People have worked for decades on behalf of fossil fuel companies to help block climate change policies. Now public relations firms are under pressure to abandon their oil and gas clients and get on with the planet.
Activists have recently turned their attention to Edelman, the world’s largest PR agency, which has worked with ExxonMobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute, powerful Big Oil lobbyists. After revisiting its stance on climate change for eight weeks, Edelman announced that it will begin its journey through zero-emissions targets and other planet-friendly ambitions.
About two weeks later, 450 scientists signed a letter declaring that “advertising and public relations campaigns for fossil fuels must stop.” Astrid Caldas, a climatologist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, suggested that these agencies could put their marketing wiles to a better cause. “We’re calling on them to use their skills and resources to align with the science instead, and promote bold, ambitious, equitable climate action,” she said in a statement.
