Did anyone at the Minerals Council of Australia or their PR agency really think a new ad campaign spruiking how “amazing” coal is wasn’t going to create a bit of a kerfuffle?

Dr. Mumbo couldn’t help but notice that the Minerals Council of Australia has taken a leaf from the marketing playbook of Mr Burns from The Simpsons’ for its latest ad campaign praising for the coal industry.

The campaign advocates for coal as an impressive environmental resource. A voiceover says: “Isn’t it amazing what this little black rock can do?” while the slogan of the campaign is: “Coal. It’s an amazing thing.”

The attempts to dispel the ‘myths’ around the big, bad coal industry is weirdly reminiscent of the propaganda video ‘Nuclear Energy: Our Misunderstood Friend’ shown at the power plant in The Simpsons.

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Minerals Council of Australia makes no mention of the negative impacts of coal mining, sweeping any concerns people may have under a figurative carpet. In The Simpsons video, leftover nuclear waste is literally swept under the carpet, with a character saying: “No problem. I’ll just put it where no one can find it for a billion years!”

Environmentalists have had a field day on social media, with the hashtag #Coalisamazing now trending on Twitter, leading to some very entertaining tweets:

For Father’s Day yesterday, coal made me breakfast in bed and spoilt me all day! #coalisamazing #qldpol #auspol http://t.co/o1d6ylsyUP — Tim Seelig (@Tim_Seelig_Aus) September 6, 2015

My uncle was killed in one of these cages when it hurtled into the floor of a mine shaft – #coalisamazing pic.twitter.com/aM7KyginbI — Jason Thompson (@Simulated_Jase) September 6, 2015

#coalisamazing – it’s taking such a dive economically that #renewables are now cheaper, easier & healthier for all! pic.twitter.com/2FTRzl4iqj — 350Australia (@350Australia) September 6, 2015

Comments have also been disabled on the Youtube video.

One social media user, Kelly O’Shanassy said: “Coal may have been amazing in the 19th Century but now that we know that coal pollution kills people and causes global warming, thinking its still amazing is unethical and negligent. Your product kills.”

While Chris Lawson commented: “Coal is amazing…Is this a Monty Python skit?”

Dr Mumbo suggests the tagline ‘Coal – fuelling social media since 2015’ for the next campaign.