December 20, 2023
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Woolloongabba billboard highlights that fossil fuel companies are the main culprits for climate change - costing residents billions
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Fossil fuel ads will undermine Olympic Games environmental claims
As Queensland battles record bushfires, floods and storms, Brisbane City Council is being asked to follow 16 other Australian councils and stop advertising fossil fuel companies.
Fossil fuels account for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide pollution that is causing global warming.
A giant billboard in Stanley Street, near the Gabba, highlights the hypocrisy and greenwashing of coal, oil and gas advertisements. Dozens of Brisbane locals have already personally emailed Brisbane Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, asking for an end to fossil fuel promotions on council-owned property.
Jo Dodds, President, Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action said, “We don’t need science to tell us things are getting rapidly more dangerous. You can just look out your kitchen window and see things getting worse. Climate disasters are hitting more and more Australians, more frequently. Communities are still reeling from bushfires when there’s suddenly a record-breaking flood or a cyclone. With fossil fuel ads all over Brisbane it’s like the big companies and the council are both making money while we pay for the disasters they’re causing. Is that fair?”
Created by Comms Declare, the billboard is part of the Fossil Ad Ban campaign for tobacco-style bans on ads and sponsorships for fossil fuels
Comms Declare Founder, Belinda Noble said, “Worsening weather is plaguing Brisbane, yet the council allows its 800 bus shelters, 1200 buses, more than 100 digital screens and some CityCats to promote the main culprit - coal, petroleum and gas companies.
“It is hypocritical for the council to claim to be carbon neutral, yet still be promoting fossil fuel companies on its property.
“How can we hold a ‘climate positive’ Olympics with ads for coal and gas all around the city?” she added.
Disaster reconstruction costs in Brisbane have been more than $226 million since 2011, costs that will rise as warming increases.
This summer’s fire emergency follows the 2022 floods that are estimated to have cost Queensland $7.7 billion.
In August 2022, City of Sydney voted to ban all coal, petroleum and gas ads on its outdoor advertising network - one of the largest in the world. The ACT has also banned fossil fuel ads from appearing on its trams. This follows similar moves from Amsterdam and 15 other English and European cities.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Belinda Noble, Founder of Comms Declare can be contacted on 0459 474 858 hello@commsdeclare.org
Serena Joyner, CEO of Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, can be contacted via Emily Watkins at the Climate Media Centre on 0420 622 408 or emily.watkins@climatemediacentre.org.au
Images of the billboard in Stanley Street, Woolloongabba and fossil fuel ads on Brisbane buses can be found here
About Comms Declare
Comms Declare represents more than 95 ad agencies and hundreds of communications professionals who have declared they will not promote:
● the growth of fossil fuels
● high greenhouse gas pollution as ‘business as usual’
● deception, distraction or spin around science or climate actions.
Comms Declare encourages agencies to work for the good of the climate, in recognition that Australia is a major exporter of fossil fuels. It runs the annual F-list awards and the Fossil Ad Ban campaign. www.commsdeclare.org
About Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action
We are bushfire survivors, firefighters and local councillors who have joined together to demand the Government take immediate action on climate change.
