April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In recognition of this milestone, the Earth Day Network, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the U.S. Department of State are launching Earth Challenge 2020 as the world’s largest coordinated citizen science campaign.

 

Earth Challenge 2020 will engage millions of global citizens and will aggregate and collect more than one billion data points in areas including air quality, water quality, biodiversity, pollution, and human health. Citizen science volunteers around the world will collect and share Earth science data on an unprecedented scale, providing new insight on the state of our environment to drive meaningful action.

 

Right now, we are inviting citizen scientists of all ages and concerned global citizens to participate in defining the critical research questions that will guide Earth Challenge 2020.

 

The process is open to the public and we are encouraging everyone to participate.

 

Earth Challenge 2020 is recruiting research questions via a simple web form. The site includes instructions for submitting research questions as well as sample questions.

 

In addition, we invite questions to be submitted via Twitter by using the hashtag #EC2020. Questions should center around what is impactful to you and your community, such as the following:

 

 

 

 

Research questions may be submitted from October 22, 2018 to November 22, 2018. After research questions have been collected, the Earth Challenge 2020 research team will analyze submissions for common themes, distilling the questions for review and refining by an expert panel.

 

The panel will choose the final research questions that will guide Earth Challenge 2020. Selections will be made based on criteria including level of global interest, geographic diversity, global impact, partnerships, and feasibility. The final research questions will be announced early 2019.

 

The timeline for Earth Challenge 2020 spans eighteen months. In 2019, hackathons will be hosted around the world to help create the technologies that will underpin Earth Challenge 2020 and encouraging existing citizen science projects to join our efforts. Finally, in April 2020, a new mobile app and global data collection campaign will launch with the objective of collecting one billion data points by Earth Day that year.

 

With the support of valued partners and global citizens, Earth Challenge 2020 has the potential to be the largest coordinated citizen science project ever attempted on Earth.

 

To learn more about Earth Challenge 2020 please contact here.

 

 

This year’s competition attracted a record 209 entries from youth from 105 countries. The organizers have completed the difficult task of finding the 20 best in the two theme categories. Now it’s your turn!

 

Each view counts as a vote, until 28 October. So, have a look, and share the videos you consider the best at inspiring action on climate change.

 

The short-listing judges considered each video’s clarity in delivering its message, its innovation in delivering its message, and technical quality. You can keep these criteria in mind as you view and share the videos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The United Nations Climate Change Secretariat announced on September 27 the 15 recipients of the 2018 UN ‘Momentum for Change’ climate action award which will be recognized at the UN Climate Conference (COP24) in Poland.

 

 

Activities range from a mobile app that promotes the fight against food waste and hunger worldwide to an entire government that is taking 100% responsibility for its greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Representatives from the following five winning activities spoke about their solutions to climate change at a special event co-hosted by The Climate Group at Climate Week in New York City:

 

         Creating the Greenest Football Club in the World - Forest Green Rovers | United Kingdom: The Forest Green Rovers are bringing eco-thinking, sustainable living, and renewable technology to football fans.

 

         Catalytic Finance Initiative | Global: Bank of America Merrill Lynch is working with partners to mobilize approximately USD 10 billion for innovative and high-impact climate mitigation and sustainability-focused investments.

 

         Santiago Biofactory | Chile: Water utility company Aguas Andinas is transforming Santiago’s three wastewater treatment plants into “biofactories” that convert wastewater and sewer sludge, a wastewater treatment byproduct, into clean energy.

 

         Carbon Neutral Government Program | Canada: In 2010, British Columbia became the first government at the provincial, territorial, or state level in North America to take 100% responsibility for its greenhouse gas pollution.

 

         Sri Lanka Mangrove Conservation Project | Sri Lanka: Seacology, a nonprofit environmental conservation organization, is helping Sri Lanka become the first nation in history to preserve and replant all of its mangrove forests.

 

Other winners include:

 

         “Yalla Let’s Bike”, a women-powered initiative that aims to end verbal harassment of female cyclists in Syria while simultaneously fighting climate change;

 

         Monash, Australia’s largest university which has committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2030, and;

 

         Climate-Efficient School Kitchens and Plant-Powered Pupils, which is providing healthy, climate-friendly meals in German schools.

 

 

 

The Momentum for Change initiative, spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat, shines light on some of the most practical examples of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change.

 

Selected initiatives, called ‘Lighthouse Activities,’ demonstrate the unprecedented amount of climate action happening around the world. This announcement is part of a wider effort to mobilize action and ambition as national governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals at COP24 in Poland.

 

The 15 winning activities fall within one of Momentum for Change’s four focus areas: (1) Planetary Health, (2) Climate Neutral Now, (3) Women for Results, and (4) Financing for Climate Friendly Investment. All activities will be showcased at a series of special events during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland (2-14 December 2018).