Renewable energy discourses of fossil fuel companies: obstruction and delay of climate action

Desai, Dipa, Si, Yutong, Bozhilova, Diana, Puffer, Sheila and Stephens, Jennie C. (2026) Renewable energy discourses of fossil fuel companies: obstruction and delay of climate action. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 16 (13).

Abstract

For decades, multinational fossil fuel companies have strategically promoted discourses to obstruct climate action. Initially, the fossil fuel industry publicized communications that denied the role of fossil fuels in climate destabilization. Recently, however, they have advanced nuanced messages to delay climate action and policy. As the climate crisis worsens and calls to phase out fossil fuels intensify, research into the industry has revealed pervasive “greenwashing” and a discrepancy between external messaging on renewable energy and internal operational positions. Corporate annual reports, which are public-facing communications, offer insights into how companies align their internal strategy with their external messaging. Based on a textual analysis of the annual reports of four of the largest fossil fuel companies (ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies), this research compares how companies have adapted their communication strategies about renewable energy between 2016 and 2022.

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