We don’t need to tell you that something has been bubbling up over the last three months. Rather than under the surface, this energy has burst to the fore with vigour unseen in recent times.

Their youthful outlook, limitless and interconnected world – unlocked by technology and the organising potential of social media – makes for a fresh approach and a movement that’s not only diverse, but borderless and frenetic.

Across the UK – and spanning the globe – the youth movement leading the call for climate justice has emerged as one of the most powerful social and political forces in recent memory, leaving many behind in its wake.

Absences

Given the rapid frequency of mobilisations, strides away from traditional organising, combined with fast-paced decision-making that catches most off-guard, you wouldn’t be expected to know what’s coming next.

Such is the pace and unbounded thinking, the actions these young people take are often spontaneous and powerful. One moment we see primary school children walking across a London bridge chanting together as one, the next thousands are tearing down Whitehall, peacefully blocking roads in Newcastle, or grilling councillors on their climate action plans in an open forum in Truro.

One of the most exciting parts of this movement is how decentralised it is. At the last nationwide mobilisation more than 150 strike locations were registered from Devon to the Highlands.

Many of those organising in their communities managed to persuade whole schools to allow young people to leave their lessons and protest for the climate.

Some risked detentions, unauthorised absences and some received harsh treatment from their schools.

Despite these threats, many have said that they see taking action as a necessary part of their education, something which teaches them about working together, forming a collective and committing to a cause which will define their future.

Leadership

And this is where they demonstrate true moral leadership. They are able to articulate the impacts of climate change not just on themselves but on countries at the frontlines of the climate crisis.

They challenge isolationism, communicating regularly with youth strikers all over the world, supporting other countries and showing solidarity to those where protesting and taking action is even more risky.

Ideas of climate justice, equality, better education and economic change are at the forefront of some of the UK Student Climate Network’s demands which is refreshing and exciting.

These are demands which are even managing to cut through the noise from Brexit in order to force the country and its leaders to take the climate crisis more seriously.

Whilst they have made clear that they are deeply political, they have also stated that they are not party political. They want all parties to commit to treat climate change like the emergency that it is and respond accordingly.

As Greta Thunberg herself said: “I want you to panic.” 

Deep vision

While in the past climate change campaigning has perhaps tried to use less challenging language, they are speaking plainly, and are forcing politicians to meet them on their terms.

Now they have had all party leaders apart from Theresa May offering to meet with them, whilst the Conservative Environment Network released a special video with Michael Gove and Claire Perry praising their efforts.

In forcing Cabinet ministers to respond so quickly they have again pushed the climate debate into a new dimension.

Of course, Greta Thunberg has inspired huge numbers by her solo school strike since last summer.

Many have also been closely following and inspired by the Sunrise movement in the United States, so it is no surprise that this movement is calling for a broad and deep vision of the future by demanding a Green New Deal for the UK too.

Labour

Young people have the imagination and moral clarity to know that it is possible to both tackle the climate crisis and create a fairer world, addressing the root causes of the issue at hand, our current economic system.

Such transformative change here in the UK would be guided by five principles. Perhaps more pertinently, climate and social justice minimum standards.

These principles encapsulate the urgency of the climate crisis, and the scale at which it must be addressed.

Policy would be implemented to ensure rapid decarbonisation of the UK economy at the same time as the creation of millions of well paid, secure and meaningful jobs as part of a just transition for those in high emissions sectors.

This is not only vital for those that will be affected, but will be a defining part of any deal to gain the support of the organised labour movement. It’s not a case of environment or jobs, it’s a symbiosis of the two.

Luxury

Where a Green New Deal differs from mainstream and often market-based solutions to the climate crisis is that it combines social and economic justice alongside environmental protection.

It will be based upon a massive reduction in social and economic inequality, targeting investment in communities that have already suffered from current and historic oppression and economic deprivation.

Moving away from market-based solutions and technological fixes is a recognition of the need for protection and restoration of vital habitats and carbon sinks.

In creating a more equitable and just world, the protection of nature in this way would ensure provision of green spaces, clean air, water and a healthy environment for all; a far cry from the current unequal access in our current system that treats the above as a luxury or commodity, rather than a right.

Galvanizing

Additionally, a Green New Deal would build and create a resilient society that’s prepared for the inevitable effects of unavoidable climate change, protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, those that have too long been routinely structurally oppressed.

