisioning their future.

“The choices that countries such as Nigeria make today on climate change will deeply affect generations to come,” says UNDP Advocate and Nigerian Afrobeats star Yemi Alade. “We have so many challenges facing us—gender inequality, ecosystems crumbling, wildlife numbers falling—and they’re all tied to climate change. It is a critical moment for all of us to make our voices heard, and Mission 1.5 provides that opportunity.”

A unique perspective

As the UN family enters the Decade of Action—the final push to realize the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and help each country fulfil its obligations laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement—Mission 1.5 will provide a unique and illuminating perspective. Mission 1.5 is also a key element of the Climate Promise UNDP’s commitment to support 100 countries to enhance their national climate action pledges this year.

This is a crucially important year for climate action. UNDP hopes that this campaign will not only help more people understand the climate crisis but will spur political leaders to real action. There is still time to change course on global warming, but we must do it right now.    

Go to Mission1point5.org. Vote today for climate.