Greenwashing by the fossil fuel industry: impediments to SDGs

Abstract The fossil fuel industry, a major commercial determinant of public and environmental health, constitutes a central challenge to the achievement of the SDGs. Motivated by profit, the industry has contributed to establishing the current global reliance on fossil fuel as the primary energy source and essential raw material in global production. Major oil companies have purposefully hindered the research and transition towards renewable energy. This was achieved through an intricate web of interference and mechanisms that fall under the corporate playbook, such as political interference through lobbying to stagnate carbon emission reduction, influences on carbon pricing policies, and hinderances to environmental protection legislation. These practices known as ‘greenwashing’ have resulted in misinformation, interfered with climate action in an aim to increase demand for their products, to decrease the pressure from society on the industry, and portray a green image to consumers. Using the commercial determinants of health framework and focusing on the Middle East, this presentation will illustrate how fossil fuel companies falsely advertise their products as environmentally friendly, resulting in environmental degradation, and impede the achievement of most SDGs, especially SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), and SDG 13 (climate action).