If designed and implemented properly – by the people, for the people – a Green New Deal has the potential to be a galvanizing idea that truly inspires people to organise together at the scale required to create a better world.

So what is next for this emergent political and moral force to be reckoned with? What is clear is that they are not going away. They have ambition to keep using creative and surprising tactics to push leaders further.

As they begin to organise and put structures in place to support the thousands of young people who want to take action, it will be up to the rest of the environmental justice movement to support them every step of the way with our networks and voices.

What we have seen over the last few months builds on the work done by movements before it and takes it to the next level. It should not be taken for granted. The opportunity to push for real and lasting political and systemic change is right here.

This movement are proving themselves to be resilient, focused and with a solid strategy which will push their radical demands for a better, fairer future into the centre of mainstream politics. And we can’t wait to watch them do it.

The Authors

Hannah Martin is a climate activist organising in support of YouthStrike4Climate and a Green New Deal and tweets at @Hannah_RM. Jake Woodier is a climate campaigner organising with the UK Student Climate Network and tweets at @JakeWoodier.

India’s main opposition party has released its greenest manifesto to date, in a bid to unseat nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi.

In a 55-page manifesto published last week, Congress vowed to take on the country’s air pollution and ramp up its defences against natural disasters. It promised to empower campaign groups and communities, including forest dwellers facing eviction under the current administration.

India is set to hold elections in phases from 11 April to 19 May and count the votes on 23 May. Opinion polls predict a slim parliamentary majority for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has put national security at the heart of its campaign.

Polluted

Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, said it “recognises that air pollution is a national health emergency”. The party committed to “significantly strengthen the National Clean Air Programme” and impose emissions standards across industrial sectors, although these were not quantified.

According to Greenpeace, choking smog kills 2 million Indians every year and costs the economy an estimated 3% of GDP.

Environmental activists and analysts welcomed the move. “The fact that air pollution is being treated as a national emergency sends a right signal in the sense that you are definitely acknowledging the problem,” Swati D’souza, energy policy analyst at think-tank Brookings India, told Climate Home News.

Pujarini Sen, a climate and energy analyst for Greenpeace, also cautiously greeted the manifesto. Indian political parties largely failed to deliver on their environmental promises of the 2014 election, according to one recent study.  But “for civil society, we now have a peg on which to hold them accountable,” Sen told CHN.

For its part, BJP promised to reduce pollution by at least 35% over five years in India’s 102 most polluted cities. Greenpeace said that ignored 139 other cities potentially breaching national air quality standards and urged both parties to make the National Clean Air Programme legally binding.

Renewable

It was perhaps on its relationship with civil society that Congress most distinguished itself from the BJP, Sen said. Where Modi’s regime has stripped thousands of NGOs of their licences and blocked them from receiving foreign funding, Congress described civil society as “a pillar of parliamentary democracy”.

The opposition showed solidarity with some 1.9 million forest-dwelling households threatened with eviction since the Supreme Court denied them land rights in February. Congress would “make local communities the custodians of forests and shareholders of forest resources,” the manifesto said.

The BJP manifesto does not mention evictions or the Forest Rights Act, which, according to recent media reports, the government is overhauling in a manner that could further curtail rights of the people.

On clean energy, BJP reiterated its target to install 175 gigawatts of renewable capacity by 2022, while Congress had an unquantified goal to increase the share of solar and wind power in the mix.

This Article

This Article first appeared on Climate Home News.

The EU and China affirmed a commitment to tackling climate change and promoting clean energy at a summit in Brussels this week.

The two superpowers reached a last-minute deal, including on areas of climate cooperation, after fraught talks on trade and market access.

While less detailed than a 2018 joint statement on climate change, it stressed: “The importance of showing resolve on the clean energy transition and of assuming greater leadership on the global environmental agenda.”

Target

Leaders said they would “reinforce their cooperation on green finance” and work towards a successful outcome at a climate summit to be hosted by the UN secretary general in September.

In a separate statement, energy chiefs called for boosting renewables, switching to lower carbon fuels and promoting energy efficiency. This covered smoothing trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG), but made no mention of coal.

Prior to the summit, a paper by the European Commission on the strategic outlook for the relationship called on China to strengthen its climate goals.

It highlighted China’s impact as the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter and a major exporter of coal technology through its belt and road initiative.

