PR Firms Are Being Shamed For Helping Fossil Fuel Companies 'Green' Their Image

As public pressure mounts to tackle climate change, the oil and gas industry has doubled down on its decadeslong effort to position natural gas as part of the solution . But with people increasingly aware of the downsides of natural gas methane emissions that counteract much of its carbon savings, unsafe levels of indoor air pollution , and radioactive waste , to name a few and multiple cities banning natural gas in new buildings , its become a tougher sell.

Thats where public relations and advertising have long lent a hand designing campaigns that shift attention away from the industrys problem areas. Last year, Porter Novelli helped craft a marketing campaign for the lobbying group American Public Gas Association that highlighted the possibilities of upward mobility powered by natural gas, particularly for young people of color without saying natural gas too loudly. Its the sort of thing PR pros have done for the fossil fuel industry for a century.

But then suddenly, in November, the self-described purpose communications consultancy dumped APGA.

Porter Novelli is committed to regularly assessing evolving issues, the science that guides them and their impact on diverse, global audiences, the firm said in a statement to New Yorker writer Bill McKibben . As such, we have determined our work with the American Public Gas Association is incongruous with our increased focus and priority on addressing climate justice we will no longer support that work beyond 2020.

It was the first claimed win for Clean Creatives, a new advocacy campaign aimed at the marketing and advertising firms that have helped the fossil fuel industry establish and maintain its position in society. Clean Creatives considers their push a first step toward widening the circle of climate accountability.

Our hope is that we can lead to a full reconsideration of the PR and ad industries role in propping up the power and influence of the fossil fuel industry, Duncan Meisel, Clean Creatives campaign manager, told HuffPost. Theyve played a really crucial role in extending the lifespan of the fossil fuel industry, and they also have an opportunity to help us move beyond it.

Id like to see creatives ... start to either question the work theyre doing or refuse to work on these accounts.
- Christine Arena, former Edelman executive and consultant for Clean Creatives

In a lot of ways, the PR industry and the fossil fuel industry have grown up together. The modern oil industry began in America, and the modern PR industry was born here too, spawned as a way for corporations to deal with muckraking journalists. Since its inception in the early 1900s, the PR industry has counted fossil fuel companies among its top clients. It was Standard Oil publicist Ivy Lee who came up with the idea of bringing all the oil companies together in one trade group, the American Petroleum Institute, in 1919.

PR and advertising agencies have helped the industry craft its image as central to both the economy and patriotism after all, America started the oil industry so if youre against it, you must be against America, and capitalism too. (Many of the first publicists cut their teeth helping the government sell wars to the public. Even the phrase public relations was an attempt by early practitioner Edward Bernays to rebrand propaganda after the Nazis had sullied that term.)

A centurys worth of propaganda laid the groundwork for denying climate science. When oil companies and some of their favorite think tanks began to publicly question the validity of climate science in the 1990s, communications consultants specifically targeted groups with a high degree of emotional connection to patriotism, capitalism and masculinity. Their campaigns focused on the Americanness of the industry and its importance to the economy, alongside assertions that the science was uncertain and there was no need to panic.

Environmental sociologist Robert Brulle has been studying these campaigns for years and says whether its a Super Bowl ad or a speech to Congress, the message generally touches on the same key points: The idea that [oil and gas companies are] responsible actors addressing this issue. And that theres no need for any kind of government regulation or intervention. And that if we did have intervention, it could upset our economy and lead to the loss of our wonderful way of life. And, oh, by the way, were really not all that sure about the science anyway. And weve got time to study this more... And here we are 31 years later and we still havent taken action that addresses the scale of climate change.

Consider some recent campaigns:

The American Petroleum Institute describes its Energy for Progress ad campaign as highlighting the natural gas and oil industrys leadership in reducing emissions to record low levels and supporting economic and environmental progress in local communities.
Chevron claims its bringing affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy to America.
Shell has #MakeTheFuture , a campaign that highlights not only the companys supposed leadership in the transition to cleaner energy but also another all-time industry favorite, the role that consumer choice plays in climate change. In one ad, Shell product manager Katie offers customers carbon-neutral options (were not told what exactly those are) so that they can play their role as well.

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