IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v176y2023i2d10.1007_s10584-023-03494-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Climate obstruction and Facebook advertising: how a sample of climate obstruction organizations use social media to disseminate discourses of delay

Author

Listed:
  • Faye Holder

    (InfluenceMap)

  • Sanober Mirza

    (InfluenceMap)

  • Namson-Ngo-Lee

    (InfluenceMap)

  • Jake Carbone

    (InfluenceMap)

  • Ruth E. McKie

    (De Montfort University)

Abstract

In this article, we present the results of a content analysis of a sample of fossil fuel corporations, industry associations, and advocacy groups’ ads using Facebook ad services during the election year from January 2020 to January 2021. Creating a messaging typology, we analyzed 30,100 ads on Facebook and found that different organizations used these messages to reinforce pre-existing beliefs on the importance of fossil fuels. In doing so, these organizations can use Facebook to reassert their interests in the public voice and support standards of behavior that rely on fossil fuels, protecting their industries. Additionally, we found differences between the types of messaging and ads targeted to particular users by age, gender, and state. These ads represent the evolving misinformation playbook from climate obstruction organizations that require further attention and consideration, particularly via social media platforms that may have limited or unclear regulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Faye Holder & Sanober Mirza & Namson-Ngo-Lee & Jake Carbone & Ruth E. McKie, 2023. "Climate obstruction and Facebook advertising: how a sample of climate obstruction organizations use social media to disseminate discourses of delay," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 1-21, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:176:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-023-03494-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-023-03494-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-023-03494-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-023-03494-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tvinnereim, Endre & Ivarsflaten, Elisabeth, 2016. "Fossil fuels, employment, and support for climate policies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 364-371.
    2. Joshua A. Basseches & Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo & Maxwell T. Boykoff & Trevor Culhane & Galen Hall & Noel Healy & David J. Hess & David Hsu & Rachel M. Krause & Harland Prechel & J. Timmons Roberts & J, 2022. "Climate policy conflict in the U.S. states: a critical review and way forward," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 170(3), pages 1-24, February.
    3. Robert J. Brulle & Galen Hall & Loredana Loy & Kennedy Schell-Smith, 2021. "Obstructing action: foundation funding and US climate change counter-movement organizations," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 1-7, May.
    4. Mei Li & Gregory Trencher & Jusen Asuka, 2022. "The clean energy claims of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell: A mismatch between discourse, actions and investments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-27, February.
    5. Robert J. Brulle & Carter Werthman, 2021. "The role of public relations firms in climate change politics," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 1-21, November.
    6. Srdan Medimorec & Gordon Pennycook, 2015. "The language of denial: text analysis reveals differences in language use between climate change proponents and skeptics," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 133(4), pages 597-605, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andrés Navarro & Francisco J. Tapiador, 2023. "Twitch as a privileged locus to analyze young people’s attitudes in the climate change debate: a quantitative analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Samuel Trachtman & Jonas Meckling, 2022. "The climate advocacy gap," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 1-7, June.
    2. Tobia Spampatti & Ulf J. J. Hahnel & Evelina Trutnevyte & Tobias Brosch, 2024. "Psychological inoculation strategies to fight climate disinformation across 12 countries," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 380-398, February.
    3. Walter, Kara A. & Thacher, Jennifer & Chermak, Janie M., 2023. "Examining willingness to pay for energy futures in a fossil and renewable energy-rich locale," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    4. Jeremiah Bohr, 2017. "Is it hot in here or is it just me? Temperature anomalies and political polarization over global warming in the American public," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 271-285, May.
    5. J. Doyne Farmer & John Geanakoplos & Matteo G. Richiardi & Miquel Montero & Josep Perelló & Jaume Masoliver, 2024. "Discounting the Distant Future: What Do Historical Bond Prices Imply about the Long-Term Discount Rate?," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-25, February.
    6. Timo Busch & Michael L. Barnett & Roger Leonard Burritt & Benjamin W. Cashore & R. Edward Freeman & Irene Henriques & Bryan W. Husted & Rajat Panwar & Jonatan Pinkse & Stefan Schaltegger & Jeff York, 2024. "Moving beyond “the” business case: How to make corporate sustainability work," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 776-787, February.
    7. Eugene Y. Chan & Jack Lin, 2022. "Political ideology and psychological reactance: how serious should climate change be?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 172(1), pages 1-22, May.
    8. Sajid, Muhammed & Zakkariya, K.A. & Suki, Norazah Mohd & Islam, Jamid Ul, 2024. "When going green goes wrong: The effects of greenwashing on brand avoidance and negative word-of-mouth," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Thomas, Melanee & DeCillia, Brooks & Santos, John B. & Thorlakson, Lori, 2022. "Great expectations: Public opinion about energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    10. Jennifer A. Caldwell & Christopher K. Williams & Margaret C. Brittingham & Thomas J. Maier, 2022. "A Consideration of Wildlife in the Benefit-Costs of Hydraulic Fracturing: Expanding to an E3 Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    11. Ahamed, Sonya & Galford, Gillian L. & Panikkar, Bindu & Rizzo, Donna & Stephens, Jennie C., 2024. "Carbon collusion: Cooperation, competition, and climate obstruction in the global oil and gas extraction network," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    12. Richard Bärnthaler & Andreas Novy & Lea Arzberger & Astrid Krisch & Hans Volmary, 2024. "The power to transform structures: power complexes and the challenges for realising a wellbeing economy," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    13. Lukas Folkens & Petra Schneider, 2022. "Responsible Carbon Resource Management through Input-Oriented Cap and Trade (IOCT)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.
    14. Ali Adil, 2024. "Differentiated grassroots: Navigating sustainability transitions in conservative political contexts," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(8), pages 1508-1525, June.
    15. Deborah H Drake & Reece Walters & Mark Wood & Greg Koumouris, 2024. "Criminology and Propaganda Studies: Charting New Horizons in Criminological Thought," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 64(3), pages 558-575.
    16. Will McDowall & Tobias Reinauer & Panagiotis Fragkos & Michal Miedzinski & Jennifer Cronin, 2023. "Mapping regional vulnerability in Europe’s energy transition: development and application of an indicator to assess declining employment in four carbon-intensive industries," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 1-23, February.
    17. Pierre-Louis Choquet, 2019. "Piercing the corporate veil: Towards a better assessment of the position of transnational oil and gas companies in the global carbon budget," Post-Print hal-04401241, HAL.
    18. Olson-Hazboun, Shawn K. & Howe, Peter D. & Leiserowitz, Anthony, 2018. "The influence of extractive activities on public support for renewable energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 117-126.
    19. Feiyu Chen & Hong Chen & Xinru Huang & Ruyin Long & Hui Lu & Ting Yue, 2017. "Public Response to the Regulation Policy of Urban Household Waste: Evidence from a Survey of Jiangsu Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-23, June.
    20. Downie, Christian, 2017. "Business actors, political resistance, and strategies for policymakers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 583-592.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:176:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-023-03494-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.