{"id":118954,"date":"2026-10-10T00:09:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T04:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=118954"},"modified":"2026-10-12T00:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T04:19:24","slug":"media-unite-behind-promise-of-1-5c-climate-campaign-in-disaster-prone-japan-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2026\/10\/media-unite-behind-promise-of-1-5c-climate-campaign-in-disaster-prone-japan-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"United behind \u201cPromise of 1.5\u2103\u201d climate campaign, Japanese media call for behavioral changes for people and planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2026, the world has been grappling with severe climate disasters\u00a0exacerbated\u00a0by emerging super El Nino, from heat waves to\u00a0wildfires, droughts, glacier\u00a0melting\u00a0and floods. Japan is no exception.\u00a0Severe flooding and landslides, an exceptional summer heatwave, and an unusually active typhoon season have generated\u00a0evacuation, casualties, and severe damage to infrastructures.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0<\/span>UNEP report<\/span><\/a>\u00a0published in September 2026, exceeding 1.5\u00b0C is now widely assessed as unavoidable under current policies and near-term trajectories, and the world should\u00a0make every effort to\u00a0make\u00a0the overshoot as small and as short as possible and then return temperatures to below 1.5\u00b0C.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For their part, Japan\u2019s media outlets have been rallying behind the \u201c<\/span>Promise of 1.5<\/span>\u2103<\/span>\u00a0– Act Now to Stop Global Warming\u201d campaign since 2022<\/span><\/a>\u00a0supported by\u00a0the UN Information Centre in Tokyo\u00a0(UNIC Tokyo), calling for behavioral changes by individuals and organizations to stave off the climate catastrophe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

B<\/span>orn out of a commitment by member organizations of the\u00a0<\/span>SDG Media Compact<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a global network of media companies that signed on to an agreement with the United Nations to promote the SDGs.\u00a0The \u201cPromise of 1.5<\/span>\u2103<\/span>\u201d\u00a0campaign\u00a0pushing\u00a0for climate action and behavioral change\u00a0is the world\u2019s first country-level campaign of its kind\u00a0for the SDG Media Compact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marking the campaign\u2019s five-year milestone in 2026, the Promise of 1.5<\/span>\u2103<\/span>\u00a0campaign has\u00a0been\u00a0promoting\u00a0a special project to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0that we are in the fight\u00a0against\u00a0climate change together.\u00a0Running from 25 June\u00a02026\u00a0through end 2027,\u00a0<\/span>the project \u201cI am one of the 89% who want to stop global warming\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is amplifying messages from public figures and people across Japanese society through social media,\u00a0websites,\u00a0and events. The initiative builds on global survey findings showing that 89%\u00a0of people want their governments to take more ambitious climate measures, but many mistakenly believe they are in the minority, which\u00a0discourages being vocal and demanding more aggressive climate actions. The project aims to visualize the vast majority in the society\u00a0do\u00a0care about climate, turning the silent majority into a solid voice in the society.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"FISH

FISH BOY \u2013 Sakana-kun (ichthyologist and artist) is one of the message contributors; Credit: UNIC Tokyo<\/p><\/div>\n

More than 30 contributors have already joined\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the campaign<\/span><\/span><\/a>, including UN Messenger of Peace MIDORI, WFP Goodwill Ambassador Anne Watanabe, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Kawase, KEIDANREN\u00a0<\/span>Chairman<\/span>\u00a0Yoshinobu Tsutsui,\u00a0<\/span>global boy group JO1<\/span>, various J.\u00a0<\/span>LEAGUE<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Climate Action Ambassadors\u00a0<\/span>as well as\u00a0<\/span>chefs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and children.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Climate

Climate Action Ambassador and footballer Hiroki Yamada’s message about climate action is broadcast ahead of a J.LEAGUE match; Credit: \u202fJ\u00fabilo Iwata<\/p><\/div>\n

As another significant achievement marking the five-year milestone of the campaign, an updated version of the 2050 Weather Forecast produced by\u00a0Japan\u2019s national broadcaster,\u00a0NHK,\u00a0for the\u00a0global campaign run by the UN\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>World Meteorological Organization (WMO)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0campaign\u00a0in 2014\u00a0was\u00a0released in August\u00a02026.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Featuring the same weather forecaster and climate scientist,\u00a0<\/span>the \u201c2050 Weather Forecast Version 2\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>reflects both accelerating global warming and the latest scientific analysis.\u00a0Several scenarios\u00a0for 2050\u00a0presented in the 2014 forecast have already become reality years earlier than\u00a0anticipated. Among them are prolonged periods of temperatures exceeding 35\u00b0C, once presented as a potential future outcome for mid-century Japan.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>