A free-to-air television watchdog has prevented the broadcast of commercials for an Adelaide solar shop, in which a prominent scientist describes climate change as the "greatest threat to mankind".
The Commercials Advice regulatory body had initially approved two 30-second advertisements for The Solar Shop - an Adelaide store that sells solar electricity products. One of the ads, sponsored by the Nine Network, features prominent South Australian scientist Tim Flannery describing climate change as the "greatest threat to mankind". The other commercial ends with the words "Solar Shop - we're doing Kyoto anyway".
The two advertisements were supposed to air from on Sunday night. However, Solar Shop managing director Adrian Ferraretto said less than 48 hours prior to the planned broadcast, the store was notified by email that Commercials Advice did not want them screened. "They said we want you to pull them because it says ... that climate change is the greatest threat to mankind," Mr Ferraretto said.
"They said `you can't say it's the greatest threat to mankind', there's no proof...'." But Mr Ferraretto said he felt the real problem may have been the statement about Kyoto. "We wonder if that statement has ruffled some feathers," he said.
EDIT
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Ad-banned-for-climate-change-claims/2006/02/28/1141020046778.htmlhttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x44225