Message From the Editor

Ads promoting fossil fuels reached Facebook users in the U.S. at least 431 million times in 2020, a new analysis by watchdog organization InfluenceMap finds, with the bulk arriving after the release of then-candidate Joe Biden’s $2 trillion climate plan and in the lead up to the presidential election. The 25 oil and gas companies and advocacy groups covered in the report paid Facebook a total of $9.6 million to share the ads with social media users. Sharon Kelly reports.

Meanwhile, according to a new poll, Pennsylvania voters have become increasingly disillusioned with the fracking industry, with weak and declining support across all demographics. By wide margins, voters in the Keystone State want “a serious crackdown on fracking operations.” This includes Independents and Republicans. Nick Cunningham has the story.

And, in an op-ed this week, Paul D. Thacker writes that Monsanto’s use of corporate advisory firm FTI Consulting to target journalists and activists was one of the most neglected stories of 2020. But a deeper look reveals it’s part of a bigger pattern of corporate misinformation. Read more here.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you make it possible for DeSmog to hold accountable powerful people in industry and government. Even a $10 or $20 donation helps support DeSmog’s investigative journalism.

Oil and Gas Inundated Facebook With Election Season Ads After Biden Released Climate Plan

— By Sharon Kelly (6 min. read) —

Ads promoting fossil fuels reached Facebook users in the U.S. at least 431 million times in 2020, a new analysis by watchdog organization InfluenceMap finds, with the bulk arriving after the release of then-candidate Joe Biden’s $2 trillion climate plan and in the lead up to the presidential election. Ads specifically focused on marketing fossil fuels as clean, green, or part of a climate change “solution” were viewed more than 122 million times by Facebook users in the U.S., the report finds.

The 25 oil and gas companies and advocacy groups covered in the report paid Facebook a total of $9.6 million to share the ads with social media users.

New Poll Shows Pennsylvania Voters Want a ‘Crackdown’ on Fracking

— By Nick Cunningham (6 min. read) —

Pennsylvania voters have become increasingly disillusioned with the fracking industry, with weak and declining support across all demographics, according to a new poll. By wide margins, voters in the Keystone State want “a serious crackdown on fracking operations.”

The poll, conducted by Data for Progress for the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI), an Appalachian-focused think tank, shows that large majorities of voters in Pennsylvania — including from large swathes of Republicans — are concerned about pollution from fracking, oppose subsidies to the industry, and support a range of new regulations.

Understanding Overlapping Corporate Disinformation Campaigns is Critical to Telling the Full Story About Science Denial

— By Paul D. Thacker (5 min. read) —

Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, announced at the end of July that it will remove the harmful pesticide glyphosate — a “probable carcinogen” — from its Roundup herbicide products by 2023, as it continues to face mounting pressure from lawsuits about the product’s health impacts. 

But while the spotlight has been on the pesticide chemical’s potential dangers, a 2019 trial against Monsanto revealed another tale of bad behavior and its use of glyphosate: a story of corporate efforts to target journalists and activists dedicated to reporting on the risks posed by Monsanto’s products.

Bulgarian Coal-Fired Power Plant May be Under-Reporting Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Investigation Finds

— By Eleonora Vio and Daniela Sala (5 min. read) —

The heart of Bobov Dol power plant is a hot, dark, noisy chamber. Lumps of coal litter the floor beside pools of oil and water leaking from decades-old machinery, relics of the Soviet era when workers flocked to build one of Bulgaria’s largest coal-fired facilities.

Based in a major coal-mining district an hour’s drive southwest of Sofia, this facility is one of more than a dozen mines, power plants, and heating companies believed to be controlled by energy tycoon Hristo Kovachki. 

The Science Museum’s ‘Gagging Clause’ is the Tip of the Iceberg When it Comes to its Flawed Approach to Climate Change

— By Chris Garrard and Jess Worth, Co-directors of Culture Unstained (6 min. read) —

Something is seriously wrong at the Science Museum Group (SMG). Last week, Channel 4 News reported on Culture Unstained’s latest investigation into the museum’s controversial sponsorship deal with the oil giant Shell. 

As we revealed, the museum had signed up to a “gagging clause” which prevented it from making “any statement or issuing any publicity” that could be seen as “discrediting or damaging the goodwill or reputation” of its sponsor. 

From the Climate Disinformation Database: The American Petroleum Institute

The American Petroleum Institute is based in Washington DC. The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest trade association for the oil and gas industry, representing over 600 corporate members “from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry.” The API says its mission is to “influence public policy in support of a strong, viable U.S. oil and natural gas industry.” API describes itself as “the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry.”

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