The 2,900% Lie: How Big Oil Is Buying the Narrative to Sabotage COP30

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As the world prepares to descend on Belém, Brazil, for the critical COP30 climate summit, a silent, algorithmic war is being waged for the public’s mind. While diplomats and scientists draft agendas to save the planet, the fossil fuel industry has unleashed a digital deluge designed to drown out the truth.

A staggering new investigation by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) and the Climainfo Institute has exposed the scale of this offensive: in the months leading up to the summit, Big Oil’s targeted Google Ads in Brazil skyrocketed by 2,900%.

This is not merely marketing; it is a calculated psychological siege. By dominating the search results on the world's most ubiquitous platform, the oil industry is attempting to manufacture a "social license" to continue polluting, just as the window to avert climate catastrophe slams shut.

The Digital Onslaught

The timing is unmistakable. In October 2025, just one month before the summit, the digital floodgates opened. While global oil advertising on Google saw a significant 218% spike, the bombardment of Brazil was nearly fifteen times more intense.

The data reveals a coordinated surge by the industry’s titans:

Saudi Aramco: The state-backed giant exploded its monthly advertising by 469.2%, running over 10,000 ads capable of reaching 77 million people.

BP: Starting from a lower base, BP ramped up its ad buying by a massive 1,369.2%.

ExxonMobil & TotalEnergies: These majors increased their already heavy presence by 156.3% and 106.5% respectively.

"Every year Big Oil spends big money on greenwashing and disinformation... it's well past time policymakers stop letting Big Tech players like Google get rich off lies used to justify the pollution that's killing people and the planet." — Philip Newell, CAAD coalition communications co-chair.

The Trojan Horse: Petrobras and the "Green" Mirage

While international giants flood the global zone, the domestic front in Brazil is dominated by a single player: Petrobras.

The Brazilian state-owned oil company accounted for nearly 70% of all oil-related Google Ads shown in the country. But it is the content of these ads that reveals the depth of the hypocrisy. Petrobras is aggressively marketing itself as a leader of the "energy transition" and a champion of the Amazon.

The reality, however, tells a radically different story:

The Investment Gap: While running ads about a green future, Petrobras plans to pour 90% of its $111 billion investment budget (2025–2029) directly back into fossil fuels.

Drilling the Amazon: The surge in "green" advertising coincided with the company seeking—and receiving—approval to drill for oil in the Amazon, despite public opposition.

A History of Spills: Far from being a steward of nature, Petrobras is responsible for 86% of oil incidents in Brazil.

Through "native" advertising and influencer partnerships, Petrobras effectively masquerades as a sustainability actor to a young audience, all while doubling down on the very fuel sources threatening the Amazon's survival.

The Strategy: From Denial to Deception

The tactic has shifted. The era of blunt climate denial is over; the era of "Digital Greenwashing" has begun.

The investigation highlights how companies use subtle, indirect messaging to present themselves as "modern and efficient sustainability actors". They utilize terms like "Eco Friendly Gas" or "Green Diesel" to create a misleading perception that fossil fuels are part of the climate solution.

This narrative is built on a financial lie. Since the Paris Agreement, the sector has invested $8.7 trillion in oil and gas, compared to a paltry $113 billion in renewables—a mere 1.4% of their total investment. Yet, to a user searching on Google, these companies appear to be the primary drivers of green innovation.

The Enabler: Google's Profitable Complicity

This disinformation machine requires a vehicle, and Google is providing the engine. With over 80% of the pay-per-click market, Google Ads allows oil companies to buy their way to the top of the search results, influencing public perception before a user even clicks a link.

Despite a 2021 pledge to ban the monetization of climate denial, Google continues to profit from the industry. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, the tech giant earned $23.7 million from Big Oil ads. By allowing these companies to target users based on location and preference, Google effectively sells the integrity of the information ecosystem to the highest bidder.

The "Tobacco Moment"

The report draws a chilling parallel between Big Oil and Big Tobacco. Just as cigarette manufacturers misled the public for decades about the lethality of their products, the fossil fuel industry is using its vast wealth to obscure the link between its products and climate collapse.

The conclusion is stark: self-regulation has failed. The authors argue that the only way to clean up the information environment is a total ban on fossil fuel advertising, modeled directly after the bans that silenced the tobacco industry.

As COP30 approaches, the battle lines are drawn. On one side, the urgent scientific consensus to decarbonize. On the other, a multi-billion dollar industry willing to pay any price to keep the world addicted to oil—and using our own search engines to do it.

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