“If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.” – Guy McPherson.

I take McPherson’s words to heart – and it misses a beat on the gravity of the sentence. And how is McPherson labelled? As a gloom and doom prophet. Yet the man has enough scientific credentials to be rightfully termed a climate expert. But denial and toning down the imminent danger has become second nature to us – the planet killers. In mid-June this year, I was the first Pakistani to be selected for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Awarding Jury at Cannes Lions.

 An awarding juror means that one has to first judge the work online (only 3,000 entries – a piece of lead cake that broke my teeth) and then judge the shortlist in person in Cannes with 10 other award jurors. If I can attempt to create a metaphor for this experience, it would be that it is like trying to shut your eyes in front of such blinding brilliance, ignoring the whirring in your brain as you take in the striking points of view expressed by your fellow jurors, and then controlling the tug of war in your heart as you try to remain unbiased while your face is going green with envy over the awards you will be handing out. Truly an out-of-body experience – and not to be recreated at home, even if it is the kind of experience that leaves your lungs empty of air and your heart filled with gratitude.

This category deals with the 17 UN SDGs. They are no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water and on land, peace, justice, and strong institutions and partnerships for the goals.

What I witnessed in these categories was unprecedented innovation and simplicity of thought. ‘Test-icles’ for Fundación de Alba by Ogilvy Mexico City & Ogilvy Health New York was a cheeky campaign that asked men to use a pregnancy test to check for testicular cancer. Simple, available in most urban areas of the world and cheap to use.

The work done in the climate action category and life below water also stayed with me. Firdaous ElHonsali, vice president of Dove Masterbrand Global and North America, said that the ocean has a marketing problem, and we saw that repeatedly in works like ‘Rock Seeds’ and ‘Move to -15°C’.

‘Move to -15°C’ for DP World, by Edelman, won a Gold Lion with an idea that was so simple. The world can literally become a greener place by the simple act of moving a temperature dial. For decades, food and produce have been transported at below-18-degree temperatures. After careful study, it was discovered that below 15 degrees works just as well. A slight shift in perception and temperature – and a giant leap forward.

‘Rock Seeds’ for TBS, by Change, an FCB Alliance, was another unique idea. It was about converting seabed stones into kelp trees and bypassing their fragile growth phase. While the eyes of the world are fixed on forest fires, another type of forest under the sea is being destroyed – the kelp forests that absorb twice the amount of CO2.

Another beautiful idea was ‘Fishheart’ for Fortum, by TBWA. A wonderful, AI-driven way to help fish migrate through a floating hydraulic ‘fishway’ and spawn far from where dams are located (dams prevent migrant fish from making their return journey). The project was devised in collaboration with UNESCO.

Have you ever looked up at the sky and seen the white trails that aeroplanes sometimes leave? They are called contrails, short for condensation trails. Some contrails persist in the sky and contribute to climate change. ‘Contrails: Making Flying More Sustainable with Google AI’ for Google, by Google Mountain View and Google Creative Lab New York, won a Silver. Using AI, Google worked with American Airlines to find a way to guide pilots to change altitude and prevent the formation of contrails.

Another work I loved was ‘Filter Caps’ for Baylor Foundation and FILSA, by Ogilvy Columbia. These are completely bio-degradable caps that fit on most bottles and filter clean drinking water for people vulnerable to dehydration due to unsafe water. This campaign won a Gold.

A work that was a perfect fit for gender equality was ‘Pink Chip’ for UN Women NL and DEGIRO, by AKQA. I was blown away by its sheer brilliance and simplicity. Similar in concept to blue-chip companies on the stock exchange, ‘Pink Chip’ is the world’s first index to track the financial performance of female-led companies. Aimed at reversing the market bias against female leadership, the index highlighted the fact that companies led by women outperformed the market average. On International Women’s Day, ‘Pink Chip’ joined UN Women NL at the opening of the stock market at Euronext and went live on Europe’s largest investing online platform, DEGIRO. Within two weeks, there were over 14,500 new investors in pink-chip companies and a 6.7% increase in their stock price. The index has since climbed a further 9.48% and outperformed market benchmarks.

Finally, I want to mention the Medvedocky, called ‘Sightwalks’ for Cemento Sol, by Circus Grey Peru. Cemento Sol, a well-known Peruvian cement company, introduced an innovative series of cement tiles called Sightwalks. These tiles have numbered lines designed to assist visually impaired people to identify the nature of the services offered by the buildings they pass. By counting the lines from left to right with their walking sticks, they can determine whether the adjacent building is a shop, a bank, a grocery store, a hotel, a hospital, a bus stop or something else. ‘Sightwalks’ received a Gold.

These are just a few examples of the amazing impact creativity can bring to our planet. Marketers and advertisers have the power to persuade people to switch from one cola to another or one shampoo to another, so why don’t we use this power to create a greener and more inclusive world? Don’t take my word for it; see the work I mentioned here and get inspired to change the world for the better.

Atiya Zaidi is CEO and CCO, BBDO Pakistan and co-Founder, Shero Space. The views in this article are her own and do not reflect the views of any organisation. zaidipride@gmail.com