Watchdog bans solar ad featuring Flannery A

via ABC http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1578368.htm

Watchdog bans solar ad featuring Flannery

A free-to-air television watchdog has prevented a commercial involving a prominent South Australian scientist from being screened, sparking claims of political interference.

The advertisement for the Solar Shop in Adelaide featured Dr Tim Flannery.

In the ad he described climate change as "the greatest threat facing humanity" - a statement which was rejected by the Commercials Advice regulatory body.

Dr Flannery says the move reflects an ignorance of the issue rather than a wider conspiracy to suppress information.

"I was surprised actually," he said.

"But then on reflection I thought 'Well perhaps a lot of people don't understand the full implications of what we're facing with climate change'.

"And if they don't recognise it as the most severe threat, then really that's a matter for some more education perhaps."

The Solar Shop's managing director, Adrian Ferraretto, says he believes an indirect reference in the commercial to Australia's rejection of the Kyoto Protocol may have triggered the ban.

"At the end of the commercial we have a tag which says we're doing Kyoto anyway, and I think that may have had something to do with the banning of the ad," he said.