Darlene Pearson
Sometimes I feel so bombarded by advertising that I just dismiss it as an annoyance or “normal business.”
However, one outdoor ad at the corner of Queen and Sparks caught my eye. Bold lettering on a green (environmentally-friendly looking) background states that “Canadian LNG exports will reduce global emissions.”
To call this ad “misleading” is an understatement.
Let’s unpack the ad. LNG stands for liquified natural gas, which is natural gas cooled to -259 Fahrenheit, a highly energy-intensive process, to condense it for transport in specialized ocean vessels. Natural gas is a fossil fuel primarily made up of methane.
The term natural gas is clever branding to make this fossil fuel, used in a large percentage of Ottawa homes, sound clean and safe. The acronym “LNG” takes this branding even further by eliminating the reference to gas.
If I examine the claim that exporting a fossil gas reduces global emissions, I come up against some hard facts. First, burning natural gas produces carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas (GHG) contributor to climate change.
Second, the production and distribution of natural gas involves serious environmental concerns. Most extraction of this gas is through fracking which results in large amounts of toxic wastewater. The gas plants themselves emit nitrogen oxides contributing to air pollution. Moreover, at all steps from extraction and processing to storage and transportation, LNG emits methane, a GHG which is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it is emitted.
The ad is sponsored by Canada Action which claims to be a grassroots network. Investigative journalism reveals that it has deep ties to and has received funding from the oil and gas industry. That goes a long way to explaining how the significant costs of this ad and others like it are met.
I am not the only one to be dismayed by this type of blatant disinformation. Two years ago, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment filed a 10 million dollar false advertising complaint against the Canadian Gas Association for an ad campaign describing natural gas as a smart, “clean-burning” choice for home heating.
In January 2024, Environmental Defence, a Canadian environmental advocacy organization, filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau over Enbridge Gas’ deceptive marketing that gas is the cheapest way to heat homes.
In February 2024, MP Charlie Angus (NDP, Timmins-James Bay) introduced Bill C-372, The Fossil Fuel Advertising Act. The bill prohibits promotion of fossil fuels in a way “that is likely to influence and shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviours about the produce or service.” I note that France has already banned advertising of oil and coal and will soon add gas to the list.
In Ottawa, over a dozen local organizations have submitted a letter to City Council asking for a ban on the promotion of fossil fuels – both advertising and sponsorship – in city facilities. This will be considered by council when it reviews the city’s Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising Policy. The letter points out that such promotion contradicts the city’s own policies on climate change, let alone its declaration of a climate emergency.
So what can we do to protect ourselves from being misled? Among other things, we can do fact-checking with credible resources that are based on findings from reputable scientists and journalists.
Many websites have useful information debunking climate misinformation. CAFES (Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability) has recently updated its website with the first products of its Disinformation Project (at cafesottawa.ca/projects/), with more under development. This project aims to counter the intentional spread of falsehoods that undermine scientific consensus, stall public action and leave all of us more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.