Sept. 16, 2021, Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has officially launched the ChangeMakers initiative that celebrates the everyday person committed to climate action. With an innovative social media campaign that advocates for personal environmental commitments, ChangeMakers hopes to inspire large-scale awareness and change that encourages world leaders to do the same.
In 2019, ‘Power of 10: Shaping the Future of Climate Action’ celebrated the CIF ten-year anniversary in Morocco. The innovative 2-day event provided the platform to showcase the successes and lessons learned from concessional finance programs that focused on clean technology, energy access, climate resilience, and sustainable forests. The exhibit, which included award-winning virtual reality movies, filled the beautiful space with large format, museum-style black and white portraits that delivered the projects’ stories in a poignant and effective form. The portraits and stories had such an incredible response that CIF decided there was potential to continue the conversation and inspire and motivate people worldwide.
The portraits went on tour around the globe. First in DC at the World Bank HQ, at the InterAmerican Development Bank, and at the Mexican Embassy. Then they went on display in the famous Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. Unfortunately, the 2019 exhibition planned for the Natural History Museum in London, was cancelled due to the UK elections, and the New York, Milano and UN HQ exhibitions were cancelled due to Covid -19. Despite the adverse and isolating effects of Covid-19, the ChangeMaker stories continued to resonate with and inspire global citizens and it evolved into a digital campaign.
The ChangeMakers campaign is simple and poignant. It believes that the positive climate action choices of everyday global citizens, no matter how small, make a difference and create momentum. ChangeMakers care about the future of the planet, and the hope of the campaign is to encourage far-reaching change that acts as a constant reminder for global leaders to do the same.
Joining is easy. The general public and organizations alike can sign up by following a few easy steps. The objective is to inspire others to make their own green, sustainable choices and take the vital steps to address the climate crisis. The website provides popular actions that have been taken up around the world including:
The campaign encourages people to spread the word through social media and discussions with peers to turn one small action into millions.
Starting at COP26 and centered around the COP events each year, the ChangeMakers campaign will showcase and celebrate the most diverse and impactful ChangeMakers globally. From multi-lateral development banks and United Nations agencies through to cities and universities, the ChangeMakers campaign hopes to expand its platform and inspire
To learn more about the campaign and how you can participate, you can go to the ChangeMakers website.