the social licence watchdogs unleashed

on 14 august, notorious australian art group pvi collective (under the guise The Social Licence Watchdogs) delivered 8ft tall ‘invoices’ – totalling tens of billions of dollars – to woodside, chevron, bhp, glencore and inpex for the social cost of their C02 emissions, to be displayed at the art gallery of western australia 21 aug – 9 sep 2024.

fictitious corporate regulator The Social Licence Watchdogs have used a calculation known as the ‘social cost of carbon’ – cited by the obama administration’s chief economist as “the most important number you’ve never heard of” – to place a dollar value on the environmental and societal damage caused by co2 emissions. The Social Licence Watchdogs have tallied the figures and billed australia’s worst emitters accordingly.

pvi’s chief executive artist and co-founder, kelli mccluskey, said the satirical, radical performance and exhibition of ‘invoicing’ major polluters for these overdue reparations is arguably the collective’s most perilously important work produced in its 25 year history.

“while the watchdogs as a ‘regulator’ may be our invention, the social cost of carbon is very real,” said mccluskey.

“despite the majority of australians’ concerns for the fossil-fuelled climate emergency, the world’s biggest contributors to it, some of which have huge WA operations, are largely continuing business-as-usual or even expanding their exploits with seemingly little or no credible plans to decarbonize.”

“we’re asking people to consider, what is the true cost of enabling multi-national polluters to operate in this country and who should pay for the damages as a result?”

“think of it this way; if a corporate entity pollutes a body of water or land, they’re liable for that damage. but pollute the atmosphere, which impacts us all, and somehow no one is held to account! it’s time to reframe the climate change conversation and we feel the arts can play a significant role.”

enter pvi’s playful yet seriously thought-provoking creative intervention. The Social Licence Watchdogs’ ‘first and final’ invoices hand-delivered reveal each company’s debt to society (the ‘social cost of carbon’ payable according to their emissions). companies’ failure to pay, or call to arrange a ‘payment plan’ within 21 days – e.g. six easy instalments of 71 billion dollars! – will see their ‘social licence to operate’ revoked.

“if we consider a social licence symbolic tacit approval that the community grants an entity to conduct business, then why can’t a social licence be symbolically taken away?” said mccluskey.

The giant invoices will exhibit publicly in the art gallery of western australia (agwa) from 21 august to 9 september, alongside a hand-sculpted urn pvi commissioned from internationally celebrated local artist abdul-rahman abdullah. the urn is set to house companies’ revoked social licences, which will be shredded upon failure to settle their accounts by 3 september.

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