How the oil majors have spent $1Bn since Paris on narrative capture and lobbying on climate

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This research finds that, in the three years following the Paris Agreement, the five largest publicly-traded oil and gas majors (ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP and Total) have invested over $1Bn of shareholder funds on misleading climate-related branding and lobbying. These efforts are overwhelmingly in conflict with the goals of this landmark global climate accord and designed to maintain the social and legal license to operate and expand fossil fuel operations.

Company disclosures of spending on climate lobbying and branding are very limited. To fill this transparency gap, InfluenceMap has devised a methodology using best-available disclosures and intensive research of corporate messaging to evaluate oil major spending aimed at influencing the climate agenda, both directly and through their key trade groups.

This research will feed into efforts by key stakeholders to bring the oil and gas sector into line with the urgency of action on climate change. These include the global investment community which in 2017 launched the Climate Action 100+ program of engagement with some of the world's largest corporations on climate change.

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Update Briefing, October 2019:

Analysis suggests oil & gas companies and their trade groups have spent $17mn on political advertising on Facebook in the U.S. alone since May 2018.

This new briefing, available at the download link below, updates InfluenceMap's analysis of the oil & gas sector by looking at the use of political advertising on Facebook in the US by 15 organisations: 11 of the largest oil and gas companies active in the U.S., along with 4 of their sector-specific trade groups.

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