UNEP's Goodwill Ambassadors Get Angry About Climate Change

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Anger is one of those emotions people fear. But it can be a great call to action. Just ask Angry Birds, where angry is good and the art of destruction is a path to creativity.

Get angry about climate change!

Earth Day Network and Rovio Entertainment have released Angry Birds Champions for Earth, a week-long global tournament that challenges players to learn about the climate crisis and what they can do to solve it. The game is available for download in five languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Korean.

Further Resources

• Watch UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors Ian Somerhalder and Don Cheadle get angry about climate change
• Champions of the Earth Awards
• Angry Birds

The tournament features special messages from global celebrities: Don Cheadle and Ian Somerhalder, Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); comedian Danny DeVito; Matt Damon; Indian superstars Anil and Sonam Kapoor; and members of Korean pop sensation VIXX.

During the game, these popular Champions invite Angry Birds players to compete against them on the leaderboard, share facts about climate change and encourage fans to take action.

Launched on Monday, September 21, the challenge coincides with the Climate Week NYC and the Champions of the Earth Awards Ceremony, co-hosted by Ian Somerhalder. The annual Champions of the Earth prize - not to be confused with the Angry Birds tournament - is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment.

The Earth Day Network and Rovio have created the tournament in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the World Bank's Partnership, Connect4Climate; the documentary series Years of Living Dangerously; The Climate Reality Project and Matt Damon's Water.org.

Christiana Figueres, the UN's top climate official and head of UNFCCC narrated a video introducing the Champions for Earth, with the voices of these global stars. Years of Living Dangerously helped develop content for the game's fact-cards which educate gamers about climate change.

"What makes this project so special for us is how so many celebrities and organizations have come together, working for a common cause," says Blanca Juti, Rovio's Chief Brand Officer. "We are delighted and grateful for everyone's cooperation in getting angry together to raise awareness and promote action on climate change."

During the tournament, players will learn about climate change through fact cards developed with climate experts from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Yale University, University of South California, the White House, the Smithsonian and others. Players will be encouraged to take action via Earth Day Network's online engagement platform, where they can sign the climate petition, sign up to plant trees, tweet at their elected officials, and share their passion with an #angryaboutclimatechange selfie.

Proceeds from the tournament will go to support Earth Day Network's Canopy Project, a global campaign to plant trees in communities impacted by poverty and climate change.