Strategy

Brussels is urging China to peak its domestic emissions earlier than 2030, the target Beijing contributed to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

At the same time, UN chief Antonio Guterres is pushing leaders to bring plans, not speeches to his 23 September summit in New York. These should lead to a round of stronger national pledges by 2020, he has said.

Under the Paris pact, countries agreed to hold global warming to 2C, or 1.5C if possible. Yet national plans are collectively inadequate to meet that goal and the deal sets out a timetable for ratcheting up ambition.

Last month, China’s environment minister Li Ganjie said “we are updating our [national climate pledge] in accordance with the Paris Agreement and will communicate our [long-term climate strategy] on time by 2020”.

This Article

This Article first appeared on Climate Home News.

Fred Henderson, Amber Hayward and Erin Emirali have been tirelessly promoting the use of Ecosia – a German-based internet search engine that uses 80 percent of its profits from advertising revenue to reforestation and conservationism projects.

Over the past year, University of Sussex students have carried out more than 600,000 searches using the site which has led to the planting of more than 8,000 trees and the removal of 500 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.

As well as helping make Ecosia the default option for many Sussex students and staff, the trio’s campaign Ecosia on Campus has encouraged and assisted students at more than 60 universities worldwide to start up their own campaigns to promote the use of the search engine leading to thousands more trees being planted.

Making a difference

Now as the three Global Studies students prepare to graduate this summer, the University of Sussex IT Services team have announced their support to increasing the Ecosia use on campus even further, helping to create a legacy for all of Fred, Amber and Erin’s hard work.

Amber said: “The environment is really on the minds of our generation around the world. It’s sometimes difficult to know how you can best make a difference but with Ecosia you can make a positive difference while doing something you would do many times a day regardless. You just have to use Ecosia instead of your normal search engines.”

Erin said: “We’re really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve. It’s been really surprising how much it has taken off but we’ve always been able to manage it and it’s never got too big for us three to manage alongside our studies.”  

Fred said: “We’re really keen that this campaign continues even after we leave the university in the summer. We’ve had a really positive meeting with the university’s director of IT and he has said he is determined that it will continue to grow even when we leave which is great to hear.”

The three students were working together on a course project when they discovered they all used Ecosia. They immediately began thinking about how they could help encourage more students to use the search engine as well.

Environmental impact

Ecosia first launched in 2009 and has since been responsible for more than 50 million trees planted in over 15 countries across the globe including in Indonesia, Senegal and Madagascar.

The website continues to grow in popularity with the rate of searches doubling in the last year alone.

The use of Ecosia really accelerated at the University of Sussex after the campaigners convinced the university’s IT Services team to make Ecosia the default homepage for Microsoft Edge. There are now plans to continue the promotion of Ecosia to increase its use among staff and students even further.

Jason Oliver, the University of Sussex’s Director of Information Technology, said: “The ITS team at Sussex are working to reduce energy consumption and waste wherever we can.  We’re very conscious of the environmental impact that technology can have if not managed carefully.  That’s why we’re proud to recommend and promote the use of Ecosia.”

To mark the success of the campaign, the three students will be planting three Rowan trees outside Chichester 1 building at the University of Sussex on Wednesday 10th April at noon.

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from the University of Sussex. For more information, visit the campaign’s Facebook page.

Sandiaga Uno may have personally benefited from payments made by one of Indonesia’s biggest coal miners to an offshore firm he owned, Global Witness says.

Berau Coal paid at least $43 million between 2010 and 2012 to an obscure offshore company in the Seychelles called Velodrome Worldwide Limited, according to a report released by the NGO.

Sandiaga Uno is running to become the country’s vice president in the April 2019 elections. Popular with housewives and millenials alike, he is widely perceived as the “surprise star of the 2019 presidential election campaign”.

Berau Coal

The multimillionaire, whose net worth is estimated at $360 million, said he has spent “somewhere around” $100 million in the campaign.

Presidential polls published on 21 March showed incumbent Joko Widodo (alias Jokowi) on 53.6 percent versus former general Prabowo Subianto – alongside whom Uno is running as vice-president – on 35.4 percent.

According to Global Witness, the politician’s company Recapital Advisors took ownership of Berau Coal in December 2009. One month later, Indonesia’s fifth biggest coal company contracted Velodrome to advise them on “key strategic, business and operational aspects” for a monthly fee of $2 million.

