What would have happened if we never fixed the ozone hole?

In the year 2084, the world is a bleak place. Smog hangs thick over desolate urban skylines, blotting out the Sun and preventing plant life from flourishing. There’s no wildlife to be found, either, only humans, most of whom succumb to an aggressive skin disease shortly after reaching adulthood. The average life expectancy is 25.

This is more than your typical dystopian science fiction scenario. It is one possible version of what scientists call the “world avoided,” that is, the world that might have been had humanity failed to fix the ozone hole. While this shadow future is rarely discussed outside of academic circles, recently, the United Nations Ozone Secretariat partnered with South African production company Rooftop to bring it to life for young people who can’t remember a time when the ozone crisis dominated the news.

The result: Reset Earth, an animated short film and free-to-play mobile game about a about a group of teens who have to travel back in time to save Earth’s ozone layer. It’s an innovative blend of science and storytelling that, despite the bleak backdrop, offers a hopeful message to the youth of today: it really is possible to solve global environmental challenges. It’s a message worth taking to heart as we move deeper into the most critical decade for tackling climate change.