In Celebration of COP21: The Best Eco-Friendly Ads

            Two weeks ago representatives from 196 countries came together in Paris, France for COP21, the United Nations climate change conference. On Saturday, December 12^th the group was triumphant in coming up with the first-ever global agreement to fight global warming, according to DOGOnews.

            The goal of the agreement was to ensure that the average global temperature does not increase more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The countries will do this by decreasing the use of fossil fuels that give off heat-trapping greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide. By 2050, emissions should be reduced to levels that can be absorbed by forests and oceans.

            The agreement was not completely universal. Some countries agreed to complete reduction of their emissions, including the United States and the European Union. Others promised to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted per unit of GDP. Some did not promise much of anything at all. The agreement is likely to have a disproportionate impact. 

            There are little ways to enforce or monitor with this agreement what each country is doing. More-over, each country has a strategy to reduce their emissions and will benchmark it over time to make sure they are reaching targets.

            Some problems the conference had in coming up with a consensus had to do with different countries’ niche interests. “Island nations, threatened with inundation, wanted tougher temperature targets,” according to The New Yorker. “The United States wanted stricter monitoring... Poor countries wanted richer ones to make clear financial commitments, and richer ones refused to make them.”

            I am from Buffalo, NY, a place known to have several feet of snow (by Thanksgiving) Two days after the historic agreement in Paris, December 14^th, Buffalo broke temperature records set in 1901, when its heat soared to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the old record of 64, according to WNY Weather. 

            How can people still be so ignorant to deny global warming is in effect? Just from the weather we are experiencing we should know that something is not quite right. The route of the problem of the destruction to our climate has to do with indifference. Unless it directly impacts our day-to-day life we do not care. We have known for years that the glaciers are retreating. We’ve seen ocean communities destroyed. The Great Barrier Reef is becoming smaller. Rainforests are becoming smaller. Animal species are becoming endangered and extinct. We see ourselves as human beings meant to use the resources of the Earth, not responsible for the maintenance of them.

            This is a very evident global problem, which is why it is one of the most relevant globalization discussions. What happens with our climate in one part of the world will have an effect on everyone. We are interconnected not just in our resources, but in the fact that we live together in this world. We are indifferent because the worst of the consequences have not yet arrived. The worst of the consequences are coming for later generations. We must act for our sons and daughters and our grandkids. For people to care about the environment they need to see its direct impact on their present lives. That is why they need to see their own future relatives when they look destruction in the eye. It is coming. That is why we have to start now to prevent it.

            While the Paris agreement is a benchmark for global efforts to fight against climate change, I still see much more work to be done. We are not acting as one global body. Governments have their own interests and their own agendas.

            There is also the problem of capability. Some of the poorer countries cannot financially support some of the changes that some of the richer ones can. If we truly wanted change wouldn’t we do all that we can to help other parts of the world also do their part?

            While climate change can be combated from international and national levels it is still the responsibility of the individual citizen to apply environmentally friendly choices into their lives. I think that in the United States brands should continue promoting eco-friendly products. Advertising can take advantage of this trend and be a catalyst of change for our consumer lifestyles.

            People think that advertising creates consumerism. I think advertising exists because of consumerism. I think that advertising has the power to define what consumerism truly means.

            These are a few of my favorite ads about being environmentally friendly from around the world. A lot of these are from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF):

1.   Biocoop: The Most Eco-friendly Campaign Ever 

Fred & Farid, Paris, France

2.   WWF: Save Paper, Save the Planet

Saatch & Saatchi, Copenhagen, Denmark

 

 3.   BUND: Every 60 Seconds a Species Dies Out. Each Minute Counts

Scholz & Friends, Berlin, Germany

4.   Global Action in the Interest of Animals- Plastic Bags Kill

BBDO Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5.   WWF: Deforestation And The Air We Breathe Before It's Too Late

TBWA, Paris, France

6.  Coca Cola and WWF: This Billboard Absorbs Air Pollution

Phillipines

7.   What Goes Around Comes Around. Keep the Sea Clean
JWT, Dubai, UAE

8.   Deforestation Continues With the Turn of a Page
LINKSUS, Beijing, China

 

9.   WWF: Frightening vs. More Frightening

DDB&CO, Istanbul, Turkey

10.   Volkswagen: The Dark Side
United States

Hope you enjoyed these! I really think that if advertising reminds people to take care of the environment it is the step in the right direction. As consumers we need to convince big brands that we value eco-friendly products and sustainability. Business is supply and demand. Let's demand a consumer culture that is better for our environment!

Cheers!
Laura