Uno was Velodrome Worldwide Limited’s only shareholder from its creation in October 2007 to May 2009, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ global database of offshore leaks. The company later passed into the hands of one of Uno’s long-standing business partners, Singaporean lawyer Ng Soon Kai.

In 2012, Berau Coal’s new controlling owners ended the agreement with Velodrome Worldwide Limited. Berau Coal later conceded that the “value of the business” with Velodrome Worldwide was “not clear”.

Foreign investments

Global Witness said Uno, as the co-founder of Recapital which then owned Berau Coal, likely had “a hand in the payments from Berau Coal to Velodrome, and that he may have benefited from them personally in some way”.

The NGO also pointed to tens of millions of dollars worth of suspect payments to co-investor Rosan Roeslani, who is currently head of Indonesia’s Chamber of Commerce, including an undisclosed alleged $3 million pay rise.

Neither Berau Coal, Recapital nor Uno could be reached for comment.

The company has been propped up by foreign investments, $950 million in Berau Coal had been sold by the end of 2012, according to Global Witness.

Financier Nat Rothschild sold his stake in 2015, describing the venture as his “first and last investment in Indonesia’s coal sector”.

Climate change 

Stuart McWilliam, lead climate campaigner at Global Witness, said: “Foreign lenders and investors have enabled the Indonesian coal industry to keep going, despite its well-known association with climate change, deadly air pollution, water and land pollution and recent corruption scandals.” 

Indonesia is the world’s fifth largest coal producer, according to the International Energy Agency.

McWilliam said: “These findings offer yet another potent reason why banks and investors should shun Indonesia’s big coal, and why politicians should withdraw their support for the significant expansion of coal-fired power in Indonesia.”

This Author

Natalie Sauer reports for Climate Home News. She has contributed to a variety of international outlets, including Politico Europe, AFP and The Ecologist. This article first appeared on Climate Home.

Eleven member states and the European Commission refused to sign a declaration they said did not match the bloc’s climate commitments.

The declaration, which is available online, was inked by 17 EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein, at the conclusion of a two-day informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Bucharest last week (1-2 April).

But the Commission and 11 EU countries refused to sign it because the text did not make reference to a proposed EU target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, two diplomatic sources told Euractiv.

Climate neutrality

The 11 countries are: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland.

A diplomat explained: “We tabled amendments to reinforce the language related to the Commission’s long-term strategy” for climate change said one diplomat. Another official added: “But because these amendments were not kept, we were a bit lukewarm.”

Another diplomat from a country which did not sign the declaration was more straightforward. “For us, it lacks ambition,” adding the declaration would have “undermined” the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal.

While the declaration does mention “climate neutrality” among the EU’s objectives, it does not make an explicit reference to 2050 as a deadline for achieving it.

“We don’t want to open the door to lower ambition for 2050,” the diplomat said in remarks that echoed divisions at a recent summit of EU leaders.

Reducing emissions 

Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission’s spokesperson for energy and climate policy, confirmed that “the Commission did not sign the declaration for the time being.”

While the declaration does aim to “maximise the potential of the gas infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions,” Itkonen suggested it did not go far enough in supporting the Commission’s long-term strategy, which encourages EU countries to aim for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Itkonen told Euractiv in e-mailed comments: “The European Commission is committed to the climate neutral vision”, adding that “the Commission’s vision intends to set a clear direction of travel” for achieving the targets from the Paris Agreement.

The Romanian presidency, for its part, tried to play down divergences, saying EU member states were still analysing the text and were free to sign up at a later stage.

The Romanian Presidency said: “The declaration on Sustainable and Smart Gas Infrastructure represents an important base for the modernisation of the gas infrastructure with a view to accommodating growing shares of hydrogen and other renewable gases in support of the energy transition and of the Paris agreement.” 

The first diplomat was also quick to play down divisions among EU member states, saying the 2050 reference was the only real sticking point in the declaration. He said: “It’s a question of wording. There were things we wanted included in there, which didn’t make it in the final draft.” 

Carbon alternatives

The declaration itself says the signatories are “convinced that the gas infrastructure will have to play its role in the decarbonisation of the energy system, by preparing itself to transport growing shares of other gases than natural gas, such as hydrogen, biomethane, synthetic methane and by addressing the issue of vented and fugitive methane emissions.”

