There’s No Planet B: Messenger Supports the United Nations to Facilitate Important Conversations and Action Around Climate Change

This week, world leaders, activists and environmental groups are gathering together at COP26 to discuss ways to respond to the climate crisis. And, while two-thirds of Americans say the issue of global warming is personally important and feel a personal sense of responsibility to reduce it, the same number of people say they rarely or never discuss it with friends and family, according to a Yale Climate Change study.

Messenger is working with the United Nations to help facilitate conversations and action around this important topic. With the help of Spectrm, the UN will soon be launching an updated version of its ActNow chat experience on Messenger and the UN website, and bringing it to Instagram for the first time. With the UN’s ActNow chat experience, you can learn about 10 ways to take action against climate change and contribute to the more than four million actions already recorded through the chat experience. From recycling and food waste to energy saving, there are tons of opportunities to step up your sustainability game. Simply DM the United Nations to start learning how to take action.

While giving people access to accurate, science-based information is critical in the fight against climate change, we also know many people trust their peers, family members and loved ones more than they trust experts, scientists, and environmental organizations. That’s why we’re supporting the work of the UNFCCC by releasing four new camera stickers on Messenger and Messenger Kids to give you a visual way to show your support for climate change. These stickers, created by Huston Wilson, can be displayed on photos and videos, which can then be shared on your Story or chat on Messenger or Instagram. To access the camera stickers, open the camera or create a Story on Messenger or Instagram, and click on the smiley face icon and search for “climate”. In Messenger Kids, go to the camera to take a photo or video and click the smiley face icon to add your favorite climate sticker. It’s our hope these stickers will facilitate conversations about this important topic.

One of the best ways you can show support for climate change is by shopping sustainably. Everything we spend money on affects the planet. Here’s three businesses using Messenger to connect people with eco-friendly products: 

• Inspired to start the business due to her daughter having severe allergies to many types of products, Pardo Naturals is a natural skincare and home products business that often uses Messenger to teach people how to make eco-friendly products and start a business of their own.

• Given that meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, Gym-N-Eat Crickets is addressing this issue by making insect protein more widely available and accessible. They use Facebook and Messenger to sell edible crickets and snacks, and coordinate virtual meetings and events with customers. 

• R & R Acres is an urban farm in Jamestown, South Carolina that sells bees, honey, organic spices and more. They also offer classes, crafts, and visits with their farm animals. The majority of their sales and deliveries are coordinated through Facebook and Messenger.

It’s inspiring to see these innovative companies provide solutions and knowledge around sustainability, and we’re proud to help them connect people with their missions. 

We hope these resources will help inspire people to take action, have crucial conversations around climate change, and shop sustainably.