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We’re committed to climate conflict transparency and to use our creativity to inspire sustainable change

We’re committed to climate conflict transparency and to use our creativity to inspire sustainable change

Climate Emergency and Creative Conflict Letter

As creatives, communications agencies and media experts, we see the climate emergency.
Just over a month ago, Extinction Rebellion (XR) called upon advertising agencies to “Declare a climate & ecological emergency and act accordingly.”
We agree. Because creativity has consequences and our industry cannot be neutral. As communicators, we have the power to inspire change or to keep serving destruction.
We could end this letter here, with a commitment to use our power of persuasion and storytelling for the right side of history.
But a promise is not enough, because our industry hasn’t faced the same scrutiny as others. Remember, we’re good communicators and might be able to wiggle out of this.
OMBRA has committed that before this year is done, we will disclose our ‘climate conflicts’. Whilst respecting client confidentiality, we will reveal the percentage of our turnover categorised by industry, including income from fossil fuel companies and other high carbon clients.
You can find the list of other pioneering creatives and agency signatories here: https://www.creativeandclimate.com/
We know many of our colleagues and friends across the creative industry are anxious/terrified about the climate emergency. We also know that disclosing climate conflicts will be too early, and too controversial, for many Agencies today.
But, we firmly believe that we cannot serve climate solutions, whilst still serving the industries most answerable for causing the climate emergency.
And of course, disclosure is only the first step on a journey that must lead to divestment – divesting agency-client rosters of these clients. Agencies need to align our businesses with climate science, just like everyone else.
Thanks for the nudge, XR

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Pete Snow | Co-Founder and Head of Strategy
Pete’s passion for all things green and eco-friendly has driven his work with sustainability projects; with focuses ranging from turtles to turnover. With a background in international environmental policy and diverse experience within the corporate sustainability field, Pete is OMBRA’s lead strategist and loves it when a plan comes together.
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Let’s make the future more sustainable, more inspiring and less Mad Max…

Let’s make the future more sustainable, more inspiring and less Mad Max…

Have you ever noticed how the future is portrayed in films?

Blade Runner 2049; Children of Men; Mad Max: Fury Road; Geostorm.
If you’ve watched any of these dystopian disaster epics, you’ll know that we’re heading for a post-apocalyptic existence, struggling to survive in the geological wasteland that is Planet Earth. As entertaining as these movies may (or may not) be, the artistic vision for our future is often – well – pretty bleak.
As you already know, climate change poses a serious threat to future generations around the globe. Granted, it’s unlikely that tsunamis the size of skyscrapers will engulf cities due to malfunctioning climate-controlling satellites. Or, that society will devolve into tyrannical tribes, roaming the desert in search for Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.
But the reality is our world is changing.
Higher surface temperatures, rises in sea level, melting ice caps and glaciers. All the symptoms of global warming will affect regions across the world, causing catastrophic impacts to local communities and the natural environment.
Sounds terrifying, right?
To prevent a live-action version of Geostorm, without the special effects – we need to act to prevent climate change. And we need to act now.
At OMBRA, we believe that to galvanise society into action, sustainable or otherwise, people need inspiring examples to follow. They need to see what their lives could be like if they took the next step and believed in the power of their actions.

More half-full, rather than half-empty thinking.

Now, at this point, you may be reading this while adopting the fetal position to prevent any additional climate-related stress. We get it. Climate change can be a scary subject. Traditionally, whenever most people think of climate change, they picture an inevitable, looming disaster that presents massive, socio-political complex issues for future generations. ‘We can’t do anything about it’ etc.
Well. The truth is, we can.
Since the Industrial Revolution, scientific research has shown that human actions have been responsible for the increased concentration of greenhouse gases and levels of global warming.

Human Actions.

If we can change the actions that damage our planet and our societies, to ones that protect them instead – we can create a future where humanity exists in harmony with the natural world.
There are already pioneers among us who are developing the route for us to follow. Renewable energy innovations; Disruptive circular economic businesses; revolutions in sustainable agriculture and nutrition. The solutions to the universal issues affecting our planet are already out there. The question is, how do encourage people to go beyond our existing achievements and create lasting changes to our behaviour as a society?
The solution? We need to believe that our world can be better.

Our future deserves better than the one we imagine for ourselves

When it comes to predicting the future, it’s fair to say that people generally don’t adopt a very positive approach. Looking back at our selection of disaster movies – what is the one thing they all share? It’s that story of a dystopian future. A future where the world has fallen into decay. A future which doesn’t encourage, or inspire.
In many ways, when we think about the consequences of climate change, we’re often greeted with the same story. An uninspiring, daunting future of irreversible environmental damage, where our prospects for a happy, healthy existence are diminished.
But what if we rewrote the story for the world’s future?
What if, when we thought of the future, we reflected on our impacts on the natural world, took massive sustainable action and took responsibility for protecting the environment?
Well, that would be a story we could be all be inspired by.
We believe that while climate change presents humanity with an immense challenge, it also presents us with an incredible opportunity to create and build a better existence for ourselves and the planet.

Let's make our future a breathtaking one.

At OMBRA, we believe that to galvanise society into action, sustainable or otherwise, people need inspiring examples to follow. They need to see what their lives could be like if they took the next step and believed in the power of their actions. And what could be more inspirational than a majestic, vibrant and sustainable world.
Since our evolution, humanity has tried to separate itself from the constraints of the natural world. We’ve believed that we as a species were independent of our environment – victors of the apparent battle of man against nature. But the truth is humanity and the natural world have always been dependent on one another. We need to embrace and rekindle our relationship with the natural world. In the 4.5 billion years of our planet’s history, nature has always found a way to evolve and adapt to the external constraints placed upon it.
We say it’s time for humanity to take inspiration from our planet and plot our own sustainable evolution.
OMBRA’s foundations are based on the goal of reintroducing people to their interdependent relationships they have with the natural world. We wanted to harness the same emotions of wonderment and amazement people experience when surrounded by nature and use them to reach out to people across business, politics, and society.
Our purpose is to inspire people to imagine and create a progressive, sustainable future for the world. Through our combination of innovative sustainable strategy and beautiful creative design, our message to the world is simple yet powerful;
Make sustainability breathtaking

Are you ready to change the world?

We know following the sustainable road ahead to solve climate change will not be easy. But when our species put our minds to a task, we can solve anything.
Think about it.
We’ve cured diseases, built airplanes, and even sent a dozen-odd people to the moon and back. If we believe we can do something, history has shown us that we can do it.
We believe that while climate change presents humanity with an immense challenge, it also presents us with an incredible opportunity to create and build a better existence for ourselves and the planet.
And we know we’re not the only like-minded people out there.
While OMBRA’s journey has only just begun, we’re excited to get to work with fellow climate optimists and help people envisage the next generation of sustainable societies, businesses, and lifestyles for the future.
Together, we know we can create a future worth working towards and one that doesn’t create a backdrop for the latest cinematic disaster epic.
Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be showcasing our naturalistic ideas to all you would-be visionaries out there. So, keep an eye out and help us spread our vision of a sustainable future worthy of an Oscar or two.

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Pete Snow | Co-Founder and Head of Strategy
Pete’s passion for all things green and eco-friendly has driven his work with sustainability projects; with focuses ranging from turtles to turnover. With a background in international environmental policy and diverse experience within the corporate sustainability field, Pete is OMBRA’s lead strategist and loves it when a plan comes together.
OMBRA's Chameleon Logo

Want to read more?

Take a look at some of our other posts below: