Meet the Young Creators Highlighting Climate at Cannes

The kids are not alright. As expected, this year's Cannes Lions festival has been rife with colorful beachside activations, invitations into the metaverse and shiny new awards. But in the midst of all that, young creators affiliated with activist group Clean Creatives have been pushing their own agenda to the surface—demanding that the industry face its role in the climate crisis. To do so, they've been stopping festival-goers along the Croisette, asking pointed questions following panel discussions and making TikToks that highlight the ad industry's work with fossil fuel companies. A sampling of that content is below. https://twitter.com/tolmeia/status/1539484386101436419?s=20&t=fhtBDJAXfe_bnAk0P8d_EA "There's something ironic and disturbing about the Cannes Lions festival," Duncan Meisel, director of Clean Creatives, said in a statement. "We're surrounded by the most [decadent] of settings—yachts and all—to celebrate the impacts of some of the biggest agencies who actively work with climate-wrecking oil and gas companies. Our mission is to ask the greatest creative minds in the industry to stop using their skillset to misinform, and become part of the solution." https://www.tiktok.com/@cleancreatives/video/7111675716793552171?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 Clean Creatives isn't the only group pressuring the industry on climate issues at Cannes. Greenpeace has also made headlines with stunts that included interrupting the opening ceremony. The environmental organization went even further, sending its activists atop the Palais with flags urging the industry to support a ban on fossil fuel advertising and sponsorships. https://www.tiktok.com/@cleancreatives/video/7111297706575858987?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 https://twitter.com/cleancreatives/status/1539892452391280641?s=20&t=73U2kOvEQM8iwkrsWA1RaQ https://twitter.com/Edina_Ifticene/status/1539195466990108672?s=20&t=73U2kOvEQM8iwkrsWA1RaQ A small portion of the festival's official programming has also reflected the need for an industry-wide climate response. Lisa Merrick-Lawless, co-founder of the climate-focused advertising network Purpose Disruptors, was revealed to be one of Cannes Lions' secret speakers on Wednesday morning. Merrick-Lawless spoke to 400 delegates about the "Good Life 2030." The project aims to reimagine what the ad industry stands for in the midst of the climate emergency and how it can reshape our ideas of what defines a good life. “We are in a moment of crisis—a crisis of imagination," Merrick-Lawless said in a statement. "As an industry, we aren't being very imaginative about how we help in the climate emergency. By participating in the Good Life 2030, we can use our collective imagination to create new visions of the future and shape society." The Need for Climate Action Is More Urgent Than Ever. Can Cannes Lions Deliver?

Cannes Lions

How Young Creators Are Turning the Cannes Conversation to Climate

Here are some highlights from Clean Creatives' on-the-ground social content

Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom