Message From the Editor

More than 450 scientists are calling on advertising agencies to sever ties with fossil fuel clients whose ongoing misinformation campaigns have time and again stalled climate action. In a letter to major ad firms WPP, Edelman, and IPG, the researchers say that thanks to these firms’ work with Big Oil, they are “consistently faced with a major and needless challenge” of confronting and debunking the industry’s efforts to downplay the climate crisis. These slick ad campaigns “represent one of the biggest barriers to the government action science shows is necessary to mitigate the ongoing climate emergency,” the letter stated. The scientists have also sent the letter to some of the ad firms’ major clients like Unilever, Amazon and Microsoft – which have made public pledges on climate and sustainability. Nick Cunningham reports for DeSmog.

Eight California municipalities are suing for billions in damages from Big Oil, including Texas-based ExxonMobil, for distorting or hiding evidence of the dangers of rising temperatures. In response, Exxon is trying to use an obscure Texas law, “Rule 202,” to force California officials to come to Texas and answer questions about their “potential violations of ExxonMobil’s rights in Texas to exercise its first amendment privileges.” The move is meant to harass and intimidate those holding Exxon accountable for its leading role in creating both climate change and climate disinformation, say activists and legal experts. Get the full story.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the country’s most influential pro-business lobby groups, does not make the names of its members public. But 111 known members have violated state and federal laws nearly 16,000 times since 2000, according to a new report from the nonprofit watchdog organization Public Citizen, and paid more than $156 billion in fines and penalties for those violations. Among the major fossil energy firms on this list, Occidental Petroleum came out on top for both violations and billions paid in fines. Yet late last year, the Chamber attacked federal efforts to crack down on such corporate criminal behavior, which, as Nick Cunningham explains, is consistent with a PR strategy born out of World War II. Read all about it.

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Over 450 Climate Scientists Say Advertising Industry Must End ‘Complicity’ in Climate Crisis

— By Nick Cunningham (7 min. read)—

On Wednesday, a group of more than 450 scientists called on advertising agencies to cut off their fossil fuel clients and to end their ties with an ongoing misinformation campaign that has time and again killed progress on addressing the climate crisis.

In a joint letter, the scientists say that they are “consistently faced with a major and needless challenge” of having to correct false information and rebut the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to downplay the severity of climate change. The expensive and glossy ad campaigns “represent one of the biggest barriers to the government action science shows is necessary to mitigate the ongoing climate emergency,” the letter stated.

How Exxon Is Using an Unusual Law to Intimidate Critics Over its Climate Denial

— By Chris McGreal (8 min. read)—

ExxonMobil is attempting to use an unusual Texas law to target and intimidate its critics, claiming that lawsuits against the company over its long history of downplaying and denying the climate crisis violate the US constitution’s guarantees of free speech.

The US’s largest oil firm is asking the Texas supreme court to allow it to use the law, known as rule 202, to pursue legal action against more than a dozen California municipal officials. Exxon claims that in filing lawsuits against the company over its role in the climate crisis, the officials are orchestrating a conspiracy against the firm’s first amendment rights.

With Billions in Fines, U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Ranks Are ‘Packed With Rogues’

— By Nick Cunningham (8 min. read) —

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an ultra-powerful business lobby, does not disclose its members, but it represents the interests of America’s largest corporations — some of which have a long record of breaking state and federal laws.

A new report from consumer watchdog group Public Citizen details how 111 known members of the Chamber — including major polluters and banks that back fossil fuels — have violated state and federal laws at least 15,896 times since 2000, totaling more than $156 billion in fines and penalties.

Why Words Matter in the Fight Against Climate Change

— By Adam Barnett(7 min. read) —

Do we generate energy from windmills or wind turbines? Your answer could say a lot about your views on climate change, explains Genevieve Guenther.

Guenther used to be an English professor and literary critic, specializing in the Renaissance. But a growing concern about the climate crisis caused her to switch gears — and her research — to climate communication.

UK Oil Regulator Has ‘No Duty’ to Consider North Sea Tax Breaks or Indirect Emissions, Court Rules

— By Tara Lohan (7 min. read) —

The UK government is not legally required to consider tax breaks to oil and gas companies or emissions from burning fossil fuels when regulating the North Sea sector, a court has ruled today, rejecting a complaint by climate campaigners.

At a judicial review hearing in December at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, campaigners argued that the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) strategy was “unlawful” because it fails to take into account tax breaks for oil and gas companies when approving new projects.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Rex Tillerson

Rex Tillerson was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil from 2006-2016, when he left the firm to join the Trump administration as Secretary of State. Exxon’s large stake in the Russian oil industry and Tillerson’s hands-on role in some of those operations – earning him Moscow’s Order of Friendship award – along with his previous public skepticism about sanctions against Russia, made him a curious choice for America’s top diplomat.

Read the full profileand browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database