Warning Labels for Gasoline Pumps?
Tobacco packaging warning messages have recently been required on cigarettes and other tobacco products in many countries worldwide in an effort to enhance the public's awareness of the harmful effects of smoking.
In a similar fashion, a
Canadian campaign is calling for all gasoline pumps to have warning labels on
nozzles to inform consumers on the effects fuels have on climate change.
Michelle Reeves at Our Horizon, the non-profit executing the campaign, states, "It's a cheap, simple idea that has the potential to change the way we think about, and address, climate change. They are modeled after cigarette package warning labels, which have been proven to work. Some people's behavior might change, but our ultimate goal is to create a shift in the political will to demand for alternatives, and create a space in the market for affordable alternative mobility solutions."
Images featured on the
mock-up labels include a drought-stricken landscape, at-risk species, and a
vibrant coral reef contrasted with a dead ocean floor, to name a few.
The images are
accompanied by a simple "warning" in red and white text on a black
background. Sample messages include: "Use of this fuel product contributes
to smog which may cause asthma and other respiratory problems in children"
and "Demand for this fuel product may harm wildlife and damage
ecosystems".
Climate change is a very
real threat and the campaign hopes to "create a shift in the social
environment to facilitate action on climate change."
For those of us who
don't pump our own gas (New Jerseyans and Oregonians), the labels won't have
much of an effect. But if the fuel dispenser labels follow the same trends as
the cigarette labels, there seems to be promise for creating awareness in the
rest of the United States and Canada. Once there is some traction in North
America, Our Horizon plans on taking this idea global.
The success of the
gas-pump labeling campaign hopes to parallel the success of tobacco warning
labels. A 2009 review on the effects of tobacco warning labels summarizes that
"There is clear evidence that tobacco package health warnings increase
consumers’ knowledge about the health consequences of tobacco use." The warning
messages "contribute to changing consumers’ attitudes towards tobacco use
as well as changing consumers’ behavior."
Being reminded at the
pump of what small things we do that may contribute to pollution and indirectly
to climate change will allow us to connect our daily activities to a bigger
picture. Similarly, gas pump warnings will be a means to educate the public on
climate change.
For more information
about the campaign, check out OurHorizon.org.
