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Welcome back to HEATED. The fossil fuel ads we discuss in today’s show are all over the news—but you’ll never find them here. That’s only possible because of the small community of readers who choose to support our independent journalism. If you want to keep this one corner of the internet ad-free and fossil-fuel-free, a paid subscription would mean the world.
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On this week’s podcast, Tracy and I watch and analyze fossil fuel ads—and we do it with Nayantara Dutta, head of research at Clean Creatives and the lead author of their new report analyzing nearly 2,000 fossil fuel ads from 2020 to 2024. (ICYMI: We covered that report for Tuesday’s newsletter. Check it out!)
You can watch/listen at the top of this newsletter, on Youtube, or on any of your podcast players. But if you’re short on time, here are some of the most common ways fossil fuel ads try to manipulate and mislead us:
By using the phrase “lower carbon.” It sounds so nice doesn’t it! But “lower” carbon is not “low” carbon. It’s also not “no” carbon. And it’s definitely not “net zero.” It just means “lower than before.” How much lower than before? And are they really doing it? Who cares! Stop asking so many questions!
By using the phrase “carbon intensity.” Oil companies often talk about lowering their “carbon intensity.” But that doesn’t mean they’re lowering their overall carbon emissions. An oil company can lower the carbon intensity of a barrel of oil, while still increasing its overall carbon footprint because it’s drilling more oil than ever before. And for the most part, that’s precisely what’s happening. This is a fancy marketing term designed to mislead.
By playing up the benefits for local communities. Ads often feature "regular" people—workers, families, neighbors—to make oil companies seem like pillars of their communities. What these ads quietly leave out: the fishing communities, cancer alley residents, and others harmed by the very offshore drilling and refinery operations being celebrated. This form of lying is called “paltering,” the practice of “using statements that are technically true, but also leave out critical information in order to mislead people.”
By using guilt. One ad we watched reminded us that offshore oil workers are out there on the platform every single day, including holidays, keeping your lights on while you sit at home. The implicit message: how dare you criticize us? It's emotional manipulation dressed up as a human interest story, designed to make us feel personally indebted to the oil industry rather than asking hard questions about it.
By tying oil to “new” technology like AI. This is the newest trick in the playbook, and it’s an attempt to position old, dirty fossil fuel infrastructure as new, clean, cutting-edge innovation. But the pitch doesn't hold up. We don’t need fossil fuels to power AI. And renewables are already cheaper, more efficient, and more reliable than the fossil-fuel-derived alternatives the industry keeps proposing.
And more! We’ll also be releasing some fun bonus content tomorrow. Make sure you’re a paid subscriber to get it!