My fellow spin doctors, you're going to regret spruiking fossil fuels

This may come as a shock to the general population, but PR practitioners mostly consider themselves to be ethical. Personally, I always advise clients to not spin the truth, to be transparent with the public and to never, ever lie.

But when it comes to the climate crisis, communications professionals (in PR, marketing and social affairs) have failed to stand up for science and the planet. There’s rich history here. Public relations firms have been muddying science since the 1950s. That was when the links between smoking and cancer were first being revealed, and big tobacco turned to PR megafirm, Hill & Knowlton.

The campaign was one of the longest, costliest and most successful in history. Revealed in court documents from tobacco giant Philip Morris, the strategy was to "create doubt" and encourage "objective research".

It involved third party advocacy, junk opinions from handpicked scientists, phony front groups, advocacy advertising, and using its financial clout to buy favourable news coverage and political support.

These tactics are still in play today in the battle to protect fossil fuels and communications agencies and staff are still up to their necks in it – paying lip service to climate action while spending hundreds of millions of dollars to stymie emissions reduction.

There are several celebrated campaigns that have protected fossil fuel interests in Australia.
The Minerals Council of Australia campaign, with agency Barton Deakin, against the Rudd Government’s 40 per cent levy on mining super profits is a key example. It resulted in Kevin Rudd losing his job and Julia Gillard negotiating a watered down tax that saved miners $60 billion dollars.
Similar tactics were used by the so-called "Australian Trade & Industry Alliance" to end the price on carbon. Members of the group included the MCA, Australian Coal Association and the Plastics and Chemical Industries Association.

Public relations firms helped resource companies fight back against policies that undermined their interests.Credit: Louie Douvis

The CT Group, or Crosby Textor, reportedly devised "Project Caesar" for Glencore mining – which used social media and traditional media messaging to promote coal, attack renewables and create a false link between solar, wind and rising electricity prices

On a global scale, InfluenceMap calculates the five biggest privately owned oil and gas companies spent at least a billion dollars on “misleading climate-related branding and lobbying” since the Paris agreement was signed in 2016. And their much-advertised green initiatives only accounted for 3 per cent of their 2019 capital expenditure. Three per cent.

You would hope that the hottest and driest year on record and unprecedented bushfires would give spin doctors reason to doubt their work. In fact, many have redoubled their efforts to create confusion – especially through online misinformation. This may account for yesterday’s findings that more Australians are sceptical about climate science than two years ago – despite exhaustive attempts by scientists to communicate the direct link between worsening fires and a warming, drying continent.

Polluters and their communications teams have also used the catastrophe to push the line that they are good corporate citizens. Rio Tinto, BHP and Chevron are among those whose donations were accepted by Australian Red Cross bushfire appeal. Chevron is the second largest emitter of carbon on the planet.

Santos announced it’s $600,000 donation to various charities in a press release which also noted it had “safely and sustainably” developed Australia’s natural gas resources for over 65 years.
And ExxonMobile, the fourth largest polluter, tweeted to Australians on New Year’s Day to “stay safe and have fun this new year,” even as people were fleeing for their lives from the fires.

One thing that gives me hope is the backlash against high-profile marketer, Russel Howcroft. Though not as culpable as those who deliberately misdirected scientific discussion, he helped Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office improve the selling of its climate policies. This wasn’t a workshop to improve the policies – but to improve the spin.

So, to those that continue to misdirect and sow doubt over global heating, I ask, ‘are your pay cheques really worth it?’ And do you realise that by promoting the reputation of polluters you’re damaging your own personal reputations? In 10 years’ time having any link to coal or gas on your resume won’t be a good look.

The Public Relations Institute of Australia’s code of ethics states that members "shall not knowingly disseminate false or misleading information". I suggest that any communications professional that positively represents fossil fuel interests is doing just that.

So please, for all our sakes, check your employer or your clients will be on the right side of history. Stop the greenwashing. Stop the misdirection. Tell the whole truth.

Belinda Noble is the founder of BeNoble Communications and Comms4Climate.