The Climate Crisis Communication Challenge:

Fossil Fuel Marketing: Why Sydney Agencies Must Choose Sides

As members of the global Clean Creatives community, we’ve witnessed firsthand the growing tension between scientific consensus and industry practice. The recent approval of Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf project extension until 2070 serves as a stark reminder that while the world burns, some still choose to fan the flames growing rich from welathy fossil fuel marketing contracts.

The Science is Clear, The Industry is Not

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivered an unambiguous message in 2022: we need “major transitions in the energy sector” with “a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use.” The IPCC report spoke directly to our industry, declaring that fossil fuel PR and marketing should come to an end.

Yet here in Australia, we’ve just witnessed the conditional approval of a project that will pump gas until 2070 – well beyond the critical 2050 net-zero targets that science demands. Australia conditionally approved on Wednesday a request by Woodside Energy to extend until 2070 the life of its North West Shelf gas plant, following a six-year review dogged by delays, appeals and backlash from green groups.

This isn’t just about energy policy – it’s about the role we play as communicators in shaping public discourse around climate action.

The Fossil Fuel Playbook: Deflection and Greenwashing

The research is damning. Fossil fuel marketing consistently uses “climate-care statements” and deflects corporate responsibility to individuals, making climate change feel like a personal failing rather than a systemic issue requiring corporate and government leadership.

The numbers tell a sobering story:

• Roughly three-quarters of dangerous carbon pollution comes from the energy sector
• Fossil fuel pollution causes approximately 8.7 million premature deaths annually
• We do not need new fossil fuel projects to meet global energy needs under the Paris Climate Agreement

Yet fossil fuel companies continue their expansion. Since 2022, major players like BP and Shell have rolled back their climate commitments, choosing exploration over renewable investment despite record profits.

Legal and Regulatory Risks: The Heat is On

The landscape is shifting rapidly. As of May 2023, there were 2,341 ongoing or concluded climate litigation cases globally. Agencies working for fossil fuel clients aren’t just facing ethical dilemmas – they’re assuming real legal and financial risks.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has banned greenwashing ads from Shell, Repsol, and Petronas. South Korea introduced fines up to $2,300 for greenwashing. The regulatory space for fossil fuel work is shrinking worldwide.

The Australian Context: A Crossroads Moment

The Woodside approval represents everything wrong with Australia’s approach to climate action. While the federal government talks about net-zero commitments, it simultaneously approves projects that extend fossil fuel extraction for decades beyond scientifically recommended timelines.

This creates a particularly acute challenge for Sydney agencies. We’re operating in a market where government and industry messaging often contradicts climate science. The question isn’t whether we can afford to turn away fossil fuel clients – it’s whether we can afford not to.

The Clean Creatives Alternative

At Clean Creatives, we represent a growing movement of agencies refusing to provide creative services to fossil fuel companies. This isn’t just about moral positioning – it’s about business sustainability.

An industry so far out of step with scientific, economic, and political consensus cannot be relied upon as a long-term revenue source. The companies doubling down on fossil fuel expansion today are the same ones that will face the harshest legal and financial consequences tomorrow.

Why Sydney Agencies Must Lead

Sydney sits at the intersection of Asia-Pacific’s largest economy and some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities. We have a unique opportunity — and responsibility — to lead the region’s transition away from fossil fuel marketing.

The creative industries have always been early adopters of social change. We’ve helped shift the narrative on smoking, marriage equality, and pandemic response. Climate change is no different — except the stakes are far higher.

We’re one of the few agencies in Australia offering sustainable web design. Some think we’re mad, perhaps misunderstood, or both. But sustainable web design creates faster, cleaner websites that reduce carbon emissions and improve user experience — making them better for the planet and your business. It’s not just good ethics; it’s smart design.

The Path Forward

In a recent white paper, Clean Creatives identifies opportunities in healthcare and renewables industries and circular economy sectors for Ad and PR agencies, providing a solutions pathway to replace fossil fuel contract revenue. For agencies ready to embrace this transition, the opportunity is immense. Clean energy companies, sustainable transport, regenerative agriculture, and climate adaptation technologies all need compelling creative strategies. The clients of tomorrow are building the solutions we desperately need.

The Woodside approval is a reminder that government and industry won’t lead on climate action – but we can. Every brief we accept, every campaign we create, every story we tell either accelerates or delays the transition to a liveable future.

The whitepaper ‘Profitable Growth Without Fossil Fuels: Strategic Opportunities for a Fossil Fuel Free Future for the Marketing Industry’ represents the first numbers-backed case for the advertising, creative and PR industry to exit fossil fuel client relationships, and identifies the opportunities waiting in emerging high-growth industries such as healthcare, renewables and the circular economy – including the secondhand, rental, and refurbished goods sectors – to make the business case for transition.

The choice has never been clearer. The science is unambiguous. The legal risks are mounting. The regulatory environment is tightening. Many of us in the industry have glossed over inconvenient facts or promoted products that weren’t great for the environment. No one individual or business is responsible for global warming, but we do have a responsibility to not make it worse.

Most importantly, our planet is running out of time.

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This article draws on research and insights from the Clean Creatives community, a global movement of agencies committed to accelerating the transition away from fossil fuel marketing. As proud members of this community, we believe Sydney’s creative industries have a crucial role to play in addressing the climate emergency.

For further reading, Clean Creatives provides resources, networking opportunities, and support for building a fossil-fuel-free client base. Because the future of our industry – and our planet – depends on the choices we make today.

For agencies ready to make the transition, we encourage you to join more than 100 organisations and hundreds of marketing, PR and media professionals in Australia that have declared for the climate. You can do so at CommsDeclare.org.