“There is no money that is completely pure”, so says Nicholas Serota, the Director of the Tate gallery in London that is under fire once again for taking oil money from BP and Shell. Serota is right in many ways, there is no such thing as clean money but some funding is dirtier than others. … Read More
greenwashing
Saudis Slam “EthicalOil” Tar Sands Advert
I’m continuing this week’s tar sands theme. There seems to be no limits to how many people the Canadians will annoy in their attempt to impose the dirty tar sands on the world’s oil markets. There is also no limit to their hypocrisy either. We know the Canadians are using strong-arm tactics to threaten the … Read More
Canada’s “Dirty Lobby Diary” Exposed
Over the last few months I have been working with Friends of the Earth Europe looking at the extensive lobbying by the Canadian government over the tar sands in Europe. What we uncovered is that over the last two years we have seen a concerted lobbying campaign by the Canadian and Albertan governments to undermine … Read More
Jilted by another smooth-talking oilman
Ever get tired of those cheezy ads from oil companies or really fired up over ‘independent’ research that asserts that everything you thought was great about alternative enery sources turns out to be a myth? Well Erik Curren over at Transition Voice sums it up nicely on this cross-post. Thanks Erik… Every time I’m tempted … Read More
VW’s Dark Side
Europe’s largest car maker, Volkswagen, is harbouring a “dark secret” according to Greenpeace. Despite its populist and consumer-friendly image, VW stands accused of greenwashing its dirty activities, trying to water down action on climate change and refusing to make popular models more fuel efficient. According to Greenpeace, the car maker has repeatedly claimed that it … Read More
Gas is No “Panacea” For Climate Change
As the old saying goes “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck.” And if it smells like a fossil fuel and is produced by the fossil fuel industry, then it probably is a fossil fuel. So despite the best efforts by the oil … Read More
Shell’s Nigerian PR Strategy Exposed
To mark the 15th Anniversary of the execution of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, we are exposing the public relations tactics that Shell employed to counter criticism of its operations in the country. The evidence is contained in documents collected for the landmark trial last year of Wiwa versus Shell, but they were never made public … Read More
Chevron Must Think We Are Stupid
Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. Oil giant Chevron’s multi-million ad campaign, entitled “We agree” has back-fired badly. What’s worse it has given its critics a real opportunity to spoof the company’s highly misleading adverts.. And boy are they having fun and games. The the spoof campaign is beginning to go viral.
The Polluter’s newfound concern for the Poor
Two days ago in St. Louis, the head of the largest coal producer in the US, Peabody Energy’s Gregory H. Boyce, delivered the keynote address on ‘The Future of Fossil Fuels’ at the Global Energy Future Symposium at Washington University in St. Louis. His message was to “put people first” by supporting policies that prioritize … Read More
Greenwashing Mordor
So Mordor is getting a makeover. Big-time. There is a concerted, multi-faceted public relations campaign going on to greenwash the tar sands. Dirty black is trying to become virgin white, or so that’s what they want. According to three Albertan cabinet ministers, the tar sands are a “Canadian jewel” that should be celebrated and exploited. … Read More