Climate Change Denial

These adverts are not greenwash or misinformation. They manage to use the images and language of climate change without in any way recognising the scale of the threat or their own responsibility for the problem. Innocent, cynical or deeply disturbed? What do you think?

Last year General Motors hit a smart way to market their notorious gas guzzling tank, the Hummer- they would encourage hummer owners to offer emergency relief in ‘natural’ disasters. Naomi Klein said about this idea: “it’s a bit like the Marlboro man doing grief counselling in a cancer ward”.

And then to top it all GM broadcast this ad. When I watch it don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or scream and I usually alternate insanely between them. Alison Wright, who sent it in, says: “The message is not only that a Hummer will help you survive the apocalypse, but drivers of Hummers are good, selfless people who will help others in need. Talk about irony….”

In the States NBC refused to show this ad- and no doubt GM was delighted to stir up a bit of publicity from that. By the way, that little “crooks and liars” at the end is the logo of the group that put it up on you-tube. This is a genuine ad.

A more recent Hummer ad glorifies the burning of electricity in a curious parody of energy saving ads. Link… I really do feel that there is some clever and deliberate marketing behind this.

In a previous posting we noted the ubiquitous practice of naming SUVs after murdered tortured and exterminated indigenous groups. Volkswagen’s excursion into the market is named the Touareg after an ancient nomadic tribe of the Southern Sahara which has been viciously repressed by the Niger government. Volkswagen have not only stolen their name but shoot most of the publicity for their car in sand dunes. Mark Bennett, who sent it in, writes: “It uses the name of a people traditionally living on minimal resources to suggest some sort of false connection between an enormous tank of a 4×4 and outdoor, rugged and adventurous living. The carbon emissions then increase global warming, adding to the gradual desertification of Sub Saharan Africa and more people living in deserts.”

The ironies run even deeper. In Niger the Touareg minority has started an armed rebellion to defend its lands against mining for uranium to fuel the reborn ‘zero carbon’ nuclear power industry. And back in Germany Volkswagen has tooled up the Toureg with a machine gun on top for sale as an military vehicle. LinkHow long before Touaregs are shooting down real Touaregs?

Marianne sent me a photo of this promitional can of Castlemain XXXX with “all this global warming is making me thirsty – thank xxxx for that” written on the side. She says “I was so stunned i had to take a picture much to the bemusement of the in-laws!” It’s another example of the ho ho macho ironic bring it on posturing we’ve seen before. The drought in Australia has become so sustained and serious that urban areas such as Sydney have been recycling the treated water from sewage plants. So, ho ho for global warming- a glorious future drinking piss. Got to be better than paying to get it in a tinnie.

Graham spotted this advert by South Africa airways of a plane flying over a disintegrating ice sheet. He says: “Once again it’s hard to believe there was any naivety behind the choice of image, it seems to me to be very much an “up-yours!”statement and the caption would seem to support this – the melting Arctic ice being a mere side show, an entertainment to be viewed from your window as you cruise past burning thousands of litres of aviation fuel”. The caption reads “For those occasions when there is a better show outside you can always pause the movie inside”.

And finally here’s one of my own. I was minding my own business coming out of a meeting at the University of Oxford Centre for Environment. I was accosted by enthusiastic hawkers at the gates who thrusted a free bag into my hands on behalf of those deeply green and globally concerned people at BP. Nice to know that they have found a way of blowing their immorally high profits. When I read the attached card my irritation passed into dumb astonishment. On the front was a picture of scorching desert with the caption “Ever wanted to go to one of the hottest places on earth?” and on the back was the BP logo with the heading “We’ll take you there, and beyond”.

The text is offering graduates a junket to Houston to experience the wonders of BP’s whizz bang headquarters and its “virtual reality 3-D imaging room that allows you to explore energy reserves….it’s a chance to see some really hot stuff- in a part of the world that does get a little warm at times”. Well clearly the writers are permanently locked into their virtual reality headsets if they can fail to see the bitter ironies in all this.

Many many thanks to everyone who sent these in. Please if you see a ludicrous advert sent it to me at george@coinet.org.uk. When I have enough I will post them up and the cream of the crop will be featured at some point in the Guardian newspaper.