Climate Delay

Julie Mallat,
Founder of The Climate Propagandist

When it comes to prioritising profit over people, the polluting industries are resourceful in finding new tactics to mislead the public. After decades of spreading lies that climate change is not real, Big Oil’s propaganda efforts are now focused on climate delay - a new narrative aimed at discouraging climate action.

Discourses of climate delay accept the existence of climate change but use pretexts to justify inadequate or no efforts. Oil and gas giants have been manipulating people into believing climate action is costly, unnecessary, illegitimate, or doomed to failure.

Researchers identified as many as 12 discourses of climate delay that either redirect responsibility, push non-transformative solutions, emphasise the downsides of climate policies, or surrender to climate change.

“Delay is death,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres - together we must spot and stop the dangerous plot of climate criminals.

(1) "Big oil's 'wokewashing' is the new climate science denialism" by Amy Westervelt in The Guardian

(2) "Climate Guilt, Brought to You by Big Oil" by Drilled Podcast

(3) "Discourses of Climate Delay" webinar with lead author William Lamb (available on youtube)

(4) "Delay as the New Denial: The Latest Republican Tactic to Block Climate Action" by Lisa Friedman and Jonathan Weisman in the New York Times

(5) “Discourses of Climate Delay”