New study: Car ads, flights keep traffic fixated on oil | Greenpeace int.

Amsterdam – A new analysis shows how European airline and car companies are using advertising to evade their climate responsibilities, either exaggerating their corporate response to the climate crisis or completely ignoring the harm their products are causing. The study Words vs. Actions, the Truth Behind Auto and Aerospace Industry Advertising by the environmental research group DeSmog was commissioned by Greenpeace Netherlands.

Analysis of a year's worth of Facebook and Instagram ad content from a sample of ten European airlines and automakers, including Peugeot, FIAT, Air France and Lufthansa, suggests that the companies are greenwashing, i.e. presenting a deceptively eco-friendly image.[1] The 864 ads analyzed for cars and 263 airlines were all aimed at audiences in Europe and came from the Facebook ad library.

Transport accounts for two thirds of the oil consumed in the EU, almost all of which is imported. The largest source of EU oil imports is Russia, which in 2021 will provide 27% of the oil imported into the EU, worth over 200 million euros per day. Environmental and human rights groups have warned that EU imports of oil and other fuels from Russia are effectively funding the invasion of Ukraine.

Greenpeace EU climate activist Silvia Pastorelli said: “Marketing strategies are helping car and airline companies in Europe sell products that burn huge amounts of oil, worsen the climate crisis and fuel the war in Ukraine. The latest IPCC report identifies misleading narratives as a barrier to climate action, and scientists have urged advertising agencies to ditch fossil fuel clients. We need a new EU law to stop advertising and sponsorship by companies working to make Europe dependent on oil.”

In Europe, More than 30 organisations, including Greenpeace, are backing a campaign to legally end fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in the EU, similar to the long-established policy prohibiting tobacco sponsorship and advertising. If the campaign collects one million verified signatures in a year, the European Commission is obliged to respond to the proposal.

The research shows that the auto industry's promotion of electric and hybrid vehicles is disproportionate to their European sales of these cars, in some cases up to five times higher. Airlines appear to be taking a very different approach, with almost every company analyzed placing little or no emphasis on putative solutions to their oil use and greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, airline content is overwhelmingly focused on cheap flights, deals and promotions, which together accounted for 66% of all ads.

Rachel Sherrington, Lead Researcher for DeSmog said: “Again and again we see polluting industries advertising that they are doing more about climate change than they actually are, or worse, ignoring the climate crisis. The transportation industry is no exception.”

Silvia Pastorelli added: “Even in the face of appalling environmental impact and humanitarian suffering, auto companies are committing to selling as many oil-powered cars as possible for as long as possible, while airlines are grossly dodging their climate commitments and relying on advertising to transition from a luxury item to a manufactured necessity. The oil industry, and the air and road transportation it fuels, are driven by profit, not ethics. PR agencies that help them disguise the nature of their business are not just accomplices, they are a critical player in one of the world's most unethical business schemes.”

In the EU, total fuel burned by transport contributed 2018% of greenhouse gas emissions in 25[2]. Cars alone accounted for 2018% of total EU emissions in 11, and aviation for 3,5% of total emissions.[3] To bring the sector in line with the 1,5°C target, the EU and European governments must reduce and phase out fossil-fuelled transport and strengthen rail and public transport.

[1] Greenpeace Netherlands selected five major car brands on the European market (Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Renault) and five European airlines (Air France, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)) for investigation. A team from DeSmog researchers then used the Facebook ad library to analyze Facebook and Instagram ads that European audiences were exposed to from the selected companies from January 1, 2021 to January 21, 2022. Full report here.

[2] Eurostat (2020) Greenhouse gas emissions, analysis by source sector, EU-27, 1990 and 2018 (percentage of total) retrieved 11 April 2022. Figures refer to EU-27 (ie excluding the UK).

[3] European Environment Agency (2019) Data visualization: share of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions see Diagram 12 and Diagram 13. These figures relate to the EU-28 (ie including the UK) so when combined with the Eurostat figure mentioned above which relates to the EU-27 they only give a rough idea of ​​the share of different modes of transport in the EU Total EU emissions in 2018.