Global 'Weather Kids' campaign launched to rally climate action ahead of COP30

New Delhi: Television screens in over 80 countries, including India, flashed visuals of young children presenting a shocking but scientifically grounded forecast for the year 2050 to encourage global climate action.

This is part of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) new "Weather Kids" campaign, created in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and The Weather Channel, the flagship consumer brand of The Weather Company.

The young television meteorologists featured in the campaign warn viewers about the catastrophic effects of rising temperatures on both people and the global economy, including a projected impact on 94 per cent of the world's children, threats to food security, and a rise in taxpayers' bills globally.

The segment ends with a powerful plea from the children: "It's not just a weather report to us. It is our future." The campaign encourages adults to sign a pledge to act through voting, making sustainable financial decisions, and educating themselves on climate solutions and climate action in their own country.

The "Weather Kids" campaign is a part of the UNDP's efforts to inspire public conversation and mobilise action on climate change on the road to the 30th UN Climate Conference to be held in Brazil in 2025.

The COP30 will also mark the 10-year anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement of 2015 and is a critical opportunity to get the world on a path to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius from the pre-industrial levels, as countries submit a new round of national climate plans known as 'Nationally Determined Contributions' (NDCs).

In India, the campaign is being conducted in partnership with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India's principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, and weather forecasting, and also one of the six regional specialised meteorological centres of the WMO.

"Our action directly impacts climate and climate change has a direct bearing on our lives. We are part of the same cycle," Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said at the launch of the campaign here.

"Climate change threatens the existence of life on the planet. Since we are primarily responsible for climate change, human behaviour should change first," he said.

"The recent WMO report shows how most of the climate change indicators reached record levels in 2024. Today, more than ever, we need urgent climate action to safeguard the future of our children. Through our partnership with UNDP for this campaign, we hope to deliver a powerful message that catalyzes the masses, as underscored in the initiative of Lifestyle for Environment, or LiFE, of the Government of India," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director-General (Meteorology), IMD.

The climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces and is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis. The year 2023 was by far the hottest on record, as were the last nine years, said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

"Extreme weather events are increasing and have huge socio-economic impacts - heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and intense tropical cyclones. Meteorological and hydrological services and scientists worldwide are sounding the Red Alert and are scaling up efforts to deal with the challenge," she said.

The Weather Kids add a powerful voice to alert us to a future that will certainly materialise if we do not take meaningful climate action today, said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.

"Continued inertia on climate change will lead to an increasingly uninhabitable planet for the 'kids of today' and future generations. We can only course-correct if we move at speed and scale now. That includes decarbonizing our economies and advancing access to affordable, clean energy for all; protecting and restoring our natural world; and empowering communities to have their say in their countries' climate pledges." The campaign is supported by global celebrities and UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors, including Oscar-winning Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh, American actor Connie Britton, and Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.