CO2 advert complaints

By Anna Heywood on Nov 4, 09 09:54 AM

There have been over 300 complaints about the Act on CO2 advert, which shows a child being told a bedtime story about extreme global warming and features a cartoon dog drowning.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change launched the ÃÂ£6m campaign, in which the government states for the first time that scientific evidence has confirmed that climate change is man-made, earlier this month.

I showed it to my two children (ages 10 and 8). They couldn't see what the fuss was about, although I can understand that it may worry younger children.

Watch the advert below and you can decide.

I do have two concerns.
One is that it plays on fear when living a sustainable life can actually be an enjoyable and exciting way of life (not that you'd get that from all the doom and gloom stories you read about).

Secondly, yet again the entire environment and ethics debate is reduced to CO2 and global warming when there is so much more to it.

My worry is when people switch off from the climate change debate, either refusing to believe it or feeling so overwhelmed by it that they say 'so what?' it in turn switches them off from other areas such as child labour, water pollution, air pollution and so on.

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Meme Mine said:

A DenierÃ¢ÂÂs Plea to Global Warming and Climate Change and CO2 Theory Believers:
SAVE THE PLANET you say? The end of the world is kind of the last bullet in anyoneÃ¢ÂÂs bag of threats donÃ¢ÂÂt you think? WhatÃ¢ÂÂs worse than death? You canÃ¢ÂÂt raise the stakes after threatening us with death of the planet Earth. You are all in here Buddy. You have bet everything, the house and the farm. There is no going back now as you are: All in! You better show us a crisis soon because cooling trumps predicted warming every time and this public belief in this mistake canÃ¢ÂÂt last much longer. History says fear is always a temporary motivator so this CO2 theory is not sustainable for another 23 years.
The validity of Climate Change is heading for a cliff because we know you doomers CANÃ¢ÂÂT come through with the goods like you global warmers said you would, a promise of climate crisis. And suggesting bad weather is climate change is foolishly transparent and worn out and itÃ¢ÂÂs been 23 years of that childishness. Stop this insanity now and we deniers demand the IPCC renounce this theory and work on a new generation energy development.
The smoggy 70Ã¢ÂÂs are gone, Rachel Carson Rules and now is the time to put this CO2 mistake aside so we can all come together to protect, preserve and respect our planet and face the future of progress with some dignity, not this fearing the unknown, assuming the worst and fighting a non existent enemy of climate change.
ItÃ¢ÂÂs not so far fetched to suggest that the likes of Al Gore and David Suzuki could be charged for intentionally holding our countries needlessly on a collision course with death for almost a quarter century.
Let it go people, let it go.

November 4, 2009 7:52 PM

Anna Heywood said:

Well I'm not a 'denier' just that i came from a different background to environmentalism - more of a caring for people, animals the planet branch-right down to the picking up litter level.

At first I was pleased when the Government started to appear to take things seriously but now I am stood watching in horror as they have reduced it to this scaremongering tax driven exercise and have switched people off in droves.

People don't believe what the Government is telling is them, which they only have themselves to blame and secondly they totally undermined any credibility they did have with Heathrow.

November 5, 2009 10:42 AM

John Gray said:

If the government have all this evidence why haven't we seen it then? This is tax collecting claptrap,and the scientists who now do not support this now outnumber those who are paid to say they do! Climate scientists are so corrupt they are more like climate prostitutes, they get paid to perform for the Government's pleasure! Telling kids their pets will die is pretty desperate even for the Enviro-mentals, what will be the next step, 'believe in our lies or your granny gets it!' Man Made Global warming, = political made global claptrap

December 5, 2009 8:03 PM

sarah said:

I'm seventeen and currently studying climate change in geography.
You dont need government statistics or predictions to figure out the effect of anthropogenic activities on the planet.
People are too worries about their consumerist lifestyles and governments are worries about their industry to care about the planet.
I was surprised when I saw this advert, it actually gave the first realistic approach to global warming - people are too scared to realise what their activities are doing to the planet, and to be honest why should they change their lifestyles when clearly the government is not reacting to the problem i.e. Copenhagen.

March 17, 2010 9:46 AM

Wondering person said:

Where is Anna Heywood? She has not been on here for a long time?

March 25, 2010 10:18 PM

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