SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE LEGAL RISKS OF FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING

The report details how fossil fuel companies have historically used advertising to spread climate disinformation and currently engage in 'greenwashing' to mislead consumers about their transition to clean energy. It highlights a surge in global climate litigation, noting that as of May 2021, there were 1,841 cases across 39 countries. The document warns advertising agencies that they are not immune to litigation and may face talent loss or financial penalties for their complicity in these campaigns. It provides case studies of legal actions against BP, Shell, and other 'Big Oil' companies to illustrate the growing trend of holding polluters accountable for deceptive trade practices and human rights violations.

• Fossil fuel companies have a documented history of intentionally deceiving the public about climate science, as evidenced by 85 internal memos from U.S. companies published in the 2015 Climate Deception Dossiers showing deception from 1981 onwards.
• Current fossil fuel marketing often involves 'greenwashing' where companies use sustainability language that does not align with their actual spending. For example, Chevron used 'renewable' and 'clean' language in 80% of its airings between June 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021, but spent only 1.8% ($239 million) of its 2020 capital expenditures on non-oil and gas projects.

APA

Dutta, N. (n.d.). SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE LEGAL RISKS OF FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING. Clean Creatives. https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Smoke-And-Mirrors-Report-v3.pdf

Chicago

Dutta, Nayantara. SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE LEGAL RISKS OF FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING. Clean Creatives, n.d. https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Smoke-And-Mirrors-Report-v3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dutta |first1=Nayantara |title=SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE LEGAL RISKS OF FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING |publisher=Clean Creatives |url=https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Smoke-And-Mirrors-Report-v3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duttandsmoke, author = {Dutta, Nayantara}, title = {{SMOKE AND MIRRORS: THE LEGAL RISKS OF FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING}}, institution = {Clean Creatives}, url = {https://cleancreatives.org/s/Clean-Creatives-Smoke-And-Mirrors-Report-v3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }