UK Government Rebuked For 'Bedtime Stories' Climate Change Ads (VIDEO)

From The AP:
LONDON -- Britain's independent advertising watchdog agency has criticized a government ad campaign that highlights the dangers of climate change.

An Advertising Standards Association spokesman says nearly 1,000 complaints about the ads have been received.

The government campaign is based on the children's poems "Jack and Jill" and "Rub-A-Dub-Dub."

WATCH one of the ads below:

Spokesman Matt Wilson said Monday that many of those who complained found the ads would be distressing to children. He said many also objected to the implication that climate change is caused by human activity.

The watchdog agency believes the ads exaggerate the threat Britain faces as the planet heats up. It says uncertainties about climate change were not taken into account.

Quick Poll

Does the climate change ad go to far?

No, more power to the UK government for putting the truth out there.

It makes a point, but it's a little overdone.

Not a fan of this ad.

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Comments

[Dredd]

10:17 AM on 03/18/2010

Sometimes we have to face the cosmic facts to be cosmic adults.

http://ecocosmology.blogspot.com/2010/03/being-natural-is-not-always-good-2.html

[slithers]

02:31 AM on 03/18/2010

Common conservative fear tactics

[InfidelSix]

07:52 PM on 03/18/2010

"Common Liberal fear tactics"

*** fixed it for ya! ****

[Publicola]

02:49 PM on 03/17/2010

Survey: Scientists agree human-induced global warming is real

University of Illinois at Chicago - 19-Jan-2009

While the harsh winter pounding many areas of North America and Europe seemingly contradicts the fact that global warming continues unabated, a new survey finds consensus among scientists about the reality of climate change and its likely cause.

A group of 3,146 earth scientists surveyed around the world overwhelmingly agree that in the past 200-plus years, mean global temperatures have been rising, and that human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures. ...

Two questions were key: have mean global temperatures risen compared to pre-1800s levels, and has human activity been a significant factor in changing mean global temperatures.

About 90 percent of the scientists agreed with the first question and 82 percent the second.

In analyzing responses by sub-groups, Doran found that climatologists who are active in research showed the strongest consensus on the causes of global warming, with 97 percent agreeing humans play a role.

---
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/uoia-ssa011609.php

[UselessIdiot]

12:25 PM on 03/17/2010

Professor Thomas Sowell's most recent book, " Intellectuals and Society," has a quote from Eric Hoffer, "One of the surprising privileges of intellectuals is that they are free to be scandalously asinine without harming their reputation." Environmentalist Professor Paul Ehrlich, who's giving advice to the warmers, is an excellent example of Hoffer's observation. Ehrlich in his widely read 1968 book, "The Population Bomb," predicted, "The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s, the world will undergo famines. Hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. Population control is the only answer." Ehrlich also predicted the earth's then-5 billion population would starve back to 2 billion people by 2025. In 1969, Dr. Ehrlich warned Britain's Institute of Biology, "If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000." Despite these asinine predictions, Ehrlich has won no less than 16 awards, including the 1980 Crafoord Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' highest award. --Walter Williams

[Steelheadangler]

01:10 PM on 03/17/2010

And this has what to do with climate science?

[Peter-and-the-Wolf]

01:24 PM on 03/17/2010

"Climate science" has as much to do with real science as Scientology.

[DocSkull]

05:44 PM on 03/17/2010

UselessIdiot quotes Williams quoting Sowell, quoting Hoffer, quoting Ehrlich's predictions about food security divorced from their original context in order to criticize climate science's lack of rigor?

[quillsinister]

08:38 PM on 03/17/2010

It all makes sense in the beautiful land of the Crazyshill Tribe. :-)

[AndyWright68]

09:34 AM on 03/17/2010

Even if global warming (now called climate change) is caused by us it doesn't matter. We are not going to go without electricity, stop driving our cars or hold our breath. The only thing that will happen is the governments will pass international laws, threaten our sovereignty and tax everyone which will not reverse, prevent or even slow down any negative affects we might have had on our planet. This whole campaign is about money and control. Then there is the issue of all the time and energy wasted on this subject. People should be focused on the economic collapse and stopping these illegal wars that are breaking our country's back. We are on the verge of imploding and the more time people spend on this garbage the less chance we have of fixing the real problems.

