Aussie Raises $40K To Pay For 3 Huge Billboards Shaming Morrison’s Climate Response In Glasgow

Political comedian and A Rational Fear host Dan Ilic has raised well over $40,000 in 24 hours for his plan to put up three billboards about Australia’s current climate crisis in Scotland during the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference – also known as COP26.

On Monday, Dan announced he had bought billboard ad space in Glasgow during November’s climate conference, where world leaders get together to talk about the Paris Agreement and how they’re working to stick to it.

Dan plans to put up three big messages that will “set Australia’s record straight” about the country’s climate issues and challenge whatever Prime Minister Scott Morrison says in his talks – if he even shows up.

Help me erect 3 comedy billboards in Glasgow for COP26 to tell the truth about Australia’s climate action record. #auspol #comedy #satirehttps://t.co/VKBY3EV6u2 pic.twitter.com/ycurDc4Lgl

— Dan Ilic (@danilic) September 26, 2021

“Australia is famous at these talks for cheating, lying and giving fake commitments,” Dan wrote in the campaign’s statement.

“But this time it’s different, the world’s most powerful governments aren’t buying any of our bullshit.

“So the Australian Government is about to spend a tonne of money on ads to tell the world how much they’re investing in climate action and how much they’ve lowered their emissions, and spin up language and terms of phrase to make it look like Australia has done something. When, in fact, Australia has gone backwards over the last 15 years on climate action.”

To help keep these billboards up for the whole two weeks of the conference, he needed $12,225. In 24 hours, he had raised over $40,000.

At the time of launching the campaign, there were already two billboard designs locked in. The first – called “Cuddle A Koala!” – is a piece by Meanjin/Brisbane artist James Hillier (aka @nordacious) and depicts a woman hugging a koala while loggers destroy the animal’s habitat in the background.

The second is a more demure approach of… a kangaroo with its tail on fire.

The third billboard in the Scottish city is set to be created by a specific backer of the campaign, who donated a whopping $4k to have their own say. That one’s yet to be revealed but expect it to be another funny and pointed dig at whatever our country’s leaders are going to say about Australia’s current climate approach (or lack thereof).

Considering Dan’s now raised well over his initial target, he said he plans to used the extra funds to buy more billboards, ads, and posters to really drive the point home.