This is a submission for Weekend Challenge: Earth Day Edition

It might already be too late to fix this.

Yes, you heard it right. It’s an Earth Recovery Protocol. A plan to help Earth recover from all the damage it has endured. But the deeper you go, the harder it gets to ignore the truth. Some things can’t be undone.

We could have waited for another century, but who knows whether the resources would still be available till then.

So, why not start the recovery protocol today itself and do what we can do best to help Earth start its recovery journey.

What I Built

Earth Recovery Protocol is a haunting interactive simulation that dares users to "undo" humanity's greatest environmental sins: species extinction, deforestation, fossil fuel emissions, plastic pollution, and ocean acidification.

Through a terminal like interface with cinematic animations and typewriter effects, it reveals the cold truth: many ecological wounds are irreversible.

My goal was simple — to make people pause.

Not just read about climate change, but feel it. To jolt complacency, spark urgent action, and remind us that our planet isn’t a game with save points.

You don’t “retry” extinction. You don’t “reload” forests.

Dive in, confront the consequences, and walk away thinking differently.

Demo

Try the protocol yourself: Earth Recovery Protocol

See how it unfolds:

Fair warning this is not a feel good experience. It’s meant to make you uncomfortable. Because that’s where awareness begins.

Code

Explore the project here:

Feel free to fork it, improve it, or build your own version of reality.

How I Built It

• Immersive Experience: Terminal style interface with typewriter effects, glitch animations, and cinematic transitions.
• Educational Impact: Each "recovery attempt" reveals scientific truths about irreversibility, backed by real environmental data.
• Modern Tech Stack: Built with React 19, Vite, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for lightning-fast performance.
• Environmental Advocacy: Every interaction serves as a powerful reminder to act now, before it's too late.

Key Features

• Interactive Simulation: Attempt to undo deforestation, species extinction, fossil fuel emissions, plastic pollution, and ocean acidification.
• Realistic Outcomes: Discover why some actions lead to failure, partial recovery, or systemic dependencies.
• Progressive Revelation: As you interact, the simulation builds to a critical warning about the planet's fragility.
• No Happy Endings: Designed to confront users with uncomfortable truths, inspiring real-world action.
• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices.

How to Use

• Request Access: Enter the simulation with a warning about irreversible systems.
• Choose Actions: Select from devastating environmental issues to "attempt" reversal.
• Witness Outcomes: Experience the harsh reality through animated, typed responses.
• Reflect: After 3 attempts, receive a critical warning that forces contemplation.
• Restart?: Discover that even restarting isn't possible there are no backups for our planet.

Why This Matters

Our planet is not a video game with save points. Earth Recovery Protocol drives home this message:

• Species Extinction: Once gone, ecological roles can't be restored.
• Deforestation: Regrowth takes centuries; biodiversity is forever altered.
• Fossil Fuel Emissions: Atmospheric CO₂ persists for generations.
• Plastic Pollution: Microplastics endure across ecosystems.
• Ocean Acidification: pH changes require massive, long-term intervention.

The time to act is NOW. Reduce your carbon footprint, support conservation, advocate for policy change, and live sustainably. Every small action counts before it's too late.

Prize Categories

Best Use of GitHub Copilot

I used Copilot as a true development partner across every stage of this project. It helped me quickly understand the existing React and TypeScript codebase, identify the core experience in App.tsx, and refine it without losing the cyber-terminal aesthetic that defines the project.

Copilot played a key role in elevating both the code and the narrative. It suggested cleaner component structures, more expressive action metadata, and stronger user-facing messaging for recovery outcomes. These improvements made the experience feel more intentional, immersive, and emotionally impactful.

We often think we still have time. This project questions that. What if we don’t? What if this is already the recovery phase?

And more importantly, What are you doing now to make sure it doesn’t get worse?

If you could undo one thing, what would it be?