Moldova joins Mission 1.5 – world’s biggest survey of public opinion on climate change

December 16, 2020

UNDP Moldova signed on to the global campaign to enable citizens to cast their votes on how they want the authorities to address climate change. A Romanian-language version of the Mission 1.5 mobile game is available as of December 2020.

“In my opinion, the increase in global temperature should be kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius every year. It is very important to protect nature. It provides us with food, a place to live, and everything we need for life. We need to protect the environment in order to extend the life of the planet,” noted Catalina Gurghis, pupil from Chisinau. 

Mission 1.5 aims to bridge the gap between citizens and governments on ambitious climate action, giving people around the world the opportunity to learn and have their voice heard on climate action. They can become powerful advocates for the solutions that are important to them while engaging the leaders and decision-makers to take the action science suggests. 3 million people around the world have already played the game. 

Moldova is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with an average annual economic loss of 2.13% GDP. The country’s unique biodiversity is currently threatened by climate change, habitat fragmentation and over-exploitation. Moldova is still highly dependent on fossil fuels and electricity imports as main energy sources. While there is a decrease in the country’s energy intensity, it is still higher than the average energy intensity in the EU countries by 29%.

Moldova is also among the countries most engaged in climate action, being the fourth country in the world to update its Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement. So, Republic of Moldova has committed to unconditionally reduce the greenhouse gas emissions up to 70% by 2030, compared to 1990 and by 88% conditioned on availability of technical, financial and technological support. The sectors most vulnerable to climate change are agriculture, water resources, forestry, health, energy and transport.

“Moldova is a leader among the Eastern Partnership countries in climate action, and the inputs collected through the Mission 1.5 game will allow to better understand how people perceive the priorities of climate change and improve dialogue with the Government. UNDP is committed to support countries on the path to climate change mitigation and adaptation through its Climate Promise and this Mission 1.5 campaign is one of the many actions on the ground”, said Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative for the Republic of Moldova.

The campaign, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), hopes to address the disconnect between citizens and governments that has seen a groundswell of public opinion by citizens around the world. 

The campaign is built around an internet and mobile-based video game, developed by UNDP alongside experts in game development, climate science and public polling, in which players take on the role of climate policymakers and make decisions to try to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

After the game, players are asked to vote on key climate actions they want to see adopted. This data will be analyzed and delivered to governments, who often lack access to reliable information on public opinion on climate action. 

The Mission 1.5 game is available at mission1point5.org and can be played by people in every country in the world.

About Mission 1.5

Mission 1.5 was developed by UNDP and partners as an online platform that educates people on climate action and connects them with their governments and policymakers. The campaign is called Mission 1.5 because we must act now to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.  

About UNDP: 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.