Edelman, the international media advisor to Brazil’s COP30 team, relies on its work with fossil fuel companies for its revenues more than any other public relations agency, new research has found.
An estimated 5.64% of the PR giant’s turnover comes from contracts with fossil fuel clients, including Shell and Chevron – a figure far higher than any of its rivals, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Clean Creatives campaigning group.
As Climate Home News first revealed in July, Edelman has been working with Brazil to hone the COP30 host nation’s media strategy for this year’s UN climate summit.
Communications firm Edelman won a $835,000 contract via a UN agency to help the COP30 presidency “craft a strategic narrative”, manage international media relations, create digital content and navigate any PR crises, according to an agreement filed with the US government.
Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, said Edelman is “uniquely reliant” on fossil fuel contracts. “There is literally no agency worse suited for a role at COP30,” he added in a statement. “If the UN climate talks succeed in their goal, Edelman faces an existential threat to their revenue – that’s the definition of a conflict of interest.”
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which awarded the COP30 media contract on behalf of Brazil, told Climate Home in July that Edelman’s selection did not contravene its rules on conflicts of interest. The COP30 presidency defended Edelman’s appointment, saying in a statement that the firm met the desired criteria for the role and had won a “rigorous” selection process.
A spokesperson for Edelman said the company believed climate change was “the greatest crisis of our time, requiring bold solutions, collaboration, and innovation”.
“Edelman is committed to being part of the change by working with diverse clients, including energy companies, who have a vital role to play in the transition as affirmed at COP28,” they told Climate Home when asked to comment on its work with both COP30 and Shell.
The “Mad Men” selling Big Oil’s image
Calls are growing for PR and advertising companies to stop promoting fossil fuel producers as the world battles to reduce carbon emissions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, a vocal advocate of climate action, has described PR firms that work with fossil fuel companies as “Mad Men … fuelling the madness”.
But Clean Creatives catalogued 1,217 active or recent contracts between polluting firms and over 700 PR and advertising agencies as part of its annual F-List – a database of relationships between fossil fuel companies and their PR partners.
American conglomerate Omnicom holds the biggest number of contracts with fossil fuel firms at 120, followed by the British ad giant WPP with 82, according to the research.
Clean Creatives linked Edelman to deals with just ten oil, gas and coal companies in 2024 and 2025. But the New York-headquartered PR giant topped the new “Fossil Fuel Income Risk Exposure” (FFIRE) index, which estimates the weight of fossil fuel contracts in the total revenue of top agencies.
While, overall, fossil fuel advertising and PR make up less than 1% of global marketing spend, Edelman relies on work with polluting companies for more than 5% of its revenue, Meisel noted. WPP and Omnicom rely on fossil fuel contracts for 0.68% and 0.55% of their earnings, respectively, according to the analysis.
Clean Creatives said Edelman’s score is the result of its global partnership with Shell, as well as its longstanding relationship with Chevron and Abu Dhabi-based ADNOC.
Appeal to keep fossil fuel interests out of COP
With growing calls to keep fossil fuel influence out of the UN climate talks, campaigners criticised Edelman’s appointment to the strategic COP30 media role.
In response to Climate Home’s article, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, a network of over 200 organisations, called on Brazil to reconsider its contract. It also urged Australia and Turkey, the countries vying to host next year’s COP, to commit to not hiring PR firms that also have fossil fuel clients.
“Future host countries should take a clear stand that will avoid this kind of conflict of interest and prevent the influence of the fossil fuel industry on negotiations to deal with the problem that industry created,” the coalition’s executive director Jeni Miller said.
