Brisbane Airport Corporation has vetoed a “political” billboard asking for climate change to be added to this month’s G20 conference.
The billboard - backed by nine national and international conservation groups - was planned for Brisbane International Airport.
A second billboard is being unveiled in Peel Street at South Brisbane on Monday.
The groups wanted world leaders and their delegates to see the billboard as they arrived in Brisbane.
The #onmyagenda campaign encourages people to tweet G20 leaders asking them to include climate change as a stand-alone item on the G20 agenda.
Climate change issues have been on the agendas at eight previous eight G20 summits.
It is not on the agenda in Brisbane.
The decision comes as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Sunday released its most recent report on the impact of climate change.
The report found that the world must stop almost all greenhouse gas emissions through a phased elimination of fossil fuels by 2100 if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged companies to disinvest from fossil fuel-based industries.
In broad terms, the UN IPCC report finds there are “multiple pathways” available to keep global warming below two degrees.
All of these pathways require “substantial” cuts to greenhouse gas emissions over the next few decades, and “near zero” emissions by the end of the century, the report’s authors concluded.
BAC told Fairfax Media the billboards were rejected last Wednesday because they were deemed to be “political”.
Fairfax Media was told BAC had a “long-standing policy” to reject advertising which it deems political.
The proposed airport billboard featured South Australian grape farmer David Bruer, who lost $25,000 of grapes last season when temperatures reached 46 degrees at his vineyard.
“Climate change is on my agenda because farmers are experiencing severe crop and quality losses from extreme heatwaves, sunburn and devastating frosts—all of which are becoming more frequent,” he said in a statement.
The billboard at South Brisbane features firefighters raising concerns about the increasing number of bushfires and the broader “firefighting” season as temperatures slowly warm.
World Wildlife Fund, one of the nine groups asking for the billboard to be in place, said they were surprised the billboard was rejected by Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Chief executive Dermot O’Gorman said climate change was a global problem affecting economies, societies and environments around the world.
“We can’t afford to sweep it under the carpet; we owe it to future generations to deal with it right here, right now,” Mr O’Gorman said.
“That’s why it’s important it’s a major item on the G20 agenda.
“There is no solution to climate change without G20 members on board. These countries are responsible for around 80 per cent of global emissions and more than 80 per cent of global economic activity.
“Climate change is on the agenda of Australians and people around the world, that’s why our campaign uses real people dealing with the profound impacts of climate change.”
The G20 #onmyagenda campaign organisations are Oxfam, Greenpeace, 350.0rg, WWF, Earth Hour, GetUp, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, and 1 Million Women.
A Brisbane Airport Corporation spokeswoman said the airport’s public relations firm, Ooh! Media questioned two versions of the billboards early last week in relation to BAC’s advertising policy.
The company referred the billboards back to BAC.
That policy prevents advertising which is designed to deliver a political resonse to an issue.
The spokeswoman said there was no judgement on “climate change” per se.
“We didn’t make a value judgement on the content,” she said.
“The billboard was designed to elicit a political response, so it was deemed a political ad.”
It was vetoed on Tuesday and World Wildlife Foundation was informed on Wednesday.
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman told reporters this morning the Queensland Government was not involved in the decision to reject the billboard.
“That is a matter between the airport and themselves, it is not as a request of this government,” he said.
“Again, we are not about [stopping] people from expressing their democratic views, I am sure there will be protests [at the G20], all I ask is that it is a peaceful protest.
“It is an opportunity for people to have their say on domestic and international issues - as long as it is peaceful, I am very relaxed about it.”
Brisbane Airport Corporation operates under federal government guidelines.
