Apparently, Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, feels that business can do what his government doesn’t want to when it comes to tackling climate change.

In an interview with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on November 13, he said, “I’m very confident we can solve this. I have much more confidence based on the track record of world history that this will be solved by the entrepreneurs and the scientists and the industrialists and the risk-takers and the investors, and supported by smart regulation.”

World history’s track record of solving problems has always needed great creative thinking getting people to back ideas – “the power of the people”. Cresta has announced plans to fund a competition looking for outstanding communications ideas to help tackle the global environmental crisis.

Students and young creatives will be invited to submit proposals on how to persuade people to live in a more planet-friendly way. Winners will receive cash prizes and the chance to see their entry brought to reality and published across the world.

Full details of the free-to-enter competition will be launched in January, with results announced in late spring. The organisers will be announcing additional brand, media and agency partners to ensure the widest possible exposure for the winning work.

Alan Page, Cresta President, explained, “The biggest burden in tackling the climate crisis lies, of course, with the governments, organisations and corporates, many of them represented in Glasgow this past fortnight. But it is also vital that we all adapt behaviours. Creative communications can play an essential role in delivering these changes, as they have with so many issues in the past.”

Lewis Blackwell, Cresta chief executive officer, added, “In our own small way we want to further the work of COP26. The communications industry has a vital part to play in driving changes in behaviour. In particular, it can play a tremendous role in combating the rise of ‘inactivism’ pressure, which is where climate change denial has now retreated. The new generation of creatives deserves a global outlet for their frustrations and fears on the issue of climate change, along with a constructive opportunity to make a difference using their core skills.”

Organisations interested in working with Cresta on the campaign are invited to contact climate@creativestandards.org. Prospective entrants are also welcome to sign up for the launch pack by emailing their details.

Cover image: Damian Denis @ Unsplash