A new TV advert showing polar bears hurtling from the sky and smacking the ground in bloody heaps is expected to generate plenty of controversy for climate change activist group Plane Stupid.

According to The Telegraph newspaper, Plane Stupid hopes that the advert, which is to be flighted in UK cinemas from Friday November 20, will raise awareness of carbon emissions linked to short-haul flights.

The clip opens with unidentified objects falling from the sky, with the sound of an airliner approaching in the background. As the noise of the aircraft grows louder, the viewer can see that the plummeting objetcs are polar bears falling onto buildings, parked cars and into the streets.

The advert ends with a message claiming that 400kg of greenhouse gases – equivalent to the weight of an adult polar bear – are produced per passenger on an average flight in Europe.

The advert is extremely bloody and, erm, hard hitting, and it will, no doubt, have the desired controversial effect, thereby raising Plane Stupid’s profile.

However, pushing too hard carries the risk of a backlash from people who might otherwise have been your sympathisers. People don’t like seeing animals getting hurt – well, not all people, anyway. The Telegraph story notes that a recent climate change advert from the British government showing drowning puppies and crying rabbits is to be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority after more than 375 complaints were received from the public.

Video: Link via The Telegraph

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