Reset Earth is a story told through an animated short film and a mobile game to show young people the power of science, collaboration, and cooperation in sholving complex global challenges. The story takes place in an alternate 2084, in a post-apocalyptic world cloacked in smog and suffering of disease. Their alternate world branches off from our own in 1987, where the Montreal Protocol (an international treaty designed to phase out the production of substances responsible for ozone depletion) failed to happen. As a result the ozone layer never started healing, and other attempts to restore Earth’s balance only brought more destruction. The story follows three young adults (Knox, Sagan, and Terran) who travel back in time to several key moments, where they change history in order to make sure the Montreal Protocol treaty succeeds.
The three main characters are based upon the three scientific assessment panels that support the United Nations’ Ozone Secretariat in their decision and policy-making process by providing the latest information on science, environmental effects, and technology and economics of ozone layer depletion and production. Knox is based upon the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP), Sagan is based upon the Scientific Assessment Panel (SAP), and Terran is based upon the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP).
This project was developed as part of the Playing for the Planet Alliance, an initiative by the United Nations to inspire young people to learn and act in support of the environment.