Twitter has introduced several new emojis activated by hashtags, in conjunction with the United Nations COP21 climate change summit in Paris.
Realizing the impact the high-level talks will have in regard to its platform, Twitter has attached the new emojis — which include an Eiffel Tower embedded in a green leaf (the summit’s official logo), a regular Eiffel Tower icon, and a heart-shaped earth — to the #COP21, #GOCOP21, #ActionDay, and #ClimateChange hashtags, respectively, reports Mashable. The Twitter Government handle sent out a tweet regarding the new emojis, which can be seen below.
Following the Paris climate conference? Use #COP21, #GoCOP21, #ActionDay and #ClimateChange to see the custom emoji. pic.twitter.com/CUVe5Y5Otj
— Government (@Gov) November 30, 2015
The two-week COP21 summit is being attended by more than 150 world leaders, among them U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The U.N. claims there were over 400,000 tweets regarding the talks and that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (who has 16.3 million Twitter followers) was the most influential online participant.
The main goal of the summit includes a major agreement between world states to limit global warming to 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius). Financial deals regarding the distribution of infrastructure funds from developed countries to developing nations are also due to be discussed. The pressure is on this time around as talks have struggled to produce any viable climate change treaties in the past.
Scientists and activists have warned the 40,000 diplomats in attendance that this may be the last chance to limit global warming targets to above pre-industrial levels, ensuring that the world is not prone to extreme weather conditions and food shortages in the future.
COP21 takes place in the shadow of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Hollande has pointed to the links between the rise in global terrorism and climate change in his opening speech, according to Reuters.
“I can’t separate the fight with terrorism from the fight against global warming,” Hollande stated. “These are two big global challenges we have to face up to, because we have to leave our children more than a world freed of terror, we also owe them a planet protected from catastrophes.”
Obama echoed Hollande’s sentiments, according to CNN. “What greater rejection of those who would tear down our world than marshaling our best efforts to save it,” he said in his speech.
