Sammy Wilson and the climate change ad ban

Wednesday 25 March 09

Northern Ireland's environment minister Sammy Wilson, who believes mankind is not to blame for global warming, banned government climate change adverts from local television (watch it here). He blocked the broadcasting of the Act on CO2 ads because he believed it was green "propaganda". The Democratic Unionist MLA is renowned for being a vocal climate-change sceptic. He said he would not allow this "insidious New Labour propaganda campaign" to be imposed on the Northern Ireland public.

The adverts urge the public to reduce energy consumption and cut carbon dioxide output by switching to energy efficient lightbulbs and not leaving televisions on standby. Wilson said the ads were "giving people the impression that by turning off the standby light on their TV they could save the world from melting glaciers and being submerged in 40ft of water", which was "patent nonsense". The Minister said he wrote to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change to say that the Act on CO2 campaign "was not welcome", was contrary to his personal views, and warning that future ecological messages could only be promoted in Northern Ireland with his permission.

This has led the Northern Ireland assembly's only Green party member, Brian Wilson, to put forward a motion calling for the minister's removal. The North Down MLA said: "Our environment minister is being grossly irresponsible in refusing to encourage energy efficiency." The SDLP backs that call. A spokesman, Tommy Gallager, said: "It is one thing for Sammy Wilson to hold weird views on climate change ... it is another when he uses his position to pursue causes which are in conflict with the objectives of the department he is supposed to be leading and with the DUP's manifesto commitments."

What are you views on this issue, do you agree with the Minister? Do you think there is too much worry about climate change? Does evidence support it?

Is an advert that is encouraging the public to be less wasteful with energy usage a useless waste of money or can it produce any benefits?

Let us know your thoughts about it in our forum!!!