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Greta Thunberg Ad Mocks Mars Tourism: What About Climate Change?

In anticipation of NASA’s Rover attempting to land on Mars, the Greta Thunberg-founded Fridays For Future organization has released a mock ad about the hypocrisy behind the so-called Mars (and space, in general) tourism.
Mock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate change 8 photos
Photo: Fridays For Future
Mock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate changeMock ad blasts governments for funding Mars tourism, neglecting climate change
You can see the ad, put together by Los Angeles-based agency Fred & Farid, at the bottom of the page. Neither Fridays For Future nor founder Greta Thunberg seems to have released it on the usual channels like social media but sent it over instead to some of the major news agencies, including Euro News, which reposted it.

Called simply “1%,” the ad tells the story of the moment mankind is preparing to conquer – colonize, more like it – space. Mars is the perfect place to relocate to, as it offers unspoiled land, breathtaking views, and a clean slate to start from.

“Mars, an untainted planet, a new world where we can begin again,” a voiceover says, in the dramatic way we’re used to seeing in movies. “Mars offers the ultimate freedom.”

Toward the end of the ad, the viewer is asked whether he or she will choose to live the rest of their life on Earth or be a bold pioneer that helps turn the Red Planet into our next home. “And for the 99% who will stay on Earth, we’d better fix climate change,” it adds right at the end.

In a statement to the same media outlet, an FFF spokesperson says that the purpose of the ad was to “highlight pure nonsense.” That is to say, way to go governments of the world for investing billions into space exploration and leaving most of the planet’s population to die back on Earth! We’re paraphrasing.

“Government-funded space programs and the world’s ultra-wealthy one percent are laser focused on Mars (NASA’s Perseverance Rover alone cost $2.7 billion for development, launch, operations and analysis) – and yet, most humans will never get a chance to visit or live on Mars,” reads the exact statement from FFF. “This is not due to a lack of resources – but the fact that our global systems don’t care about us – and refuse to take equitable action.”

This view, even assuming it’s partly accurate, is simplistic. At best. But it does serve the purpose of getting people talking.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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