Bloody Eco Ad Causes Sony To Pull Support from 10:10 Carbon Reduction Initiative

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The UK government campaign to lower carbon emissions by 10 percent starting on October 10, 2010 sounds like an eco-friendly idea that the public can get behind. But, the controversial ad that recently was created by Eugenie Harvey and written by Love Actually and Notting Hill scribe Richard Curtis and documentarian Franny Armstrong has had major corporate sponsors, including Sony and Kyocera, dropping their support for the cause.

The commercial was intended to be humorous, but the images of exploding school children, celebrities and athletes who did not comply with helping the environment has caused a stir. Warning: Video includes graphic gore.

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Sony issued the following statement:

Sony today strongly condemned the release by 10:10, the climate change campaign group, of a video entitled ’No Pressure’ that Sony considers to be ill-conceived and tasteless. The company also believes this video risks undermining the work of the many thousands of members of the public, schools and universities, local authorities and many businesses, of which Sony is one, who support the long-term aims of the 10:10 movement and are actively working towards the reduction of carbon emissions.

The short video, which was conceived, produced and released entirely without the knowledge or any involvement of Sony, violates the thoughtful and collaborative philosophy that Sony has consistently supported as we strive to become a responsible global citizen.

In a statement on the official 10:10 website, the director wrote, “This media coverage for this film was not the kind of publicity we wanted for the cause of saving the climate, nor for 10:10, and we certainly didn’t mean to do anything to distract from all the efforts of those in other organizations who are working so hard to secure effective action on climate change,” adding that they apologize to their corporate sponsors. Whether they intended to top the headlines with shocking antics or not, the campaign is definitely getting attention.