This research faced limitations due to the lack of transparency from social media platforms. It is vital that these platforms, which wield significant power over the political landscape, are transparent on how their platforms are being used to influence the debate on climate change. This will allow for greater accountability for the platforms themselves and the organizations that use them. This research can be used to push these social media giants to be more transparent about the advertising on climate change which they allow on their platforms.
This research speaks to the oil and gas industry’s sustained campaign, which runs counter to the needed solutions to climate change as stated by the IPCC, the UN’s climate science body. The results may be used by investors, policy makers and civil society groups concerned with ensuring the fossil fuel sector is aligned with climate solutions as recommended by the science-based findings from the IPCC, the IEA and others.
The oil and gas sector is using a range of narratives to promote itself as part of the solution on climate change and promote the ongoing use of oil and gas in the energy mix. A breakdown of the different messaging categories and their frequency can be found below
Categories |
Explanation |
Number of ads (and percentage of sample), Spend, Impression* |
Examples of key narratives |
---|---|---|---|
Community & Economy |
Includes narratives about the role of the oil and gas industry in local communities and the broader economy. |
Number (%): 5542 (22%) Spend: $2,575,779 Impressions: 134,626,737 |
Entity/Industry helps the economy |
Entity/Industry provides jobs |
|||
Entity/Industry helps community through philanthropic efforts |
|||
Climate Solutions |
Includes narratives promoting the ‘green/clean’ climate efforts of the industry and is designed to capture narratives suggesting the oil and gas industry is ‘part of the solution’ on climate change. |
Number (%): 12140 (48%) Spend: $1,893,080 Impressions: 122,248,437 |
Entity/Industry supports reducing greenhouse gas emissions |
Entity/Industry supporting transitioning the energy mix |
|||
Entity/Industry supports the use of gas as, a clean/green/low-carbon energy source or a climate solution. |
|||
Pragmatic Energy Mix |
Includes narratives which promote the benefits of oil and gas as energy sources to the functioning of people’s everyday lives. |
Number (%): 7749 (31%) Spend: $4,354,825 Impressions: 174,545,645 |
Oil & gas are affordable |
Oil & gas are reliable |
|||
Other narratives promoting the benefits and/or uses of using oil and gas |
|||
Patriotic Energy Mix |
Includes narratives tying the production of domestic oil and gas to energy independence and energy leadership for the US. |
Number (%): 2904 (12%) Spend: $1,482,998 Impressions: 55,474,052 |
Energy Independence |
Energy Leadership |
The research also shows the industry is using social media strategically and deploying its ads at key political moments. Tracking the timeline of the ads covered in this research shows a jump in ad spend the day after now President Biden announced his $2 trillion climate plan. This momentum was sustained until the US Presidential Election when Facebook then banned political advertising.
This research found different entities fulfil different messaging roles. Companies, and ExxonMobil in particular, are focusing on ‘Pragmatic Energy Mix’ narratives, the American Petroleum Institute is posting thousands of ads on the climate-friendliness of the industry and the role of fossil gas as a climate solution, while advocacy groups are successfully using ‘Community Economy’ arguments to lobbying against specific regulatory measures.
Looking at how these ads are distributed amongst the US population it is clear more males than females overall are being shown these ads. There were, however, notable differences amongst the categories of messaging. ‘Climate Solutions’ narratives were the only category of messaging shown to more females than males, while ‘Pragmatic Energy Mix’ narratives are shown more to older age groups.
In line with the strategic deployment of ads, the geographic distribution of the ads shows that the ads most targeted states with high levels of oil and gas production, such as Texas and New Mexico, and swing states, including Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio. States with specific policy battles affecting the oil and gas sector in 2020, such as Alaska, also sustained significant advertising campaigns.
InfluenceMap used data from 25 advertisers, covering the 10 companies and 5 industry associations from the oil and gas sector with the highest spend on social issues, electoral, and political ads in 2020 on Facebook's US platform. The research also included 10 advocacy groups, all with a spend of over $5000 in 2020, that have reported ties to oil and gas companies and industry associations.
Type | Entity (with links to InfluenceMap profiles where applicable) | Spend on Social issue, Election, and Politics Ads in 2020 |
Corporation | ExxonMobil | $5,040,642 |
Industry Association | American Petroleum Institute | $2,965,254 |
Advocacy Group | OneAlaska | $329,684 |
Corporation | The Williams Companies | $252,977 |
Industry Association | Texas Oil & Gas Association | $160,511 |
Corporation | ConocoPhillips (including Power in Cooperation) | $76,938 |
Advocacy Group | Partnership for Energy Progress | $75,691 |
Corporation | Enbridge | $64,345 |
Advocacy Group | Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development | $57,983 |
Corporation | Energy Transfer | $56,805 |
Advocacy Group | Texans for Natural Gas | $53,353 |
Advocacy Group | Great Lakes. Michigan Jobs | $53,145 |
Corporation | Wink to Webster Pipeline LLC (Joint Venture between ExxonMobil and additional corporations) | $53,027 |
Corporation | BP | $51,652 |
Industry Association | New Mexico Oil and Gas Association | $41,614 |
Advocacy Group | Californians for Energy Independence | $29,457 |
Industry Association | American Gas Association | $22,248 |
Advocacy Group | Californians for Affordable and Reliable Energy | $13,693 |
Advocacy Group | Alliance for Michigan Power | $11,528 |
Corporation | Noble Energy (acquired by Chevron in Oct 2020) | $10,485 |
Advocacy Group | American Energy Alliance | $8,396 |
Corporation | Island Energy Services (including Hoala) | $7,042 |
Corporation | Phillips 66 | $5,248 |