Bedtime story advert too scary for children?
Drowning puppies and dying rabbits in ad to spread word on climate change
It begins with a heart-warming scene of a dad reading his daughter a bedtime story but ends with a tale of thirsty rabbits and puppy dogs drowning.
This ad, by The Department of Energy and Climate Change, has been launched to spread awareness of the danger of CO2 and global warming. However the government-backed campaign has caused more than 200 complaints from viewers, claiming it scared their children and is a waste of tax payer’s money.
Starting off innocently with a dad telling his daughter that scientists say that “strange weather” is being caused by “too much CO2, which went up into the sky when the grown ups used too much energy”, the commercial ends up showing dramatic scenes with sinking puppies and kittens floating on upturned tables and then rabbits weeping as drought sweeps the earth.
It has caused such uproar that a Downing Street petition has been called and has so far attracted 100 signatures. It has also sparked a political debate with Tory MP Philip Davies calling the ad “ludicrously appalling” and criticizing its tactics of frightening children.
Defending the campaign, energy and climate minister Joan Ruddock believes that its “creative approach” will make people listen. Plus, it isn’t for children, “The ad is directed at adults, but we know that the proposition to ‘protect the next generation’ is a motivating one,” she has said.
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