09.14.22

Hearing Report: The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change

The Hearing Report presents select findings and redacted documents from the Committee’s investigation into PR firms’ work with fossil fuel companies. For decades, the fossil fuel industry denied or downplayed climate change and its role in causing it. As climate denial has become less accepted by the general public, the industry has worked with PR firms to execute subtler and more sophisticated campaigns to mislead the public and block climate change policy proposals. The Hearing Report details three unique tactics:

  1. Corporate image promotion (e.g., falsely depicting industry as joining the fight against climate change)
  2. Third-party mobilization (e.g., engineering astroturf “citizen” groups to advocate for industry interests)
  3. Delegitimization of opposition (e.g., sabotaging policy solutions and attacking community advocates)

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