The Chinese Celebs Speaking Up for the Environment With WildAid

About 35,000 delegates representing almost 200 countries are currently in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the 27th United Nations climate summit (COP27) that runs from November 6 to 18. At the conference, WildAid China, a branch of the global wildlife conservation nonprofit, launched its ‘Every Climate Action Counts’ campaign, starring Chinese actor Leo Wu.

Wu’s video aims to “inspire simple actions to reduce carbon footprints.” Known as ‘China’s little brother,’ the 22-year-old actor, who has appeared in commercials and TV series since the age of 3, rose to fame after starring in TV programs Home with Aliens (2009) and Nirvana in Fire (2015).

In his spare time, Wu is an avid cyclist, which is his personal way of taking “climate action” — by avoiding fuel-powered vehicles and transportation, he is therefore reducing harmful emissions.

As part of the ‘Every Climate Action Counts’ campaign, WildAid has released a 35-page-long handbook, which identifies barriers to climate action, lays out a roadmap to surpassing them, and provides a guide to implementing personal climate action.

The campaign is the most recent example of the organization’s climate communication efforts. WildAid China has also collaborated with other celebrities, such as former K-Pop idol Wang Yibo, actor Huang Xuan, and actress Yang Zi, whose previously shot videos were also shown at COP27.

Titled ‘Dining Green,’ Wang’s video series, which explored sustainable dining options like reusable cutlery, has appeared on billboards across China since its launch in 2020.

The three aforementioned celebrities are also WildAid ambassadors. The respected title extends to icons like actor Jackie Chan, former basketballer Yao Ming, former footballer David Beckham, and Kate Hudson.

Climate activist groups’ growing use of star power to spread the word about saving the planet does seem to have an effect: On Weibo, the tag ‘4 Chinese youths’ public service advertisements at COP27’ (#4位中国青年公益广告亮相COP27#) has over 50 million views.

Public response to the campaigns has mostly come from stans.

One netizen wrote, “Wang Yibo will protect the earth with you!” while another called him a “little angel who protects the environment.”

COP27’s overarching goal is to work towards the 2015 Paris Agreement, a global treaty drawn up to mitigate global warming.

An issue that was raised at COP27 revolved around whether China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, will contribute to a ‘climate compensation fund,’ which essentially entails paying developing countries for climate change-related damage. To complicate matters, however, the UN still classifies China as a developing nation.

Cover image of Leo Wu’s WildAid campaign at COP27 via Weibo