News & Analysis
April 22, 2024
After spending decades lying to the public and policymakers about the central role of their fossil fuel products in causing the climate crisis, oil and gas companies now routinely deceive audiences about their commitment to climate solutions. From making clean energy pledges only to quietly backtrack, to lobbying against climate action, Big Oil companies have moved from outright climate denial to a newer, more duplicitous form of climate deception.
The Center for Climate Integrity’s new guide, “Big Oil is Still Lying: Five Ways the Fossil Fuel Industry Deceives the Public and Policymakers About its Ongoing Climate Destruction,” shows how fossil fuel companies are embracing a new era of climate lies — and how to spot them.
The guide highlights five common lies the industry promotes in ads and other public statements to appear as partners in the clean energy transition, while in reality they continue to double down on fossil fuels and block climate solutions.
Lie #1: Oil companies are critical players — if not leaders — in the transition to renewable energy. The reality: Oil companies are playing a negligible role in the global energy transition, and their minuscule investments in cleaner energy are dwarfed by their fossil fuel expenditures. Oil and gas companies make-up just 1% of all global investments in clean energy, but that hasn’t stopped oil companies from making misleading claims that overstate their contributions.
Lie #2: Big Oil is working to decrease climate pollution in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and their own net zero emissions pledges. The reality: Oil giants are increasing their emissions and expanding fossil fuel investments in direct conflict with the Paris Agreement. Both Exxon and Chevron bought oil producing competitors in 2023 to expand their oil production, while Shell and BP scaled back their emissions reduction targets despite a clear need to dramatically reduce emissions to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
Lie #3: Oil companies are leading the development of real solutions to the climate crisis, like “lower carbon” natural gas, biofuels, and carbon capture and storage. The reality: The oil and gas industry promotes false solutions that prolong the use of fossil fuels and distract the public from the urgent need to transition to clean energy. While oil and gas companies claim that natural gas, biofuels, and carbon capture and storage are climate solutions, they allow the companies to promote a continued reliance on fossil fuel products and expand their oil production.
Lie #4: Big Oil companies support policies to solve the climate crisis. The reality: Behind the scenes, polluters work to oppose the clean energy transition while protecting and expanding their fossil fuel investments. Big Oil companies often delegate their dirty lobbying to front groups and other industry allies to maintain a more socially acceptable public image.
Lie #5: Individual consumers are personally responsible for causing — and solving — climate change. The reality: Oil companies consistently block energy alternatives and fight regulations in order to keep global markets and consumers dependent on oil and gas. The majority of total historic climate pollution can be attributed to a relatively small number of fossil fuel producers, yet, when faced with direct orders to reduce their emissions, polluters continue to push the narrative that, without a shift in consumer behavior, their hands are tied.
From ad campaigns promoting fossil fuels as “low-carbon” climate solutions, to over-promised carbon capture technology, oil and gas companies have invested in creating a clean image while they simultaneously use front groups to block climate action, shift the blame to individuals, and expand their oil and gas production. This new guide highlights a set of core tactics oil giants use to paint themselves as leaders in climate solutions and obscure their active role in accelerating the climate crisis, but it’s just a small glimpse at their efforts to mislead the public. Big Oil’s ongoing climate deception demands further investigation.
