O Brother: The Coen Brothers target the coal industry

In the month that James Hansen repeated his call for a total moratorium on coal-burning, the Coen Brothers have completed their first advert for The Reality Coalition , a campaign targeting the US coal industry. The coal-based energy industry is one of world’s most significant producers of greenhouse gasses. The Coen’s mock the coal industry’s as yet unproven claims that it can produce “clean coal” power through carbon capture – the untried technology to be used at the new Kingsnorth power station planned by EON. “Clean coal,” goes the ad’s slogan cynically, “harnesses the awesome power of the word ‘clean‘.”

EDIT Feb 27. This morning’s Guardian: Carbon capture won’t work until 2030, says energy boss.

Comments

• Recent comments

  • William Shaw on The thing we shouldn’t be asking artists to do
  • Hannah Rudman on The thing we shouldn’t be asking artists to do
  • nuclear energy and illustrating the consequence « Sound of water on The thing we shouldn’t be asking artists to do

• Archives

  Select Month April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

• Recent Posts

  • Art, Ecology and Citizen Power
  • The thing we shouldn’t be asking artists to do
  • Another kind of model village…
  • Furtherfield.org: The Zero Dollar Laptop
  • On houses that fall into the sea

• Find out about the RSA

  • The RSA website
  • Contact the RSA
  • About the RSA
  • RSA Events
  • RSA Fellowship
  • RSA House
  • RSA Projects
  • RSA Comment

  Follow the RSA on Twitter

• RSA Vision

  
  View all videos...

• RSA Animate

  
  View more animations...

• RSA Comment

  • ‘Globaloney’ and the myth of the borderless economy
  • RSA Animate – 21st century enlightenment
  • The Big Society needs greater equality

• RSA Projects blogs

  • Connected Communities
  • Social Brain
  • Arts and Ecology
  • Design and Society
  • Design and Behaviour
  • Education
  • Public Services
  • Citizen Power
  • Technology in a Cold Climate

• Arts & Ecology Centre

  The RSA Arts and Ecology Centre is an organisation whose role is to catalyse, publicise, challenge and support artists who are responding to the unprecedented environmental challenges of our era. Using their inspirations, RSA Arts and Ecology aims to create a positive discussion about the causes and the human impact of climate change through commissioning, debate, interdisciplinary discourse and a high-profile website.
  
  The RSA Arts and Ecology Centre was set up by the RSA in 2005. The centre's head, Michaela Crimmin, says "Artists have always had a powerful relationship with the natural environment. Equally artists continually question and re-examine society's notions of progress. We need their unique perspective on the enormous challenges ahead - on the relationship between environmental issues, and not least climate change, and people."
  
  RSA Arts & Ecology on Facebook
  RSA Arts & Ecology on Twitter
  RSA Arts & Ecology on Vimeo
  RSA Arts & Ecology on Ning
  

• Subscribe via email

  Get blog updates in your inbox!
  
  Enter your email address:

• Arts and Ecology on Twitter

• Tags

  Activism Add new tag Apocalyptica Arts & Ecology Arts Catalyst Arts for COP15 Artworks Bill McKibben Bloggers circle Blogs Bob and Roberta Smith Bourriaud Cape Farewell Chico Mendes Climate change Climate Rush COP15 Criticism Current affairs Damien Hirst Exhibitions Film Fourth plinth George Monbiot Gustav Metzger Heather and Ivan Morison ICA Jeremy Deller Land art Literature Music New Museum Nuclear Power Olafur Eliasson Photography Protest Radical Nature Respond! RSA Superflex Tate Theatre TippingPoint Tomas Saraceno WWF

• RSA Bookshop

  
  The RSA Bookshop, in partnership with Blackwell's the UK's leading academic bookseller, offers Fellows and friends an opportunity to purchase books and to explore our speakers’ ideas in greater detail. Visit the RSA Bookshop.

• Future RSA Events

  • RSA at the Birmingham Book Festival - State of Emergency October 20, 2010
  • RSA at the Birmingham Book Festival - Reporting Live From The End of the World October 15, 2010
  • RSA at the Birmingham Book Festival - Dispatches from the Dark Side -The Death Of Justice October 8, 2010
  • RSA at the Birmingham Book Festival - Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No-One Can Pay October 7, 2010
  • RSA at the Birmingham Book Festival - The Wavewatcher's Companion October 5, 2010