The Pacific Islands send the world survival tips for climate change timed to target COP27 leaders in new social campaign via Augusto

A confronting but very real campaign from Augusto has Pacific Islanders fronting real-time advice for surviving climate change from those living it now as COP27 takes place in Egypt.

Featuring Cook Islands’ Prime Minister, Hon Mark Brown, the work seeks to show the world that the impact of climate change is real and immediate for the people of the Pacific Islands and that action must be taken.

After years living on the frontline of climate change, the powerful video messages include practical survival tips such as building sea walls and stockpiling essential food supplies, ultimately pointing out that the only way for survival is to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Says Ms Tagaloa Cooper, director of Climate Change Resilience, SPREP [Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme]: “People throughout the Pacific Islands are already having to survive the devastating effects of climate change. At the current warming level of 1.2 degrees the Pacific is already suffering. Our seas are rising, our oceans are warming and extreme events are more frequent and severe. We’re sharing these ultimate survival tips with the world from people who are actively using them in their day to day lives, as we implore the leaders attending COP27 to take urgent action.”

The video messages are featured in their own online HUB and then released in targeted survival tweets via @_PacificIslands to World Leaders, environmentalists, famous survivalists, activists and celebrities to help spread the word, raise awareness and put significant pressure on the Leaders at COP27, who can take action.

Says Adam Thompson, ECD, Augusto: “It’s been a privilege working with SPREP to create a campaign with a powerful message from the people of the Pacific Islands. Rather than focus on the well-documented doom and gloom of the world’s climate situation, we wanted to demonstrate their positivity and resilience. As well as reminding people that this is already a huge global problem.”

Says Kathryn Allemann, head of business development, Augusto: “This type of impact work is strongly in our wheelhouse. The campaign illustrates what Pacific people are doing in their communities in the absence of the support they need for more comprehensive responses to climate change. These responses may not be perfect but are the only options available to communities on the frontline of climate change.”

The campaign launched on 2 November and is running in the lead up and during the COP27 event, taking place in Egypt (6th- 18th November 2022). The campaign includes social content, a website, PR, Twitter and a media partnership with Vice.

The survival videos were shot in the Pacific Islands. Special thanks goes to local ‘survival experts’ Timoci Naulusala, Vasiti Salababa, AnnMary Raduva, their families and the communities of the Pacific Islands.

Client: SPREP (Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)
Director of Climate Change Resilience – Tagaloa Cooper
Media and Public Relations Officer – Nanette Woonton
Communications Support Officer – Leanne Moananu
Outreach Support Officer – Christine Tuioti

Augusto
Executive Creative Director – Adam Thompson
Senior Creative – Tom Davies
Social Creative – Letitia Devlin
Social Creative – Sheila Davey
Account Director – Kathryn Allemann
Head of Production – Simone Goulding
Production Manager – Isabelle Graham
Editor – Connor Farrell
Editor – Corbin Dallas
Colour Grade – Pete Ritchie
Audio Design – Amy Barber @ Bespoke Audio
Motion Graphics – David Frearson
Post Coordinator – Zoe Jones
Designer – Nina Vasiljevic
Designer – Katie Curd

Fiji Team
Director and Stills – Vince McMillan
DOP – Ben Montgomery
1st AC – Natsuki Arai
Location Sound – Danny Watts
Fiji Production Support – Pasifika Communications

Rarotongan Team
Director – Glenda Tuaine
DOP – Teariki Ra
Cooks Islands Production Support – Motone Productions

Media – Together
Emma Inglis – Senior Manager
Jaimie Crawford – Client Director
Website Designer – Marina Narita

PR – Archer Communications
Managing Director – Angela Spain
Senior Account Director – Georgia Boyce