[amber15]

11:44 AM on 03/17/2010

FAIL! when the rains come and the geography changes, lands goes under and the glaciers melt down so islands fade away I seriously doubt we'd be worrying about how we're going to drive our cars and shop at walmart. Perhaps you still might be, but then the wiser, more socially conscious leaders would have to take the time and come to save you even while your insisting that its still not true!

[AndyWright68]

12:05 PM on 03/17/2010

The people in Athens don't seem to be to worried about it. When that spreads here I doubt you will be spending much time on this ridiculous issue.

[gallon]

01:08 PM on 03/17/2010

A cynical perspective doesn't change the physical reality of the situation.

[AndyWright68]

02:20 PM on 03/17/2010

...and pushing the issue isn't going to change the physical reality of the situation either. It will only make the real problems grow out of neglect.

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

04:05 AM on 03/17/2010

Climate change is real, a lot of bad collective karma from killing animals for food when we don't need to.

[amber15]

11:45 AM on 03/17/2010

AMEN! lots bad karma for lots things!

[ephoenix5]

02:18 PM on 03/17/2010

I agree climate change is real -- but not man-made global warming. And I certainly do not believe it has anything to do with chewing a nice juicy piece of steak with potatoes and carrots on the side.

[Publicola]

03:10 PM on 03/17/2010

"I agree climate change is real -- but not man-made global warming."

In which case you disagree with the vast majority of climate scientists. Are you a scientist who can understand the science here on a deep level, ephoenix5?

[pleaseforce]

11:45 PM on 03/16/2010

Screw the deniers. The rest of us need to get to work and now. These exchanges are trivial and certainly not entertaining.

[MyTake]

11:28 PM on 03/16/2010

That sure didn't sound like Al Gore's voice over.

But no matter, the narrator should be showing the child a book written about the hydrogen economy that is being withheld from being released by the powers behind the British and American governments.

It seems strange that the woefully incompetent George Bush stood up in his second State of the Union address and stated that "a child born today will, in 20 years, be driving a pollution free hydrogen fuel cell electric powered car".

Now fast forward to Obama who appointed the Nobel prize winning Chu to his Dept. of Energy. Chu, within 25 days, chopped all funding to hydrogen fuel cell funded projects. The Senate later restored that funding and added further funds to hydrogen fuel cell R & D projects.

Now since Honda has a "production ready" hydrogen fuel cell car but can't sell it because there are no hydrogen gas pumps on the oil cartel controlled service station lots, this child should be asking the parent why he is still driving a car that's polluting the environment when he could be driving a pollution free hydrogen fuel cell car.

And since the British government is also suppressing the release of the hydrogen economy that would solve the environment issues, well you be the judge why this video is in play.

The hydrogen economy is a go right now and the masses are illiterate of the technology.

[M4DN3SS]

11:14 AM on 03/17/2010

Source? I'm not being argumentative. I really want to know.

[gallon]

11:55 AM on 03/17/2010

The hygrogen economy is a non starter. Do a little more reading on the subject before making such sweeping proclamations. The essential show stopper is infrastructure for hydrogen.

George Bush remains incompetent. Dr. Chu remains a Nobel prize winning physicist. Which do you suppose might have better actual insight into the physical problem?

[406stew]

09:26 PM on 03/16/2010

Great Ad! Nice to see someone has the courage to speak the truth about our denial and procrastination.

There are so many positive economic reasons to move away from fossil fuels, we will run out some day and the longer we wait the worse/expensive the transition will be. The US should be leading the way but we are letting the rest of the world advance in renewable energy tech and efficient transportation. Instead of developing this technology and selling it to the rest of the world we will be paying dearly to get it. Very Sad.

