Comedian Dan Ilic raised $150,000 to put up electronic billboards in Times Square NYC, that shame the Australian government’s track record with climate change.
The campaign, titled “JokeKeeper”, aims to draw attention to Australia’s crap climate change targets ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow this month.
“In November Australia will be heading the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. This is where the entire world gets together and tries to workout how they can stay on track with the Paris Agreement so the world doesn’t end in a flammable meat ball, as it is currently on trend to do,” the campaign on Indigogo reads.
“Australia is famous at these talks for cheating, lying and giving fake commitments. But this time it’s different, the world’s most powerful governments aren’t buying any of our b******t.
“So we’re going to buy 3 Glaswegian billboards during the Climate talks to set Australia’s record straight and to let the world know that the people at the talks representing Australia don’t represent Australians.”
Within 2.5 hours of Dan Ilic’s campaign launching, JokeKeeper smashed its targets and decided to go bigger with billboards. TIMES SQUARE BIGGER.
Australian Government Against Humanity expansion pack : #JokeKeeper pic.twitter.com/BVoitdPRqe
— Dan Ilic (@danilic) October 14, 2021
Yes. Power to the People @danilic pic.twitter.com/bYQYMCWs6K
— Jac (@CultofJack) October 14, 2021
We’re LIVE pic.twitter.com/5s1udauAx3
— Dan Ilic (@danilic) October 14, 2021
Wow @danilic you absolute goofball this was amazing. pic.twitter.com/SsV0vSRi9W
— Paul Ford (@ftrain) October 14, 2021
Our billboard that got put up in Times Square as part of @danilic’s campaign. pic.twitter.com/d0jgVrgOeM
— The Chaser (@chaser) October 14, 2021
INCREDIBLE.
The 10 minute billboard slot cycled through nine designs, including a joke about koalas being extinct, a burning kangaroo and one purchased by The Chaser called “Coal-o-file Dundee”.
There was also a billboard that read: “Dear world… yeah, look… sorry about our government bullshitting about our emissions targets. Kind regards, people of Australia.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Ilic said that with the federal election looming, voting will “determine how many gigatonnes of fossil fuels remain in the ground instead of ending up in the atmosphere”.
“It’s up to us to stop that from happening and that’s what I’m doing. I’m making jokes. That’s my power. Other people should use their powers in their own way. I’m buying billboards because I don’t hold a hose, pretty much.”
