Reese Witherspoon and Marion Cotillard Give the Earth a Voice in New Short Film HOME

Today, Conservation International (CI) unveiled a new short film called "Home," voiced in English by Academy Award-Winning actress Reese Witherspoon and in French by Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard. Both versions of the film debuted at the United Nations Momentum for Change Awards ceremony at the climate negotiations in Paris. It is the newest addition to CI's award-winning "Nature Is Speaking" short film series. "Home" was produced to remind negotiators and world leaders at the climate talks of our common duty - how to care for the Earth that cares for us all.

"By lending my voice to nature, I hope to remind people at this critical moment that people need nature and its great gifts," said Reese Witherspoon.

"This Earth is our shared home, our only home. The time to safeguard its future - and with it our own future - is right now," said Marion Cotillard.

Conservation International, in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat's Momentum for Change initiative, has brought the "Nature Is Speaking" films in several languages to the Paris talks in order to highlight the important role of nature in addressing climate change. In addition to Ms. Witherspoon and Ms. Cotillard, renowned French actors Sophie Marceau and Nicolas Hulot added their voices as "Mother Nature" and "Rainforest," respectively.

Tropical forests and other carbon-rich ecosystems offer 30% or more of the solution needed to limit warming to safe levels. Yet based on figures from Climate Policy Initiative, in 2014 only about 2% of funding for climate solutions went to leveraging nature's potential to combat climate change.

CI launched the "Nature Is Speaking" campaign in September 2014 to give nature a voice and reframe why conservation is important-that nature doesn't need people; people need nature if we are to safeguard our future on the planet. The series includes films personifying different elements of nature, narrated by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Penélope Cruz, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Edward Norton, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Ian Somerhalder and Kevin Spacey. The films have been viewed more than 40 million times in 33 countries, in 10 languages, garnering more than 2 billion total impressions.

"Whatever the resources we need for our lives, we all draw from the same well planet Earth, our home," said Dr. M. Sanjayan, Conservation International's Executive Vice President, who introduced the films. "As Reese and Marion so beautifully say, from the roof above our head to the floor beneath us, our home protects us and nurtures us. Protecting nature, our home, is our shared responsibility and we make the biggest difference if we work together."

Sanjayan presented "Home" after first bringing the general public on stage in the form of a visual petition featuring thousands of photos from people around the world who shared a selfie on social media with the hashtag #INeedNature during November and December. This visual petition demonstrated the worldwide support that exists for nature's essential role in addressing climate change.
With "Home" now available in English and French, CI is using social media to invite supporters who speak other languages to suggest who should voice "Home" in their language, with the goal of ensuring that this urgent message is heard in many languages and countries around the world. Followers are invited to share "Home" with the hashtag #INeedNature and suggest the international celebrity they believe best represents "Home" in their language.

"Home" is available to view and embed at http://www.natureisspeaking.org on December 10.

About the Nature Is Speaking campaign
Conservation International developed the "Nature Is Speaking" film series with MALFOR GOOD under the creative direction of Lee Clow. The videos have garnered more than 2 billion impressions and more than 40 million video views from exposure in more than 33 countries and earned a coveted Cannes Gold Lion award in 2014.

About Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) uses an innovative blend of science, policy and partnerships to protect the nature that people rely on for food, fresh water and livelihoods. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a healthy, prosperous planet that supports us all. Learn more about CI at http://www.conservation.org/about/Pages/default.aspx and follow our work on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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