YouTube/Cannes Lions video brief
Countdown to Copenhagen
Your challenge is to make a video that tells people why December's UN climate change summit in Copenhagen is one of the most important meetings in human history, and that the clock is ticking on our chances to save the world from the effects of climate change.
The details
- Your video needs to inspire others to care about stopping climate change and its effects on poor people. It should motivate your audience to add their name to become part of a global movement of people who are pressuring global decision makers to sign an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen in December.
- Your video needs to explain that the Copenhagen Summit is the best and most important chance to save the world from climate change. The clock is ticking and time is running out. This and future generations need all governments to sign an ambitious agreement to secure our future now.
- What's at stake if the summit fails to reach an agreement? Poor countries will be hit even harder by the effects of climate change, mass migrations will become commonplace and food and water will become more scarce.
The basics
Your video will not qualify if these criteria are not met:
- Your video needs to be 30sec – 1min long.
- It must be solely your own original material (visual and audio). Try to think of alternatives to using music on your submission, as videos including music may be disqualified.
- Your video should be in English. If it's in another language you must use English subtitles.
- You must be aged 18 to 28 years old (born between 27 June 1980 and 21 June 1991).
Mandatory Inclusions
You must include the following elements for a minimum of five seconds:
- The Oxfam logo
- This link: www.oxfam.org.uk/climateaction
- You need to include the following text in the description of your video on YouTube: “This video has been made for Oxfam GB as part of the YouTube Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest.”
Target audience
- 18 to 35 years olds, worldwide.
- Aware of climate change (but not necessarily aware of the Copenhagen summit).
Tone
- Your video needs to be positive. Aim to communicate that it’s not too late and something can be done. The world can be saved.
- Your audience needs to feel that signing the petition is one of the most important things they will ever do. This is their chance to be a hero and save the world. The world has the resources, money and knowledge to avoid catastrophic climate change, but we need to act urgently.
- The video needs to be interesting/quirky/emotive to encourage people to forward it to their friends, or include it in their blogs or social networks. Most importantly it should inspire people to raise their voice and do their bit to save the world.
Submitting your video to the contest
You need to submit your video to the Contest at http://youtube.com/canneslions by midnight GMT, Sunday May 17 (00:00, May 18). To do this:
- Firstly upload your video to your own YouTube channel. If you don’t have a YouTube account then you can set one up at http://youtube.com/signup.
- Once the video is uploaded to YouTube, go the contest at http://youtube.com/canneslions and click “Submit”.
- Enter your YouTube username where prompted, click “go”. You will see all the YouTube videos in your account appear.
- Select your entry to the contest – it will appear in the video box on the page. You will need to confirm your acceptance of the contest rules, and then click “Submit”.
The Oxfam logo
Download the green Oxfam logo eps
Download the green Oxfam logo gif
Download the black Oxfam logo eps
Download the black Oxfam logo gif
Please note, on a coloured background, the Oxfam logo must always be in white, with the Oxfam symbol outlined.
Don't forget to include this link in your video as well - www.oxfam.org.uk/climateaction
Top facts
Please feel free to use any of these in your video:
- 100 million people will be affected by climate change by the end of the century.
- Without urgent action to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, the Earth will become warmer by 2050 than at anytime in the last 10,000 years.
- Between 1990 – 1998, 94% of the world’s 568 major natural disasters were in developing countries.
- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are predicted to be exposed to increased water shortage due to climate change.
- In Asia, drought-affected areas are projected to increase, along with large increases in the demand for irrigation water as a result of climate change.
- Widespread losses from glaciers and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability, in areas like the Hindu-Kush and the Himalayas where more than one-sixth of the world's population currently lives.
- Climate change is expected to magnify regional differences in Europe’s natural resources and assets. Negative impacts will include increased risk of inland flash floods and more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion (due to storms and rising sea levels).
- Climate change is also projected to increase health risks due to heat waves and the frequency of wildfires.
- Annual carbon dioxide emissions grew by about 80 per cent between 1970 and 2004. Concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are higher now than at any time during the last 420,000 years.
- There is a risk of significant increase in species extinction in many areas of tropical Latin America.
(These facts are all taken from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Fourth Assessment Report of November 2007.)
Frequently asked questions
- What is climate change?
- Is climate change really happening?
- Why is Oxfam working on climate change?
- What's happening in Copenhagen this December?
- Why is 2009 so important?
