“Allowing automobile advertising is akin to allowing tobacco advertising,” states the movement in a press release, emphasizing the urgency of establishing “an effective system of free public transportation that meets people’s needs.”
In observance of International Day Against Advertising, observed today, supporters of the Climáximo collective have replaced advertisements with artworks near the transportation stations of Santa Apolónia and Cais do Sodré. These artworks highlight the impacts of automobile advertising.
The aim, they mention, is “to draw attention to the negative consequences of automobile advertising,” featuring ads that “perpetuate stereotypes and encourage individualistic automotive excesses incompatible with a fair and ecological energy transition that prioritizes public transport.”
Artist Michelle Tylicki was among those invited to create one of the posters, drawing inspiration from the 15th-century Flemish tradition to warn of the current world’s risks.
“Like a Van Eyck altarpiece for the collapse era, this piece portrays The Last Judgment. It condemns advertisers and car manufacturers who sell speed and excess as salvation,” the artist, quoted by the movement, explains.
“Tesla and the electric vehicle industry disguise destruction with a green halo, but more cars—electric or not—won’t save us,” she adds.
Climáximo argues that the “transportation sector, largely powered by fossil fuels, is responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions,” and the solution lies in “a free, effective, and accessible public transportation system for everyone across the territory, including international connections.”
The movement recalls a proposal it introduced a month ago, the “Climáximo Disarmament and Peace Plan,” which outlines “a realistic, fair plan compatible with climate crisis deadlines to achieve this energy transition and create a public transportation system for everyone, among other measures needed for large-scale social, labor, and production transformation.”
