BIG OIL’S DECEPTIVE CLIMATE ADS

The report provides an extensive archive of advertisements from ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and Chevron, organized into appendices that highlight deceptive themes such as overstating greenhouse gas reductions, exaggerating renewable energy commitments, shifting responsibility to consumers, and promoting natural gas, carbon capture, hydrogen, and algae biofuels as viable climate solutions.

• Oil companies have used advertising to claim significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from their operations, such as ExxonMobil claiming a 35 percent improvement in energy efficiency in refineries and chemical plants since the 1970s.
• Corporate marketing often exaggerates commitments to renewable energy, with Shell promoting the potential for offshore wind farms to provide 20% of the world's power.
• Natural gas is marketed as a 'clean bridge' or 'perfect partner' to renewables, with claims that switching from coal to natural gas can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in new power generation by up to 53% or 60%.
• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is promoted as a crucial tool for net-zero goals, with ExxonMobil claiming it can remove more than 90% of CO2 emissions from industry and power generation.
• Hydrogen is presented as a low-emission alternative for heavy-duty transport, with Shell claiming that hydrogen fuel cell cars emit only water and heat.
• Algae biofuels are promoted as a way to reduce transportation emissions without competing with food supplies, with ExxonMobil aiming for the technical ability to produce 10,000 barrels of algae-based biofuel per day by 2025.

APA

Center for Climate Integrity (2025). BIG OIL’S DECEPTIVE CLIMATE ADS. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Advertisements-Big-Oil-Climate-Ads-2025.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Integrity. BIG OIL’S DECEPTIVE CLIMATE ADS. 2025. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Advertisements-Big-Oil-Climate-Ads-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Integrity |title=BIG OIL’S DECEPTIVE CLIMATE ADS |date=December 2025 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Advertisements-Big-Oil-Climate-Ads-2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimateintegrity2025big, author = {{Center for Climate Integrity}}, title = {{BIG OIL’S DECEPTIVE CLIMATE ADS}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Advertisements-Big-Oil-Climate-Ads-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }