GREENWASHING BIG OIL & GAS: THE FOSSIL FUEL DECEPTION PLAYBOOK

The report details seven greenwashing tactics used by the fossil fuel industry: paltering, carbon offset deception, aspirational claims (petro-science fiction), vague buzzwords, double dipping, nature rinsing, and outright lies. It argues that these practices delay climate action and policy changes. The document provides examples of regulatory actions in the UK, EU, and Norway, and calls for a comprehensive ban on fossil fuel advertising in Canada, similar to the restrictions placed on the tobacco industry.

• The fossil fuel industry employs seven primary greenwashing strategies: paltering (using truthful statements to mislead), the use of carbon offsets, 'petro-science fiction' (promoting unproven future technologies), vague 'green' buzzwords, double dipping (promoting legally required actions as voluntary), nature rinsing (using natural imagery to associate brands with environmentalism), and outright lies.
• Carbon offsets are described as largely ineffective or fraudulent; an analysis of the top 50 international carbon offset programs found that 78% were "likely junk or worthless".
• In Canada, the 'renewable natural gas' (RNG) claims by companies like Enbridge, Énergir, and Fortis are identified as paltering, as RNG made up only 0.36% of the natural gas distributed in Canada in 2021.
• The report highlights several international regulatory successes against greenwashing: the EU has banned carbon neutrality claims based on offsets (effective 2026), France banned fossil fuel product ads in 2022, and Norway prohibits cars from being described as 'green' or 'clean' without full lifecycle documentation.
• The document argues that greenwashing serves three main purposes: covering up product harms, normalizing fossil fuels to delay the transition to sustainable energy, and delaying policy action by influencing decision-makers.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). GREENWASHING BIG OIL & GAS: THE FOSSIL FUEL DECEPTION PLAYBOOK. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-1.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. GREENWASHING BIG OIL & GAS: THE FOSSIL FUEL DECEPTION PLAYBOOK. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=GREENWASHING BIG OIL & GAS: THE FOSSIL FUEL DECEPTION PLAYBOOK |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndgreenwashing, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{GREENWASHING BIG OIL \& GAS: THE FOSSIL FUEL DECEPTION PLAYBOOK}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }