Coal Mining Ad Mocked On Social Media, Slammed By Environmentalists

Coal Mining Ad Mocked On Social Media, Slammed By Environmentalists

The latest TV ad from the Minerals Council of Australia has been lambasted online for hailing coal to be “amazing”.

The 30-second ad, with a title ‘Coal. Isn’t it amazing’, showcases what looks like an other-worldly type surface, with a voice-over talking about how coal can provide jobs, infrastructures and the benefits of everyday life.

The YouTube ad has comments disabled.

Greg Evans, executive director – Coal at Minerals Council of Australia said in a statement to B&T:  “The response by anti-coal activists on Twitter to the Little Black Rock campaign is predictable and expected.

“We have been very pleased with the response to the campaign so far and it tremendous to have such strong engagement in social media as this only helps to get the facts on the table about positive contribution of the coal industry.

“The campaign will continue for some time yet and is supported by other information like Coal Hard Facts.”

Since the ad’s airing over the weekend, Kelly O’Shanassay, chief exective of the Australian Conservation Foundation, labelled the ad “ludicrous” when talking to The Guardian.

“Coal is a dangerous little black rock. Every climate scientist and almost every politician in the world knows that coal is very polluting and very dangerous. The only people who don’t get that are the Minerals Council and our government,” she told The Guardian.

“I’m glad that the Minerals Council has woken up to the 18th century potential of coal. I can’t wait until they see the 21st century potential of renewable energy.”

However, a spokesperson for the Minerals Council of Australia reportedly said: “This has been in train for some time. It’s fair to say there are a few misconceptions out there the industry wants to tackle. This is aimed at the general public but we obviously want the politicians to take notice of it.”

Social media has fired up, creating the hashtag #coalisamazing to mock the ad and the council behind it.




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