POLLUTED PR: How Ad Agencies and PR Firms Secretly Block Climate Action

The report 'POLLUTED PR' details how advertising and PR firms work covertly for the fossil fuel industry to block climate action. It highlights a significant spending gap, noting that the fossil fuel industry spent at least $1 billion on PR and advertising between 2014 and 2018, outspending clean energy trade groups by over 400:1. The document provides case studies of firms like Edelman, Porter Novelli, and FTI Consulting, illustrating tactics such as 'astroturfing' and the promotion of 'false solutions' like algae biofuels to maintain the industry's social license. It concludes by calling for professionals in the creative industry to divest from fossil fuel contracts.

• The fossil fuel industry utilizes PR and advertising agencies to obstruct climate action by framing fossil fuel companies as "part of the solution to climate change, rather than the most important cause of the problem."
• Between 2014 and 2018, the fossil fuel industry spent at least $1 billion on public relations and advertising, a sum that outspends clean energy industry and public interest groups by a ratio of over 400:1.
• Edelman maintained a highly lucrative partnership with the American Petroleum Institute (API), receiving up to $75 million annually between 2008 and 2012, totaling $327 million over those five years.

APA

Clean Creatives (2020). POLLUTED PR: How Ad Agencies and PR Firms Secretly Block Climate Action. https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Report-Final.pdf

Chicago

Clean Creatives. POLLUTED PR: How Ad Agencies and PR Firms Secretly Block Climate Action. 2020. https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Report-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Creatives |title=POLLUTED PR: How Ad Agencies and PR Firms Secretly Block Climate Action |date=December 2020 |url=https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Report-Final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleancreatives2020polluted, author = {{Clean Creatives}}, title = {{POLLUTED PR: How Ad Agencies and PR Firms Secretly Block Climate Action}}, institution = {Clean Creatives}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Report-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }