"Internal record shows Canada’s second largest oil and gas producer donated to organizations that deny climate change is an emergency and question emissions goals."
"A “grassroots” group called Canada Action has run nationwide ads on billboards, buses and social media promoting fossil fuels. An industry organization known as the Conference Board of Canada has produced reports claiming climate policy will cause dire economic impacts. The Fraser Institute think tank has questioned whether the climate emergency is real.
These groups may differ in their strategies and audiences. But they and several other anti-climate organizations across the country share something that may not be obvious to the public or policymakers – they’ve all received funding from Cenovus Energy, the country’s second-largest producer of oil and gas.
That’s according to a corporate “advocacy” document from Cenovus that reveals the company contributed financially in 2023 to prominent advocacy groups in Canada that have disputed climate science, pushed for exports of climate-harming fossil fuels and fought legislation aimed at shifting towards cleaner forms of energy.
The document, which was posted on the Cenovus website and newly reviewed by DeSmog, doesn’t give specific dollar amounts, other than to note whether contributions are above or below $25,000. But to climate advocates like Leah Temper of the non-profit Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, it’s evidence of a “a very tried and true strategy” – an oil and gas company that publicly says it supports climate solutions while quietly backing groups doing everything they can to undermine those solutions.
“It shows you how this entire playbook works, a major oil producer funding these astroturf groups to get its message out without being the voice itself,” she said."
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