But Greens have warned that gas industry pledges to decarbonise and promote renewable and low-carbon alternatives were just an excuse to prolong fossil fuel operations for longer.

The Greens in the European Parliament warned in a a paper this week: “There is a high risk that illusionary renewable gas scenarios never materialise and lead to either stranded assets or a high-carbon lock-in.”

In fact, the Greens and the gas industry may have more in common than they think. In a recent interview with Euractiv, gas pipeline operators said they were currently working on joint network plans with electricity operators, which include zero-emission scenarios for 2050.

Jan Ingwersen, general manager of ENTSOG, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas said: “That automatically means there will be no fossil gas in the mix by then.”

The European Commission, for its part, said it would not support new investments in gas infrastructure without a detailed analysis of the carbon reduction they can bring.

Itkonen said: “We intend to analyse the potential role of the gas infrastructure in the future energy system, in order to transport and store near zero carbon hydrogen and renewable gases.”

This Article

Frederic Simon is news editor for EURACTIV, focussing on energy and environment. This article first appeared on Climate Home, and was produced by Euractiv.

A police investigation into conduct by the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt was undertaken by Derbyshire Police and based on evidence captured by the animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports.

The six accused will put in a plea and a case management hearing will be held.

Joint masters William Tatler and Peter Southwell, former huntsman Sam Staniland, whipper-in John ‘Ollie’ Finnegan, terrier man Andrew Bull and assistant terrier man Sam Stanley, face a charge of hunting a wild mammal with a dog contrary to Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.

Hunting Act

The alleged offence is said to have been committed on Saturday, 2 October 2018 in local woodland near Sutton on the Hill in Derbyshire.

Before the Hunting Act was introduced, hunts would train their hounds to kill adult foxes by first training them to hunt and kill young fox cubs living in patches of woodland. When the Hunting Act was introduced that practice was made illegal.

Martin Sims, Director of Investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We welcome the fact that Derbyshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have brought these charges against the hunt.

“Our polling indicates that the vast majority of the public oppose hunting with packs of hounds, and if proven, these allegations that the hunt are targeting fox cubs would horrify them.”

The case comes 14 years after hunting with dogs was banned in England and Wales with the introduction of the Hunting Act 2004, which came into force in February 2005.

This Article

This article is based on a press release from the League Against Cruel Sports. 

The UK’s carbon emissions in 2018 are linked to the loss of more than 1,000 square kilometres of Arctic sea ice, conservationists have said.

WWF has calculated the impact of the UK’s pollution using research which reveals the reduction in average sea ice cover in the Arctic in September for each tonne of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere.

The conservation charity warned the carbon emissions put out by the UK in 2018 equates to the loss of an area of ice greater than the size of Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham combined.

Satellite

The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the average for the world with severe impacts for wildlife, WWF warned, as it called on the government to declare a “climate emergency”.

Rod Downie, chief polar adviser at WWF said: “What is happening in the Arctic is nothing short of a crisis and the world needs to wake up and act.

“Sea ice decline is one of the most visible signs of climate change on our planet. And it’s not just crucial to Arctic people and species like polar bears and walrus, but to the health of the planet as a whole.

“The bright surface of the ice reflects sunlight away from the planet and back into space, helping to keep our planet cool. “But when this ice melts, it is replaced by dark ocean which absorbs the sun’s rays, heating up our planet.”

He said the 12 lowest Arctic sea ice extents in the satellite record have all occurred in the last 12 years.

Generation

Arctic sea ice reaches its lowest extent for the year around September at the end of the summer melting season before winter weather causes the ice cover to increase again.

WWF wants the UK Government to make climate action a priority, end support for fossil fuels, including stopping fracking and airport expansion, and invest in the clean economy including renewables and electric vehicles.

The charity is also urging ministers to restore the environment at home and abroad, to help nature cope with climate change and commit the UK to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Gareth Redmond-King, head of climate at WWF said: “We have the solutions at our fingertips, but what we’re missing is the political will to deliver them in time.

“We are the last generation who can halt catastrophic climate change. That is why we need to make our voices heard and fight for our world.”

The call comes as WWF and Netflix’s documentary series Our Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, shows the impact of climate change on the natural world, including the harm to walruses of shrinking sea ice cover.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Volunteers are being asked to help save the water vole by taking part in the annual People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) survey and visiting one of 850 pre-selected sites across England, Wales and Scotland between the 15 April – 15 June.

