Globe gamifies environmentalism with mobile app

Globe Telecom, Inc., launched today a mobile game that teaches players how to reduce their carbon emissions.

Titled Climate Champions, the game is part of the telco’s commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Climate change used to be so far away, but as we near 2030, we experience its adverse effects in our business and daily lives,” said Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Globe’s chief commercial officer, at the Sept. 28 launch.

Accessible via the GlobeOne, GCash, and KonsultaMD apps, the game gives players time bonuses when they select eco-friendly choices at the lifestyle quiz at the end of each round.

“We have always believed that gaming in the Philippines goes beyond gameplay. Globe Climate Champions empowers Filipinos to live sustainably by breaking down the long-term aspiration into short-term actions, all through a gamified experience that encourages conscious daily life changes,” said Ralph A. Aligada, head of Globe gamers and esports.

Globe likewise launched a nationwide search for citizens championing sustainable practices. Dubbed Globe Kali ’Kada (short for kalikasan barkada, or pro-environment friendship group), it entails taking a video of friends playing the Climate Champions mobile game, sharing their reason for wanting to be a part of Kali ’Kada, and uploading the video on TikTok. Those selected will be part of the Globe Climate Champions program and have a chance to win up to P30,000 worth of Globe products.

Globe’s existing climate initiatives include the deployment of more than 8,500 green network solutions to reduce operational emissions, as well as the shift of 14 high energy utilization facilities to renewable energy.

Meanwhile, Kickstart Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm and Globe subsidiary, has invested in Singapore’s TreeDots, the first food surplus marketplace in Asia, and California-based Clarity, a sensing-as-a-service company that provides localized air quality readings.

“Our investments fund fast-scaling, high-impact tech solutions that help us change our behavior,” said Minette B. Navarrete, vice chairman and president of Kickstart Ventures. “[These investments] offer solutions for us in the present. It’s not a magic wand that makes climate change issues disappear, but real-life tools that empower us to change, to act, to make intelligent choices, and to make the world a better place for ourselves.”

At the event’s opening remarks, Elenida Del Rosario-Basug, director for climate change services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that “despite the compelling evidence, there remains skepticism about the risks of climate change.”

“[Climate change] is here and a familiar experience for us in the country. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach are needed if we are to pursue action,” she added.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), sea levels in the country are rising three times faster than the global average, putting 70% of Philippine cities and municipalities at risk. — Patricia B. Mirasol