The European Commission and MTV Networks International have launched the "Play to Stop – Europe for Climate" campaign. The campaign will run for six months, and is aimed at raising awareness among young people about the dangers of climate change whilst mobilising them in the run-up to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen this December.

"Play to Stop" targets 11 EU Member States and involves TV spots, a Moby concert in Stockholm, two concerts featuring other artists in Budapest and Copenhagen, webcasts and games, and editorial content about the battle against climate change. The Copenhagen Conference, which will agree a follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol, opens on 7 December.

Major artists on board

From July to December, “Play to Stop – Europe for Climate” aims to engage young people in 11 EU Member States in the fight against climate change. The campaign will run in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Three concerts with leading international artists will take place in Stockholm, Budapest and Copenhagen and be aired on MTV. This isn't te first time that there's a collaboration between MTV and the European Union: in April, the European Parliament launched "Can you hear me, Europe?", a campaign which aimed at prompting young people to vote in the European Parliament elections of June.

The first concert of "Play to Stop", featuring Moby, will be in Stockholm on 20 August. Throughout the campaign the music channel will also devote editorial content to the fight against climate change, producing several specials.

Each concert will take place alongside a major event related to climate change: World Water Week in Stockholm, Mobility Week in Budapest, and the Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Countries will be represented by celebrity national ambassadors who will help draw the general public’s attention and make their voices heard. They include Bulgarian tennis player Magdalena Maleeva, Danish singer Anna David, Italian TV star Paola Maugeri, Polish entertainer Michal Pirog and Romanian climate activist Serban Miron Copot.

This campaign is designed to inform young people about the potential consequences of a failure to reach agreement in Copenhagen and to use their energy in the run-up to the conference to put pressure on policymakers to reach agreement. Throughout the campaign, young people will have the opportunity to exchange opinions about climate change and the environment, as well as to share ideas about how to protect the environment on the “Play to Stop” website.

Background: EU Climate action

The goal of the December conference is to find a new global climate deal to take over from the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Early action is needed: climate destabilization is already a reality, and any delay in reaching an agreement will inevitably delay global action and worsen the effects of climate change.

The European Union already plays a leading role in the global fight against climate change. In December 2008 the EU adopted an integrated energy and climate change policy, setting ambitious targets for 2020. It hopes to set Europe on the right track – towards a sustainable future with a low-carbon, energy-efficient economy by:

• Cutting greenhouse gases by 20% (30% if international agreement is reached)
• Reducing energy consumption by 20% through increased energy efficiency.
• Meeting 20% of our energy needs from renewable sources.