Comments on: FIVE MORE APPALLING CLIMATE DENIAL ADS

By: John Revington

John Revington — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:05:03 +0000

Perhaps Mr Marshall is not so ill-informed.

Below is an excerpt from an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, 25 October 2005

“Recycled effluent is already in Sydney’s drinking water system, undercutting the State Government’s claim that people will not drink it because of health fears, water experts say.

“When a toilet is flushed or a washing machine drained in Katoomba the water eventually makes its way to taps in Richmond and Windsor, says a former Sydney Water executive, Charles Essery.

“Treated sewage from Goulburn and Lithgow also ends up in Sydney’s water catchment, he said, adding that the release of treated effluent was licensed by the Environment Protection Authority.

“The Hawkesbury’s 52,000 residents have for years been drinking a mix of treated effluent, rainwater and water from the Hawkesbury River.

“Everyone thinks Warragamba Dam is what we would class as virgin water,” Dr Essery said. He is one of a number of water experts taking part in a three-month investigation into Sydney’s water shortage conducted by Foxtel’s The Weather Channel .”What people don’t know is that sewage and stormwater from Goulburn and Lithgow go into the various rivers that feed Warragamba Dam so that everyone in Sydney drinks water that has either passed through someone else’s body or gone through the streets of those places.”"

To read the full article go to:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/treated-sewage-is-on-tap/2005/10/24/1130006061367.html

By: Kris of Sydney

Kris of Sydney — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:54:56 +0000

“Sydney ha[s] been recycling the treated water from sewage plants.”

Wow, you have got this so far wrong I don’t know where to start.

Yes, our major dam was low during the decade-long drought. It’s now back up over 60%.

Recycling treated water from sewage plants was ONE mooted solution to the problem when our dams were at their lowest point. Our state government has begun work on a desalination plant.

I might go crack a cold one and drink to how ill-informed Mr Marshall is.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:36:48 +0000

Greenwashing and climate-change denial.

I have visited this site a few times, and thought you might like to see these.

The links are about the Coopers brand of beer, about the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission cracking down on unproven claims.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/accc-to-probe-green-beer-claims-20080824-41f0.html
http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2008/08/25/coopers-green-claims-questioned.html

The ACCC have also put out information about greenwashing and the trade practices act.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/815763

Thought the links might brighten your day.

By: Tim Holmes

Tim Holmes — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:54:49 +0000

“Other maladaptive responses to fear and frustration can include resistance and counterproductive behaviors that may in fact increase one’s objective risk to external danger (e.g., Gray and Ropeik, 2002). Survey studies have found, for example, that one common response to information about the threats of climate change is a desire to buy a sports utility vehicle (SUV) as a means of protecting against an unpleasant or unpredictable environment (FrameWorks Institute, 2001). Unfortunately, of course, SUVs at current low levels of fuel efficiency exacerbate the climate problem …” (Susanne C. Moser, “More bad news: the risk of neglecting emotional responses to climate change information”, in Susanne C. Moser & Lisa Dilling (eds), Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social Change, Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 69)

Which is where GM steps in …

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:50:58 +0000

Greenwashing ads are now ubiquitous. I was just pondering the insincerity of the Toyota(?) television advert where artists come construct a car out of sticks and moss in a beautiful high mountain valley, and then it all gradually blows away back into the earth. Oh, that the human impact on our planet was so benign.

By: Johnnie

Johnnie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:02:15 +0000

Hi
I agree with you — especially on the beer ad… I try to comfort myself with the thought that these ads demonstrate taht cliatme change is so ‘acccepted’ that is can be the basis for a (admitedly purile) advertisement. I *think* this is a good thing. My fear is that as the world’s population comes to grips with climate change disasters, it will become necessary to apply selectivity to resource allocation e.g http://www.climatechangetriage.net

By: bi -- International Journal of Inactivism

bi -- International Journal of Inactivism — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:45:57 +0000

Well, to be fair, I think "Castlemaine XXXX" isn't contributing that much to global warming. In fact, they're probably on the opposite side of all this -- as production of malt barley decreases causing their prices to go up, brewers will need to find a way to cope (either raise beer prices or reduce alcohol content). So why did they write those words on the promotional can? That's a good question... -- bi, International Journal of Inactivism

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:57:31 +0000

It’s the gratuitous earth shot at the end of the Hummer ads that gets me. Still, I expect I was not alone in rejoicing at the news that sales of the beasts are in freefall…

By: emissionary

emissionary — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:58:34 +0000

What about recent billboards for 4x4s with slogan “put your Carbon footprint down!” boasting emissions of only . . . (200 gm/km?) from a (zoom, zoom trearaway) Lexus hybrid 4×4?

And another billboard for a zoom-zoom car (Alfa Romeo?) with the slogan “passionate for the planet” or similar. It ‘boasted’ the car’s emissions, but they were not low.

Both ads struck me as in-your-face pisstakes of those expressing concerns on CC.

And wisdom tells me we can expect no different – from those for whom the discomfort of self-control is more than they can handle, and from those ad designers charged with gaining market share among said group. Wd complaints to Advertising Standards Council gain anything?