Health Community Responds To Shell's PR Company Winning COP30 Climate Contract
'Hiring a PR company that earns millions from downplaying the fossil fuel industry's role in the climate crisis, to handle communications for this year's UN climate conference where countries come together to negotiate global climate action presents a serious conflict of interest. Climate change is already causing terrible impacts to livelihoods, health and wellbeing around the world, with health systems being pushed to the brink.'
'With disinformation developed by PR agencies for fossil fuel companies driving decades of delayed action, allowing the climate crisis to worsen dramatically, COP host countries must take every step possible to keep fossil fuel influences out of these crucial climate talks.'
Recognizing the profound threat that disinformation poses, just this month, Brazil joined four other countries declaring an 'ethical and political imperative' to tackle disinformation and other threats to democracy (English translation here)
'Naming the problem is vital. The next step must be to align action with those words', added Miller. 'Brasil should reconsider its contract with Edelman, and future host countries should take a clear stand that will avoid this kind of conflict of interest and prevent the influence of the fossil fuel industry on negotiations to deal with the problem that industry created.'
GCHA is calling on Australia and Turkey, the countries vying to host next year's COP, to set a new standard for hosting countries by committing to:
Not hire PR or communications firms that also have fossil fuel industry clients.
No fossil fuel industry sponsorships.
No fossil fuel industry representatives or former representatives in the presidency team.
No fossil fuel industry representatives or former representatives in the host country's own delegation.
About Edelman:
Edelman has a long and well established history of helping health-harming industries. Until 1997, Edelman led PR for the RJ Reynolds tobacco company, using strategies to create doubt about the science showing tobacco to be harmful to health, and working to delay or fend off regulation. The PR firm has used some of the same strategies to create doubt about climate change, in support of fossil fuel clients.
About the Break the Fossil Influence Campaign:
Since May of this year, more than 60 health organizations have joined the Break the Fossil Influence campaign, pledging not to work with communications agencies that also support the fossil fuel industry.
On Friday August 1st, two prominent health professionals, Edward Maibach and Dr. Jemilah Mahmood published an article on Health Policy Watch calling for health organisations to join the Break the Fossil Influence initiative by committing to work only with PR and advertising agencies that do not serve fossil fuel clients.
'This is not just a reputational risk—it's an ethical failure', they write. 'A health organisation that contracts a PR firm that actively helps fossil polluters is undermining its own mission. It sends a dangerous message to the public: that it's acceptable to fight disease with one hand while enabling its cause with the other. It's time for the health sector to show leadership.'
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