Major oil corporations have abandoned their previous “greenwashing” tactics in favor of a new narrative centered on energy security and economic pragmatism. According to recent findings from the nonprofit Clean Creatives, companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP are no longer prioritizing a sustainable image. Instead, they are leveraging geopolitical instability and rising energy demands to justify continued fossil fuel production. This strategic shift moves away from 2020’s focus on carbon-cutting innovations toward a “gaslighting” approach that frames oil and gas as indispensable for modern technological progress and national stability.
The transition in messaging marks a significant departure from the early days of the pandemic. In 2020, as global oil prices crashed, the industry heavily promoted its commitment to climate solutions. High-profile campaigns highlighted investments in green hydrogen, carbon capture, and experimental fuels derived from algae. Critics labeled this era as the peak of greenwashing, arguing that these small-scale sustainable projects served primarily to distract the public from the massive CO2 emission levels generated by the industry’s core operations.
However, the narrative shifted abruptly following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As supply chains faltered and energy prices climbed, fossil fuel giants pivoted to a “security-first” message. A comprehensive analysis by Clean Creatives, which reviewed over 1,800 advertisements and social media campaigns from 2020 to 2024, found that companies have largely stopped trying to appear as leaders of the green transition. Nayantara Dutta, head of research at Clean Creatives, noted that these firms are no longer attempting to look like “the good guys,” but are instead positioning fossil fuels as a permanent necessity.
To maintain their “social license to operate,” oil companies are now employing top-tier PR agencies to frame expansion as a matter of national resilience. Chevron, for instance, has utilized advertising to highlight production increases in the Permian Basin, reaching targets of nearly 160,000 cubic meters (1 million barrels) of oil per day. This messaging suggests that the world simply requires more energy, regardless of the source, to combat rising costs and political chaos.
Academic research supports the idea that the industry is actively undermining the transition to renewables. A study published in the journal *Energy, Sustainability, and Society* analyzed annual reports from 2016 through 2022, finding that when companies like TotalEnergies or BP discuss solar panel or wind projects, they often frame them as secondary supports for existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Furthermore, the reports have increasingly focused on the downsides of renewable energy, such as intermittency and high initial costs, to justify backtracking on previous climate pledges.
This new “gaslighting” strategy seeks to sow doubt about the feasibility of a total fossil fuel phaseout. By using terms like “balanced” and “pragmatic,” the industry attempts to make further investment in oil and gas seem like the only logical choice for a modern economy. Most recently, this narrative has evolved to include the energy demands of artificial intelligence, with companies claiming that fossil fuels are essential to power the massive data centers required for technological advancement.
Despite these efforts, the industry faces a growing rhetorical challenge. Recent volatility in the Middle East has caused domestic gas prices to spike by more than $0.23 per liter ($0.87 per gallon) in a single month, highlighting the inherent instability of fossil fuel dependence. As the costs for solar module installations and wind energy continue to fall, experts suggest that the “energy security” argument may soon lose its effectiveness, forcing PR departments to find new ways to justify the continued expansion of carbon-intensive infrastructure.