Asarial vs. Big Oil

Asarial,

Wow! Thanks to the support of 295 Leadnow supporters like you, we’ve already raised $7,482 for our spoof ad to go head-to-head with Big Oil’s multi-million dollar misinformation campaign.

For months, Big Oil lobby group Pathways Alliance has been bombarding social media and newspapers with greenwashing propaganda. [1] Their goal? To block progress on the climate solutions we really need.

So we’re creating a spoof video ad to expose Big Oil’s propaganda for what it is. Right now, we’ve raised enough to share it via hyper-targeted Facebook ads. If we raise just $7,818 more, we could also buy advertising space on national news websites like the CBC or the Globe and Mail. It could be the signal-booster we need to make sure our message hits home.

We’re finalizing the ad campaign budget tomorrow. So, Asarial, will you chip in $5, $10 or $20 dollars to help us fight back against Big Oil’s propaganda machine in major national news websites too?

https://act.leadnow.ca/big-oil-disinformation/

With determination,
Kate and Maggie for Leadnow

Sources
[1] https://ricochet.media/en/3918/the-disinformation-of-fossil-fuel-advertising-in-canada

Asarial,

Today, as I was scrolling through Twitter, a video from Big Oil lobby group Pathways Alliance grabbed my attention. It opened with soothing music and a shot of a bright blue sky, before cutting to an interview with the CEO of Suncor – one of Canada’s largest fossil fuel companies – who explained their “ambitious plan” to achieve our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [1]

Pathways Alliance – launched by six companies responsible for over 90% of tar sands production in Canada – is a million-dollar misinformation machine. [2] For months, they’ve been flooding social media, airwaves, and newspapers with greenwashing ads parroting the same message: that the industry is cleaning up their act to make oil and gas a “clean and ethical” choice.

It’s a big fat lie. Asarial, we know there’s no such thing as ethical oil. [3] And we can’t let the fossil fuel industry get away with spreading their mistruths with the public. That’s why we’re creating a spoof video ad to expose Big Oil’s propaganda for what it is, and to fight for the solutions we really need – like a hard cap on polluting emissions.

The more money we raise, the further our message will go. If we raise $6200, we’ll share the video via hyper-targeted Facebook ads. If we raise $15,300, we could also buy advertising space on major national news websites like the CBC or the Globe and Mail.

So, Asarial, will you chip in $5, $10 or $20 dollars to help us fight back against Big Oil’s propaganda machine?

For years, the Canadian fossil fuel industry has pushed the narrative that Canadian oil is “cleaner” and “more ethical” than that produced in other parts of the world – a xenophobic rhetoric built on the idea that other oil-producing countries don’t respect human rights, while Canada does. [4] It’s a distraction from the truth – which is that Canada’s tar sands are one of the most destructive and exploitative sources of fossil fuels in the world. [5,6]

And now, as public support is growing for a transition to a greener, fairer economy — and the government is looking at ways to ensure Big Oil is paying their fair share — the industry is on the defensive, spinning tales that they’re taking action to keep their emissions down, even as they continue to pollute like never before.

Big Oil won’t save us. Untested, fantastical carbon capture technologies won’t save us. [7] Even hitting net zero emissions by 2050 won’t save us, so long as the fossil fuel industry is allowed to operate and expand. [8]

What will save us are bold and ambitious policies that force Big Oil to wind down its production – like an emissions cap, and a Just Transition. What will save us is an informed public that can see through the fossil fuel industry’s greenwashing, and who’s ready to fight for the climate solutions we deserve.

Asarial, that’s why we need you. If we can raise at least $6200 by Tuesday, we can greenlight our plans to go head-to-head with Big Oil’s propaganda machine. Will you chip in $5, $10 or $20 dollars to help make it happen?

https://act.leadnow.ca/big-oil-disinformation/

With determination,
Kate and Maggie for Leadnow

Sources
[1] https://ricochet.media/en/3918/the-disinformation-of-fossil-fuel-advertising-in-canada
[2] see [1]
[3] https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/26/jason-kenney-thinks-albertas-ethical-oil-is-a-solution-to-current-crises-other-people-are-doubtful.html
[4] see [1]
[5] https://www.nrdc.org/stories/dirty-fight-over-canadian-tar-sands-oil
[6] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/alberta-canadas-tar-sands-is-growing-but-indigenous-people-fight-back
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/07/climate-crisis-miracle-technology-wind-water-solar
[8] see [1]