Wildlife charity PTES launched the first ever National Water Vole Monitoring Programme (NWVMP) to help save water voles – the UK’s fastest declining mamma – in 2015.

With their glossy brown or black fur, small round eyes, blunt muzzle and furry tail, water voles are extremely endearing. They are also extremely endangered, having experienced the most rapid and serious decline of any British wild mammal in the last century.

Devastating impact 

There are various factors behind their decline, from loss and fragmentation of their natural habitat (streams, rivers and other fresh waterways) and agricultural intensification, to pollution of watercourses and predation by non-native American mink.

The impact of mink has been particularly devastating – between 1989 and 1998 the water vole population crashed by almost 90 percent.

New sites can also be registered if there isn’t a pre-selected site nearby. Once a site has been chosen or a new site registered, it just needs to be surveyed once and all sightings and signs of water voles along a 500m length of riverbank recorded online here.

Volunteers need to register online and after that simply enter their postcode to find the closest survey site or register a suitable site near where they live. No previous experience is required, but those taking part will need to learn how to identify water voles and their signs, information about which is also on PTES’ website.

Monitoring population 

Last year, 249 sites were surveyed in Britain: 152 in England (from Cornwall to the North Pennines), 92 in Scotland (from the Highlands to East Ayrshire) and 5 in Wales, in areas such as Monmouthshire and Anglesey.

105 sites (42 percent) showed signs of water voles being present, and while this is encouraging, there are gaps in survey areas where PTES needs more help, including mid and south west Wales, the West Midlands, the South West (Somerset & Gloucestershire) and southern Scotland, to get a really clear picture of water vole numbers across Britain.

Emily Thomas, Key Species Data & Monitoring Officer at PTES explained: “Water voles used to be found in almost every waterway in England, Scotland and Wales, but sadly now their numbers are declining dramatically.

“These adorable mammals need all the help they can get, so we hope as many people as possible, in all corners of Britain, sign up to survey a site this spring. We use the data gathered to monitor population trends year on year, which in turn helps to guide our conservation work and inform us where action is needed most.”

To take part in the 2019 National Water Vole Monitoring Programme, and to find out more about water voles click here. 

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from People’s Trust for Endangered Species. 

Image: Peter Trimming, Flickr. 

Almost 250 million people who play the online video game Fortnite every day are being challenged by conservation charity WWF to survive the game – but with a twist.

The #NoBuildChallenge rule is simple: players are expected to proceed through the game without exploiting any of the usual natural resources which allow them to survive and increase their skills: this means no wood, no stone and no metal.

The idea is that the #NoBuildChallenge participants will understand a simple fact: staying alive is difficult without the planet’s natural resources. These players will be encouraged to share this message with their Fortnite networks all over the world.

Earth day

The #NoBuildChallenge campaign was officially launched on Friday 5 April by Solary, the French pro-gamers team, with a live stream on their Twitch channel, which has 730,000+ followers.

Solary includes star gamers such as Kinstaar, Hunter, Nikof and Yoshi. The first #NoBuildChallenge live session drew 7,000 gamers in two hours.

Fortnite has become a space of exchange and creativity and its community of YouTube and Twitch gamers and streamers are also invited to join in and rise to the challenge.

Live games and recorded content will be broadcast to spark a conversation throughout the campaign, which runs until Earth Day on Monday April 22.

The campaign has been created for WWF France by the Paris-based socially-led creative agency We Are Social. It kicks off as students in more than a hundred countries, from Sweden to South Africa, close their books and take to the streets to demand an urgent response to climate change.

Gammer communities

Jacques-Olivier Barthes, Communications Director at WWF France, said: “Survival is a concept that will probably not be virtual in the future, as we continue to consume more resources than the earth is able to offer.

“Quite simply, if we do not change the rules, we will not survive. By engaging Fortnite’s community of young, active players, we hope more and more people will join the fight to preserve our planet.”

Sandrine Plasseraud, President of We Are Social France, said: “The gamer community is mostly young, and they are going to be the inheritors of our planet – a planet whose resources are running out faster every year.

“Gamers are already using their networks to convey positive messages. The idea of ​​the #NoBuildChallenge is to capitalize on this community which is already very committed to meeting our new environmental challenges.”

This Author 

Brendan Montague is editor of The Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from We Are Social.