World Wildlife Fund - empty outdoor billboards... Or are they?

Over in Norway, this current outdoor poster campaign for WWF-campaign created by 2008scandinavia might look empty at first glance.. But wait, isn't there something teeny tiny just barely visible right there in the poster..? Lets take a closer look shall we?

There is indeed something in the poster, endangered animals and the line "soon, you won't be able to see it at all".
JCDecaux donated the media space.

agemcy: 2008scandinavia.com

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tod.brody's picture

Those crazy Norwegians!!!

2008scandinavia's picture

2008scandinavia

Thanks, Tod. Yeah, we´re nuts.

tod.brody's picture

Yeah, I was married to one of you for ten years, I know.

2008scandinavia's picture

2008scandinavia

Married to a norwegian girl for ten years? No norwegian would dare participating in such an experiment. Respect, man.

tod.brody's picture

Yes, I should have my head examined, but then I did get two beautiful children out of the deal and that makes the whole thing blissfully worthwhile. :-)

2008scandinavia's picture

2008scandinavia

The very best of two worlds.

TDD's picture

The polar bear?

Polar bear hunting was banned in Svalbard in 1973, after 100 years of intensive exploitation. The population has recovered significantly in recent decades.

The Norwegian Polar Institute

Of the 13 populations of polar bears in Canada , 11 are stable or increasing in number. They are not going extinct, or even appear to be affected at present.

Dr. Mitchell Taylor, Polar Bear Biologist, Department of the Environment, Government of Nunavut, Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada

"Happiness is overrated."

TDD's picture

Thanks. I am currently reading through the scientific reports, but I didn't get to that part.

As far as the Endanger Species Act, and the 'environmental movement' goes, I share Penn & Teller's view on it:

(Sorry in advance for the crappy YouTube links)

Penn & Teller - Bullshit - Endangered Species 1/3

Penn & Teller - Bullshit - Endangered Species 2/2

Penn & Teller - Bullshit - Endangered Species 3/3

"Happiness is overrated."

tod.brody's picture

Here's another interesting article, Super Whale:The Use of Myths and Symbols in Environmentalism, by Arne Kalland, Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Oslo and Senior Research Associate at Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo.

tod.brody's picture

And this one: MONK SEAL MYTHS IN SARDINIA.
It's articles like these that made me question making donations to
WWF.  Of course a number of years ago when my then eight year old
asked for some money to give to WWF to help save some endagered species
I just smiled and gave it to him.  :-)

 

Plywood's picture

So they made ads that will be missed by 90% of people who walk by them.

Okay then.

2008scandinavia's picture

2008scandinavia

Thanks for interesting comments on our WWF-posters.

To the ones who brings up the polar bear: Off course you´re right, but WWF Norway wanted to use the polar bear to remind people about the fact that the arctic ice field is getting smaller and smaller year by year, and that threathens the ice bear.

And to Plywood´s comment. Your´re right a about the fact that most people will miss these messages. We hope that the payback and reaction of the people who actually discover the message will make it worth it. And these billboards are located at underground station where people stand and wait, not walk by, and in the winter time, most norwegian are packed in thick clothes anyway, so there´s nothing else to study than the posters at the station.

Excuse my broken english. Hope you get the point. It´s early in the morning, and after all, I´m scandinavian:)

TDD's picture

To the ones who brings up the polar bear: Off course you´re right, but WWF Norway wanted to use the polar bear to remind people about the fact that the arctic ice field is getting smaller and smaller year by year, and that threathens the ice bear.

The end is nigh, again.

I suppose deliberately lying to people is okay as long as they send in their donation?

Obviously, the WWF doesn't know much about the polar bear, or the Arctic. Here, you can see an image of the current sea ice.

Current Arctic Sea Ice Extent

The ice grows and shrinks every year in the winter and spring, respectively. Yes, the Arctic has summer, it gets warmer, and most of the sea ice (approximately an area the size of the continental USA) melts. It comes back in the winter. This season may set a record for the high rate at which the sea ice has expanded. Try to find that in the news. The prophesies of doom about the complete disappearance of the Arctic sea ice and the polar bear comes from flawed computer models. Sound familiar? (Think, Global Warming/Climate Change doom) It isn't hard science, it is crystal ball gazing.

Scientists only have accurate sea ice measurements (via satellite) for about 30 years. The ice has been growing and shrinking for thousands of years for which humans have no record. Scientists also know the Arctic was warmer about ten thousand years ago (and even as late as the 1930s) than it is today, and yet the polar bears survived.

There are also permanent polar bear populations as far south as James Bay in Canada. They don't all live in the high Arctic.

Oh, and the Giant Panda population has been increasing too.

I know this isn't the forum to be arguing about things like this. I just really dislike 'environmental groups' like the WWF that out-right lie about the environment.

"Happiness is overrated."

2008scandinavia's picture

2008scandinavia

Hi again TDD,

thanks for spending so much time commenting on our work. We´re not the experts here, but neither are we lightweight yudi hudi dudi ignorant blonde scandinavians who don´t give a shit as long as we get our poster up. (Well, I´m blonde, actually.) I´m looking forward to discussing this with WWF Norway, as they put their well educated, well informed, "very-anxious-to-say-anything-wrong-people" on this before they approved the message. The last thing they would like to be accused of, is lying.

Have a nice day. Best regards from the arctic region. A bit warmer than normal.

Imanaddy's picture

Knowing that they're at stations where there's nothing to do but wait and look at the posters I like them better.