Big Oil's Climate Ads: Deceptive Practices and False Solutions Exposed

Four of the world's biggest oil and gas companies have spent the last 25 years deceptively portraying themselves as leaders in addressing climate change while simultaneously expanding fossil fuel production, according to a report from the Center for Climate Integrity.

The report, which analyzes over 300 climate-related advertisements from BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, states that these ads mask the harmful impacts of the companies' operations and perpetuate a false narrative that the oil industry is an essential partner in combating climate change.

Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, noted that this analysis is the first of its kind and highlights seven categories of deceptive advertising tactics. These include overstating efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, exaggerating investments in renewable energy, and deflecting responsibility onto consumers.

The report asserts that the industry's messaging transitioned from outright denial of climate change to promoting misleading solutions. Furthermore, it found that claims of significant emission reductions by these companies often do not account for emissions generated by their products, which constitute the majority of their carbon pollution.

Notably, BP and Shell abandoned their goals to significantly reduce emissions just four years after announcing plans to shift towards net-zero emissions. The report reveals that actual investments in renewable energy by these companies have been minuscule; BP spent only 2.3 percent of its total capital expenditure on renewables from 2010 to 2018, while Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil spent even less.

Additionally, advertisements promoting natural gas as a clean energy source ignore its substantial contributions to climate change, particularly due to methane emissions. The report also criticizes the promotion of carbon capture and storage as a viable solution, stating that most operations use captured CO2 to extract more oil, negating potential climate benefits.

Furthermore, ExxonMobil's advertisements concerning algae biofuels were deemed deceptive, as the company never built a commercial-scale facility for this technology. The report concludes that such advertising feeds a larger false narrative that oil and gas companies are part of the solution to climate change, allowing them to maintain a social license to operate while continuing to expand fossil fuel production.

This analysis is particularly relevant as the industry faces numerous climate accountability lawsuits aimed at holding these companies accountable for misleading claims. Wiles stated that any business engaging in such deceptive advertising must be held accountable.