Hi John,

 

Since I emailed you last, we’ve had yet more unbelievable news about oil and gas company profits. [1]  

 

Make no mistake, all they really care about is money. [2] That’s why they are trying to open up new fossil fuel projects despite experts saying this will ruin our chances of tackling the climate crisis. [3]

 

And central to the continuation of this business, and their outrageous profits, is greenwashing. 

 

Without it, they can’t hide. We’re asking YouTube - one of the world’s most visited sources of news and information - to ban fossil fuel ads from their platform.

 

43,000 people have already added their name. Will you join them in asking YouTube to take a stand against greenwashing? 

If you scroll down, you’ll see my last email, with more information. 

 

I think you’ll agree, this is a simple ask. If YouTube can lead the way, others will follow and we’ll get closer to rejecting Big Oil’s greenwash once and for all. 

 

Thanks for all that you do, 

Flo 

 

[1] Big Oil’s quarterly profits hit $50bn as UK braces for even higher energy bills (Guardian) 

[2] Remember when BP chief executive Bernard Looney described oil companies as “cash machines”? - BP ‘laughing all the way to the bank’ with bumper profits while households face poverty (Independent)

[3] The 'carbon bombs' set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown (Guardian)

-------

Hi John,

 

Greenwashing. Fossil fuel giants are expert at it. Since the 70s companies like Exxon have used advertising to promote lies and delay climate action in order to protect their profits. [1] 

 

Ads legitimise their business. But there is nothing legitimate about opening up new fossil fuel projects in the midst of a climate emergency. We don’t want to hear any more of their dangerous lies. 

 

We need all media companies to ban this spin. YouTube has already taken a lead and blocked people from making money on the platform if they spread lies about climate change. [2] But to truly make a difference we need them to go further. 

 

Will you ask YouTube to join us in our fight for the climate - and ban fossil fuel ads from their platform?

Ads from fossil fuel companies paint a pretty picture. Shell claims it is part of the “greatest push for renewable energy the world has ever seen.” But take a closer look, and it’s all hot air. In Shell’s 2020 budget, it allocated $17 billion for fossil fuels, and only $3bn for renewables - the same amount as it planned to spend on marketing. [3] 

 

Influential companies like YouTube, owned by Google, are still accepting ads from fossil fuel giants. Together we watch more than one billion hours of videos there every day. YouTube has a duty to tackle greenwashing on its platform. 

 

So please, YouTube: no more advertisements from fossil fuel companies. Don’t take their money and don’t give them an audience.

Greenwashing is dangerous - it makes people complacent and lulls us into a false sense of security. Who wouldn’t want to believe that Shell and BP are on the case; doing their best? 

 

It’s time to wake up from that dream and ban these falsehoods from the public domain. We need big companies like YouTube to take a stand for the good of people and planet.

 

Thanks for all that you do,

 

Flo

Greenpeace UK

 

[1] Exxon’s climate denial history (Greenpeace)

The forgotten oil ads that told us climate change was nothing (The Guardian)

Revealed: oil sector’s ‘staggering’ $3bn-a-day profits for last 50 years (The Guardian)

 

[2] Google, YouTube ban ads on climate misinformation (BBC)

 

[3] The Greenwashing Files - Shell (Client Earth)

Oil firms’ climate claims are greenwashing, study concludes (The Guardian)

Shell Is Called Out Again for Misleading Climate Ads in Holland (Bloomberg UK)

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