- What outcome are we looking for from the Copenhagen Summit?
- Who's attending the Summit?
- What is Oxfam doing about climate change?
- What can I do to help?
- Global warming vs climate change is there a difference?
For questions relating to the more technical side of the competition (uploading your video, file type etc.) see YouTube Cannes Lions channel
What is climate change?
Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that there have been changes in the global climate since the early 1900s. These climate changes, and future climate change predicted over the next century, are largely due to human activities and excessive greenhouse-gas emissions, which are warming up the Earth. This is climate change, often referred to as ‘global warming’. (see: global warming vs climate change)
Is climate change really happening?
Yes. In the last 20 years, there has been an increase in extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, as well as noticeable sea level rise and seasonal unpredictability. The result of these climate changes is failed harvests, disappearing islands, destroyed homes, water scarcity, and deepening health crises. And that means millions upon millions of people are struggling to get food, water, and shelter.
Why is Oxfam working on climate change?
Because the effects of global climate change are already having a devastating impact on people’s lives. Extreme weather events are destroying homes, schools, crops, and animals – the foundations of everyday life. Climate change is also throwing the seasons out of sync, causing crops to fail and water supplies to dry up. Extreme weather is pushing people backwards as they strive for progress. In short, Oxfam works on the causes and effects of climate change because the people we work with are being hit first and worst.
What's happening in Copenhagen this December?
The Fifteenth meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7 – 18 December 2009. At the meetings, a decision on how to replace the Kyoto Protocol – the existing international treaty for the reduction of greenhouse gases – will be finalised. The Copenhagen talks are different to other international negotiations, such as the G8 or the G20, because the final agreement will be legally binding, making it more difficult for countries to shirk their responsibilites at a later date.
Why is 2009 so important?
The December summit will mark the end of years of work and hundreds of thousands of hours of research and debate. It will be the moment when the entire world has the opportunity to act together to limit global warming and its effect on people. There will be few other opportunities quite like this any time soon. With climate scientists saying we only have a few years left to avoid dangerous climate change, the time to act is now.
What outcome are we looking for from the Copenhagen Summit?
Basically, two things: cuts in emissions; and cash to help poor countries. Global CO2 emissions must fall at least 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. If emissions are not cut fast enough, and global warming is allowed to exceed 2°C (the average temperature has already risen by almost 0.8°C), the impact on water resources, food production, sea levels, and ecosystems is predicted to be catastrophic for millions of people. Scary stuff, to put it mildly.
Who's attending the summit?
Thousands of delegates, representatives from 200 countries, climate scientists, government advisors, Al Gore and many others. Leonardo DiCaprio may even show up again. But the problem is that even with so much expectation and attention pinned on the talks, the prime ministers and presidents, who'll ultimately be responsible for signing on the dotted line, have yet to commit to going, something that we really need to change.
What is Oxfam doing about climate change?
We’re already helping people to cope with severe weather events, and also plan for the consequences of future climate change. Like everything that we do, our climate change work focuses on three core areas:
- Humanitarian
We are constantly responding to natural disasters which can be linked with global climate change, like our emergency relief efforts after floods in India, hurricanes in Haiti, or drought in Kenya. What’s more, we’re making sure these communities are better prepared for extreme weather events in the future, too. That means things like raising homes up on stilts, or providing early warning systems for when disasters strike. - Development
Helping communities to adapt to climate change is a key part of our development work. In South Africa farmers are planting faster-maturing crops, making the most of less-reliable rains. In Bangladesh, villagers are creating floating vegetable gardens, to protect their livelihoods against flooding. And in Viet Nam, communities are planting dense mangroves along the coast, to protect them from storm waves. - Campaigning
We’re demanding urgent and decisive action on climate change from world leaders that results in a global deal that is just and fair for all people, not just those with power and money.
What can I do to help?
Join the global movement for action on climate change, calling for all governments to sign an ambitious, fair and safe deal in Copenhagen that saves life on earth.
Global warming vs climate change is there a difference?
While the meanings of climate change and global warming are, to all intents and purposes in most cases, interchangeable, Oxfam generally prefers the term ‘climate change’ over global warming. This is because the effects of global warming do not automatically manifest themselves locally in weather events that might be termed 'warming' (ie. rising temperatures). While millions of poor people are experiencing more intense drought, millions more are suffering from other extreme weather and climatic events, such as floods, hurricanes, and rising sea levels.
