N. Ireland Environment Minister Bans Climate Awareness TV Ads - "Propaganda", He Claims - AFP

[hatrack]

Northern Ireland's environment minister came under fire Monday after he banned a climate change ad campaign, saying it was "nonsense" to suggest people could save the world by turning off their lights.

Sammy Wilson, a member of the Democratic Unionist Party which shares power with Sinn Fein in the British-ruled province, believes mankind is not to blame for global warming. He refused to allow an advertising campaign produced in London, which urges people to use less energy in the home, to be broadcast in Northern Ireland, saying it was simply "propaganda".

He argued the ads gave 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 40 feet of water", according to the BBC. "That is patent nonsense," Wilson added.

The Green party's representative in the Northern Ireland assembly, Brian Wilson, accused the minister of being "grossly irresponsible", while the Friends of the Earth environmental pressure group called on him to resign. "We urgently need someone in post that will take this job seriously," said Friends of the Earth's John Woods.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NIreland_environment_minister_bans_climate_change_ads_999.html

[patrice]

1. Odd thing for a guy from an island nation to say.

Not the first odd thing related to Ireland that I've heard lately.

We need a :puzzled: smilie.