As the world grapples to contain an immediate health crisis, designers have come together to throw their support behind tackling the greatest long term risk to humanity: climate change.

Mate Act Now is a climate change poster protest for the digital generation — 100 posters protesting climate change and driving political action launching on Earth Day to raise awareness of climate change and funds for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Australia.

To celebrate Earth Day and highlight the effects of climate change, designers and artists are using digital posters powered by social media to raise money and spread awareness of climate change.

The initiative was founded by New Zealand designer Chris Flack (Design Director, Strategy Creative) who felt compelled to do something as Australia burned over the summer.

“Being a designer, I didn’t know what else to do than to grab pen and paper,” he explains.

The result was a poster which, with the scribbling help of Flack’s 2-year-old son Leo, turned the words “CLIMATE ACTION NOW” into “MATE ACT NOW”: a catch-cry all Australians and Kiwis can get behind.

Since then, the project has expanded into a collective global response, with over 100 designers from around the world involved. These included a range of hugely respected designers and studios: DIA, Manual, Build, Wade Jeffree and Leta Sobierajski, Vince Frost, Mucho, Mash Creative, Seachange, Studio South, Hey Studio, Carla Scotto, Christopher Doyle, Paul Garbett, Megan Bowker (Collins) and Lorenzo Fanton (Pentagram) to name a few getting behind it.

“In these uncertain and unprecedented times, it's powerful to know that the advertising and design community can come together to effect change,” Flack says.

“We don’t want to take away from the enormous toll COVID-19 is taking on human health and the global economy, but the greatest long term threat to everything we hold dear is climate change.

“It’s important we don’t lose perspective of that and continue to do what we all can, with the skills we each possess, to tackle the climate crisis with the same willpower and global collaboration being displayed in the fight against COVID-19. On Earth day we want designers and creatives to share the posters on their social media feeds as a collective protest for the digital generation.”

Designers have been asked to represent what climate change means to them. Posters form part of a curated online site (built by New Territory Studio) launching on Earth Day (April 22nd) where you can download and share the posters for free. A limited edition publication will be sold (designed by Liam Ooi, Studio South) via the website, with proceeds going to the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund.

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