As we approach the world’s 21st year of international climate change negotiations (let that sink in), it has never been more critical for citizens to begin demanding and building climate action. That is exactly why Prince Ea has teamed up with Code REDD's Stand For Trees campaign to create an unprecedented reflection on the consequences of our climate inaction, and an inspired vision of collective change.
As we approach the world’s 21st year of international climate change negotiations (let that sink in), it has never been more critical for citizens to begin demanding and building climate action. That is exactly why Prince Ea has teamed up with Code REDD's Stand For Trees campaign to create an unprecedented reflection on the consequences of our climate inaction, and an inspired vision of collective change.
This is where Stand For Trees comes in. Founded by Code REDD and supported by USAID and the MacArthur Foundation, the campaign engages and empowers citizens globally to conserve forests, reduce emissions, and crowd-fund a more sustainable future in tropical forest countries. While global leaders have been working to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) for years, Stand For Trees is democratizing and streamlining the process by unleashing grassroots support. And it’s exactly that sort of spirit that brought the campaign to Prince Ea’s attention.
It is estimated that 1.6 billion of the world’s most impoverished people rely on forest resources for their livelihood. Nonetheless, we are continuing to clear an area of forest the size of New York City every two days — causing more climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions than the entire global transportation sector. It’s increasingly clear that there is no more important solution than REDD+ when it comes to alleviating interwoven climate and poverty challenges.
Prince Ea fans and followers now have the opportunity to learn more about the critical links between deforestation, climate change, and poverty — and what they can do to address the problem. Within the first few hours of going live today, his “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” video already had over 3 million views on Facebook alone.
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To inform and inspire piece’s content and visuals, Prince Ea spent weeks at two REDD+ projects in both Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — learning from forest communities firsthand about the benefits of REDD+, the pursuit of a more sustainable future, and the support that people everywhere can lend to this new economic model.
“Stand For Trees can be a game-changer by harnessing the power of crowd-funding to protect forests, the air we breathe, and the climate that sustains us,” said Edward Norton, Academy Award Nominated Actor and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. Prince Ea’s call to action will offer a unique opportunity to show just what force grassroots action can have towards this end.
Published Apr 20, 2015 5pm EDT / 2pm PDT / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST
Director of Forest Programs
Planet
Tara O'Shea is Director of Forest Programs at Planet, mission-driven aerospace and data analytics company.