Big Oil companies have moved away from greenwashing. Climate advocates say what they’re doing now is worse

Back in 2020, advertisements from Big Oil companies were focused on climate actions, like touting renewable energy investments or emphasizing sustainability pledges.  But now, those companies seem to have shifted away from the climate and back toward normalizing fossil fuel dependence, a new report notes.  Clean Creatives, an advocacy group that works to get PR and ad professionals to give up their fossil fuel clients, outlined the trajectory of this shift in a report that analyzed nearly 1,900 ads from BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. Those ads span from 2020 to 2024, and show what Clean Creatives calls a transition away from greenwashing and toward “climate gaslighting.”  Big Oil ads now push the narrative that oil and gas are economic necessities, the report says—crucial to address our growing energy demands. And, instead of discussing renewables like solar and wind, they now highlight technologies like carbon capture, which experts say is often used to justify mor