For decades, the prospect of alien contact has been fertile ground for books, films, and TV shows, not to mention the driving force behind many a conspiracy theory. Some like to think aliens would come in peace, offering help or even salvation to the human race; but many believe aliens would be more likely to invade Earth, taking its resources and destroying the planet in the process.

In its latest campaign, climate action movement Fridays for Future US – the American wing of the organisation set up in 2018 when Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate – puts forward a different theory altogether: aliens are already among us, wreaking havoc on our home while we stand by and watch.

The campaign suggests that the destruction already taking place at the hands of those who do not believe in anthropogenic climate change looks a lot like the sort of extraterrestrial-driven destruction we have long feared.

Creative agency Fred & Farid created four posters that reveal the ongoing threat posed by uninhibited resource extraction and human activity. These include the dizzying amounts of carbon released by passenger vehicles, oil consumption, and deforestation, as well as the widespread loss of much-needed carbon sinks in the world’s oceans due to overfishing.

Featuring ominous illustrations by American artist Paul Chan, the posters exhibit a signature sci-fi style, including War of the Worlds–esque titles in big, bold typefaces. The images themselves depict anonymous figures drilling for oil, cutting down trees and spearfishing. Their strange masks hint at the sort of otherworldly attire we associate with space exploration and sci-fi films.

This campaign comes at a crucial time for the US, with the midterm elections just around the corner and current data showing that 139 elected officials in the 117th Congress still deny the scientific consensus of human-caused climate change. In the run up to the big day, it’s crucial that voters be made aware of this, and aware of what is at stake.

“Every election is a climate election,” says Liv Schroeder, Fridays for Future US policy director. “The midterms will decide Congressional action on the man-made climate crisis for the foreseeable future. Americans across the country are watching our seas rise, our houses burn, and our air thicken with smoke. It’s time to elect climate champions who will represent their constituents and fight for our people and planet.”

fredfarid.com