Posted on 03/23/2006 8:20:59 AM PST by Fintan
Nothing creates a sense of urgency quite like a ticking clock or speeding train.
In startling ads debuting today, the Ad Council, the group that created some of the most memorable public-service ads in history, agitates for action - now - to slow global warming.
Going straight to the public, the highly respected nonprofit bypasses the ideological stalemate in Washington and brings the long controversial issue into the mainstream. A successful campaign could inspire long-needed aggressive action on this growing global threat.
Evidence mounts daily that melting ice caps, unusual weather and tropical-disease outbreaks are linked to the Earth's increasing temperature. Scientists increasingly believe the world is headed toward a tipping point, after which no action may be able to stop flooding, disease and species extinction. As the world's worst contributor to the problem, the United States needs to step up.
Through history, the 64-year-old Ad Council has motivated people with now-familiar phrases and old friends: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," "The toughest job you'll ever love," and "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." It used Rosie the Riveter to recruit workers, Smokey Bear to fight fires, and Iron Eyes Cody to Keep America Beautiful.
As in past campaigns, the Ad Council aims to change attitudes one person at a time, not by lobbying Congress or the White House. Polling shows that Americans believe global warming is real, but consequences are distant. Even if they want to mitigate climate change's effects, they don't know what to do. The ads prod them into wanting to act and then show them how.
In partnership with Environmental Defense, the council created a cute icon - a globe, belted with a tape measure - to encourage Americans to count "carbs," as in carbon dioxide, a main contributor to climate change. At fightglobalwarming.com, citizens will find easy steps to reduce harmful heat-trapping gas emissions around the house.
Alone, actions such as running only fully loaded dishwashers and washing machines seem trivial. But collectively, millions of Americans pitching in could make a difference.
If every household replaced three regular light bulbs with new compact fluorescents, the United States could save the equivalent in emissions of taking 3.5 million cars of the road. Plus consumers will save money. Although more expensive to buy, the fluorescent bulbs last 13 times longer. Energy efficiency is the heart of many of the "low-carb" ideas.
The Ad Council inspired Americans to buy war bonds, wear seat belts, prevent crime and protect themselves from AIDS. It has the right message again: Protect the planet.
Editorial | ONLINE EXTRA
To see the Ad Council's new ads or learn what you can do to slow global warning, go to
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Hide the kiddies. |
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Oh, and What's Your Global Warming IQ? |
"A successful campaign could inspire long-needed aggressive action on this growing global threat"
Sounds like they've already decided its real.
Aw yes...the children.
I got them all wrong.
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Me too. We're going to hell. |
I couldn't get past the first question. They didn't have the right answer as a choice.
Did Jay Bennish write this test?
A mind is a terrible thing to taste.
It's me and my neighbors fault for having all those heated swimming pools!
You go on and heat that pool! I've got some property in Kansas that I want to turn into oceanview beachfront.
check this out.
we must stop methane from farting!
new ad campaign: "give a hoot, not a toot!"
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but why in the world does anyone think that anything should stay the same as it was? Can I blame global warming on the fact that I don't look the same at 51 as I did at 21?
I took the quiz and got 8 out of 10, simply by choosing the most outrageous, inflamatory answers. I mised the number of people who died in Europe and the one about prior to the 20th century, how long did it take for ocean levels to rise.
Mr. Lu was in a small town in England during the dreaded heatwave, and ended up sleeping in a tub of cold water. Something so simple might have saved some f those 27,000 (??) lives.
And the business about the ocean rising? Could one of you really smart people point me in the direction of a definitive source for ocean depths 1000 years ago? Cause that test TOLD me it took one thousand years for the levels to rise. How do they know?
I'll bring the beer, you get the BBQ!
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