[Raleigh Latham]

07:44 PM on 03/16/2010

What, if anything the ad wasn't shocking enough. Old, ignorant white people, and the politicians that represent them (Inhofe, Palin) are throwing their children and grandchildren in harms way rather than deal with the reality of climate change. It will be the grandchildren of the baby-boomers that will have to deal with a world full of devastation and environmental collapse.

[sleeperd]

08:46 PM on 03/16/2010

Don't you get it?? It's over..Done...finito!!

The greatest class-warfare scheme in history has been debunked and you NeoCom fanatics and your Imam AlGore are being relegated to the ash heap of historical frauds.

People do not intend to stand idly by while you pompous Evangelists devastate our economies with $10 gas, $1,000 monthly electric bills and $10,000 annual heat bills.

Sayonara!

[SkiingGator]

10:19 PM on 03/16/2010

we'll say i told you so when Florida is gone

[SFTor]

07:43 PM on 03/16/2010

Why don't we tell it like it is? WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!

Really.

Run for the hills!

[Publicola]

10:05 PM on 03/16/2010

Yeah man - so forget about doing anything to protect anything or anybody.

[JEP57]

05:29 PM on 03/16/2010

I know it's just a commercial aimed at adults, but there's nothing worse that putting adult problems on the shoulders of kids who can do nothing about it, whether it's the parents bum marriage, how swamped you are with bills, the hijinks of the"those politicians in Washington", or a theory about a future catastrophe. I'm all for letting kids be carefree because it's only a matter of time before they start getting dragged down by life's problems.

[amber15]

11:50 AM on 03/17/2010

well, try to convince children in africa and india, (heck even hollywood) living on the streets that life should be carefree.....

[DrD]

05:21 PM on 03/16/2010

I teach the psychology of climate change. This is not an exaggeration. Climate change is occurring at an increasing pace. One solution -- stop eating meat. Raising livestock for human consumption contributes between 40-51% of greenhouse gases. Livestock waste fowls the earth, rivers and streams. Runoff from the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow corn for their feed (which gives them gas and makes them sick) is creating dead zones in the ocean. The dead zones are growing which means that they will not be able to support life.

So the Brits aren't exaggerating. And it is up to us to change the way we are living. How much do we really need? Watch the Story of Stuff. www.storyofstuff.com. And I just bought the book. I needed it.

[fumes]

05:32 PM on 03/16/2010

look up john tyndall drd..

in 1862 he described the greenhouse effect as a leaky dam..

and today that still stands as the best possible description of the greenhouse effect..

in fact you can still go out on any clear night and witness it.

[billshut]

08:37 PM on 03/16/2010

I think you might teach that psychology to alarmists for use to needlessly alarm others.

If you teach false or questionable science as fact as part of teaching the psychology of the subject, you need to be fired.

[TheMellowFellow]

10:09 PM on 03/16/2010

Like creationism?

[DrD]

11:19 AM on 03/17/2010

The science is not questionable. Besides, the effects of human pollution on the planet are escalating. Air pollution, water pollution, acidification of the oceans are affecting human health as well as planetary health.

[SuperBenFranklin]

05:04 PM on 03/16/2010

Bad things are happening. Very bad things are coming.

It is amazing that this ad is considered distressing?

They should really show what the future is going to be like. Just show it. Now that would be distressing.

[fumes]

05:27 PM on 03/16/2010

they can't silly..

there is no future! it is blank! ya can't show blank!

and thanks to CO2 we have CO2 to thank..

[dr-steve-pesyk]

05:02 PM on 03/16/2010

Not to be impertinent, but where is the Huffington’s May 21, 2011 End of World blog?
It is predicted by Family Radio to be the end of the world next year.
Where’s the coverage ?
They had a page on Huffington, now it’s gone.