I’m part of the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) - you might have heard of us. We work closely with the ad industry, but also with scientists, academics, nonprofits, influencers, the United Nations and footballers amongst others to advocate for information integrity.

In short, we work with a big crowd. And we do that because advertising has a big impact, a global impact. Not just on the products we buy, but also on hate speech, children’s rights and the climate.

So when I was in Baku for COP29 a fortnight ago, trying to tackle the climate crisis along with 60,000 other delegates, I looked for my colleagues from the industry. Instead, I was struck by just how many people from the advertising industry weren’t there.

So where were you? Alright, I get it - a climate conference in Azerbaijan may seem like an odd choice. And it wasn’t off to the best start when the hosts opened with a line about oil being a gift from god. But if you work in advertising, the climate crisis should be on your radar. You’re part of an industry about to exceed $1 trillion in annual revenue. If advertising were a country, it would be the 20th largest economy in the world. Your influence is huge. And the risks you will suffer from not being involved in the solution outweighs any short-term gain.

You should be in the room.

Extreme weather is on the rise

Climate change is the defining crisis of our time. This year alone has been filled with record-breaking heat and extreme weather events. The statistics are loud, clear, and impossible to ignore.

In 2024, wildfires displaced 45,000 people in Canada and 240,000 in the U.S. In Afghanistan, cold weather and flooding have claimed hundreds of lives, and in Spain, extreme rainfall has led to over 200 casualties due to flash flooding that’s still ongoing.

Extreme weather is here to stay, and we can't afford to be passive. We are on the brink of a global climate disaster, and action is more urgent than ever. So why, then, does it seem like so many people aren’t paying attention?

The impact of tech-enabled mis/disinformation

The role mis/disinformation has played in shaping the climate conversation over the past year cannot be understated. It not only fuels public indifference but also hampers the efforts of authorities during and after extreme weather events in places like Spain, Brazil, the U.S., and the Caribbean. It's essential to recognise this as a real threat to our climate, and it's equally important that the advertising industry takes steps to avoid promoting it.

Big Tech, unfortunately, has become a major culprit in how it spreads.

The role of "super spreaders" and Big Tech

One of the key problems is Big Tech platforms are allowing "super-spreaders" of misinformation to flourish. A recent CAAD report shows just how pervasive this problem has become. Despite promises to take action, these platforms continue to allow a small group of climate misinformation influencers to build massive followings, flooding the internet with everything from absurd claims—like Madonna causing floods in Brazil—to potentially harmful hoaxes.

At the same time, fossil fuel companies are flooding news feeds with misleading ads. Meta has made at least $17.6 million from fossil fuel companies over the past year, allowing them to push greenwashing messages that downplay their role in the climate crisis to over 700 million users.

These digital actions are having very real consequences. Misinformation about extreme weather events is delaying emergency responses and even inciting violence against aid workers. In a 2022 UN survey, 75% of peacekeepers reported that disinformation put their safety at risk, and 70% said it significantly impacted their work. This is a serious problem - and we need change.

The advertising industry's role

Advertising has a big role to play here. Our spending props up the platforms that supercharge misinformation, where fake travels faster than fact. It also puts your business at risk - both in terms of the uncertainty it creates and the potential liabilities arising as it spreads throughout your supply chain. It’s time to check your receipts and demand transparency.

The ad industry's creative output is also one of the biggest weapons for fossil fuel companies not aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. I highly encourage you to read the latest report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation if you would like to see some digital greenwashing highlights.

And believe me, they were in the room. At least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to the COP29 summit in Baku. On the ground that means they were outnumbered only by three nations.

Multilateral efforts lead the way

While COP talks seem to be stalling, Brazil, alongside the UN, UNFCCC and UNESCO, has launched a multilateral initiative at the G20 to combat climate disinformation and promote climate information integrity. This marks the first time that governments, together with the UN, are addressing climate disinformation at the global level. Although only six countries have signed on so far, including the UK, it’s an important step forward. British advertisers must join in if the UK is to truly lead in this effort.

A call to the advertising industry

You can’t pick and choose when you’re going to act on climate change—it has to be a consistent commitment to be truly effective.

There are fantastic initiatives and individual campaigns being run within the industry. But we shouldn’t be letting major moments like COPs pass by without engaging in it. It is where real discussions happen and progress is made. Protecting the integrity of climate information is a key responsibility for our industry, but to do that, we first need to show up.

I started this by saying that you might have heard of Conscious Advertising Network. Please look us up, read about our work and our blueprints, co-developed by the industry, academics and nonprofits, for navigating these challenges. Think about what your organisation can do. Who knows, maybe we’ll see some more of you at COP30 in Brazil…