how misleading advertisements are contributing negatively to global warming and their resultant impacts

how misleading advertisements are contributing negatively to global warming and their resultant impacts

Introduction

Global warming has resulted in detrimental outcomes in relation to the environmental crisis. This outcome has brought the issue to its crux as the pace of climatic change accelerates every day (Löwy et al., 2020). Notable outcomes include accumulation of carbon dioxide, increasing temperatures, droughts, floods and melting of the polar ice and snows. Consequently, scientific analyses further make situations a worrying trend. According to most studies, unless appropriate measures are implemented, chances of full-blown effects of global warming will be experienced soon (Löwy et al., 2020). Thus, it is everyone’s responsibility to communicate effectively and pass the message across, in an attempt to create awareness. Preferably, at the forefront of all these campaigns should be media outlets, organizations, industries and stakeholders, with the much-needed influence (Löwy et al., 2020). On the contrary, the same outlets mandated with the responsibility of creating awareness and spearheading campaigns against global warming, are the same giving out misleading misinformation. Coupled with the lack of effective communication, most advertisements have proved to be challenging to the course of addressing climate change. A notable example can be cited from BP who have continued to avail “misleading” ad campaigns on the general issue surrounding the use of fossil fuels. Therefore, this text will scrutinize how misleading advertisements are contributing negatively to global warming and their resultant impacts.

BP’s “Misleading” Ads on Global Warming

Currently, BP is running a campaign that stipulates that the company is committed to carbon reduction. However, after much scrutiny by both experts and the public, it is quite evident that the company is going contrary to its assertions (Laville, 2020). This notion emanates from the fact that the company is simultaneously using its oil and gas products in the advertisement. These products are consequently the cause for greenhouse gas emissions that play a crucial role in the current climate crisis (Plumer, 2020). Notably, these advertisements are going against international guidelines governing corporate products since they do not bear the necessary warnings about their effects. Fig 1 shows an example of such an advert by BP.

Fig 1: BP’s adverts on climate change (source: www.bp.com).

The adverts are seemingly common across major platforms. The company paid for the ads to be publicized across major television stations, magazines and billboards in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. Further, the oil company launched the biggest campaign ad campaign on both social media and online (Laville, 2020). The campaigns encompassed Facebook ads which reiterated that food waste may be applicable in aviation practices, and that natural gas was a type of clean energy (Le Page 2016). Notable slogans included “Keep Advancing” and “Possibilities Everywhere.” Essentially, BP’s adverts created an impression that the company was spearheading efforts to curb global warming (Plumer, 2020). For ordinary consumers, this move manifested as a way of racing towards renewables, meaning, the company’s gas is cleaner than its competitors.

However, the company’s adverts have all along been a smokescreen. Even though most of the ads focus on presumably clean energy, about 96 percent of the BP’s yearly principal spending comes from oil and gas (Plumer, 2020). BP is consequently using only $4 out of the possible $100 on low carbon ventures annually. The rest are utilized in fueling the global warming crisis. What this translates to is that most of the advertisements fronted by BP are just mere shows aiming at blinding people by appealing to their emotion (Laville, 2020). The company is capitalizing on the crisis for-profit purposes. Fig 2 Illustrates what goes on at BP factories.

Fig 2 Gas: Emissions (Source: www.guardian.com)

It is thus evident that most oil gas companies, just like BP, are using advertisements to confess their desire towards a low-carbon future; however their actions are contrary. BP, for example, is utilizing its financial power by spending millions of dollars to fight regulations put in place to cut carbon emissions (Plumer, 2020). Adverts by such a company are not comprehensive in regards to global energy demand. There is a need to eliminate the use of fossil fuel energies sources, like those associated with BP, Exxon and Shell (Laville, 2020). Additionally, subsequent adverts should preferably have warnings that make it evident that consuming the company’s oil and gas products intensify greenhouse gas releases that accelerate to climatic change (Plumer, 2020). Therefore, we can deduce that not all adverts on climate change serve their true intentions.

Advertisements Plunder Resources

People may fail to admit it, but advertisements are the biggest wasters of the planet’s limited resources. Globally, organizations spend several tens of billions of dollars on ad alone (Emodi, Chaiechi and Beg 2019). This amount is higher than the state budgets of most African countries. With such an amount, if the intentions were genuinely true, then efforts should have been placed on addressing global warming practically. All these resources should be channelled towards planting trees and enhancing security in major forests to deter deforestation (Ramirez-Ortiz et al. 2019). Furthermore, how many trees are cut globally for the sole purposes of printing the ever-increasing mass of advertising brochures. Not only that, the number of vegetation being fell to make billboards and poster to dominate street walls of major cities and towns is alarming (Ramirez-Ortiz et al. 2019). Therefore, it is evident that most advertisement negatively impacts global warming, especial when they are directly linked to the natural environment.

Additionally, advancement is a nuisance for climate and efforts taken to preserve the environment. For instance, over hundreds of millions of kilowatt-hours are always used to neon advertisement companies to light major cities, including Paris, China and New York (Emodi, Chaiechi and Beg 2019). What this translates is millions of garbage left behind by such events. Consequently, millions of tons of greenhouse gases are discharged to supply the energy required for the advertising circuses. Thus, the overall outcome is strenuous to the natural environment and directly contribute towards global warming (Emodi, Chaiechi and Beg 2019). Surprisingly, what these events do is just to convince people on non-issues for example, one determent is better than the other. Meaning, people are destroying the whole ecosystem at the expense of advertising a product which does not necessarily impact life to a significant degree. Most of these ad companies and platform have their sight on profitability instead of the general good (Löwy et al., 2020). Therefore, it is justifiable to presume that the advertisement industry poses more significant risks for the environment.

Advertisements Increase Advanced Consumerism

According to most environmentalists, advanced capitalism or rather consumerism has led to ecological disasters, specifically global warming. The culmination of such an outcome has been manifested through the promotion of advertisements. Most adverts have mastered the art of making consumers guilty through speeches bordering on frugality (Nuseir 2018). By running adverts touching on austerity, most of them force people to put less emphasis on environmental requirements. It is rather a fetishistic ideology characterized by a “cult” of commodity-worship that is promoted by advertisement companies and platforms (Nuseir 2018). Notably, adverts will never force individuals to reduce their standards of living or reduce their consumption through creating a system whereby people can be informed of their needs rather than wants (Löwy et al., 2020). Instead, adverts will force people into a lifestyle that impact global warming negatively. For instance, most adverts will subject people into the “Fordist” lifestyle. This type of culture is based on the rise of automobiles which have continued to affect the environment (Nuseir 2018). Notable outcomes include air pollution-carbon dioxide emissions and paving green spaces. Therefore, advertisements are driving environmental degradation by acting as catalysts for global warming.

Conclusion

In summary, the world can potentially escape the grip of advertisements and capitalistic reification. However, efforts must be in place to ensure that the right message by these adverts is properly disseminated. As already evidenced the effects of global warming has resulted in the accumulation of carbon dioxide, increasing temperatures, droughts, floods, and melting of the polar ice and snows. All these outcomes are detrimental to the environment. Hence, there is a need for global companies like to lead the efforts towards environmental preservations. Alternatively, all these efforts should begin by preserving natural resources and channelling finances towards conservation. Additionally, there is a need to address the issue of consumerism. According to most environmentalists, advanced capitalism or rather consumerism has led to ecological disasters, specifically global warming. Therefore, there is a need for purchasing products that people need rather than products hyped through advertisements.