2 December, 2021

Snapchat Partners With The Great Barrier Reef Foundation

By Andrew McKean

To protect the world’s largest reef system from climate change, Snapchat is using Augmented Reality to launch a global call to action.

The world’s largest living coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, is under threat from climate change.

Marine heatwaves have triggered three mass coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in just five years, reducing shallow-water coral reefs by as much as 50 per cent.

Together with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Snapchat has launched a global call to action that will raise awareness, drive action and help the Foundation achieve its goal of planting a million corals this summer.

Launching today, the campaign will harness the power of Snapchat’s camera, encouraging millions of users globally to share a first-of-its-kind environmental pledge in Augmented Reality (AR) via a unique Water Segmentation Lens.

The Lens demonstrates the impact of climate change on the Reef, and how Aussies can act to help protect it.

On swiping up the Lens, Snapchatters can help plant a coral by filling in their details and joining the Reef community.

Here they will learn more about the impacts of climate change and discover ways to help the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s reef restoration efforts.

This will take the Foundation one step closer to turbo-charging coral restoration so they can reach their 2030 vision of planting 10 million heat-tolerant corals on the Reef.

The activation will be amplified globally with a Face + World Lens through the power of the Snap Map, allowing 306 million daily Snapchatters to experience the Lens and share their pledge in AR.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation managing director, Anna Marsden said, “We know that everyone cares about our Great Barrier Reef so, together with Snapchat, we’re driving awareness and action to help protect it.”

Also commenting, Snap’s general manager for APAC, Kathryn Carter said, “Young Australians care passionately about combating climate change, and will also experience its worst impacts in the future if we fail to act now.”

She continued stating, “Given our significant reach with this younger generation, we have been conscious of supporting action on climate change, both through our science-based global Climate Action Plan and local partnerships.”

Last year Snap announced its first-ever climate strategy, with commitments to carbon neutrality, science-based reduction targets and 100% renewable electricity.

In October 2021, Snap announced a further commitment to making Snap net carbon negative by 2030.

Snap sees a deep responsibility to act at a pace and scale that can make a difference. Among other things, that includes committing to Net Zero (and beyond) and encouraging others to do the same.

As part of this larger strategy, Snap regularly does research with the Gen Z community to better understand the issues they care about and climate change and the environment are among the issues that rank highest.

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