A major oil company in Brazil is teaming up with Gen Z influencers as part of a PR push before November's climate negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in the country. 

Critics say these social media stars are pumping up the company's eco credentials while helping to obscure the oil industry's negative effect on the planet — a practice known as greenwashing.  

What's happening?

Brazil intends to increase oil and gas production by 20% by 2030, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. 

Before the annual UN Climate Change Conference, or COP30, takes place in Belém, state-run oil company Petrobras is employing a team of climate, science, and culture influencers to portray it as a clean-energy powerhouse. 

Agência Pública data reveals the influencers' posts have garnered more than 200 million views on Instagram and 900,000 views on TikTok, according to Impackter. 

"Large extractive companies invest thousands in advertising to create a positive public image, which validates their environmentally destructive plans," Francisco Figueiredo, a columnist for the independent climate-focused publication O Eco, told Agência Pública.  

Figueiredo said he turned down an offer from Petrobras and suggested that the members of the influencer squad may have been putting personal profit above everything else. 

"If they accepted the offer, they either didn't do any basic research or are ignoring the environmental damage," he said. "Money spoke louder than any commitment to science."

Why is this important?

Historically, fossil fuel investments have gone hand in hand with economic growth and rising prosperity. Those positive effects are something everyone can get behind regardless of their political persuasions. 

However, burning these fuels has a wide-range of impacts that have members of the public and innovators asking a pressing question: What if there's a better way to achieve these aims?

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For one, air pollution from coal, oil, and gas is responsible for millions of annual premature deaths and is linked to chronic diseases such as asthma. These fuels also release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, making them the primary culprit behind rising global temperatures — and the subsequent uptick of more powerful extreme weather events, among other problems. 

As for Petrobras' campaign, it also highlights the complex considerations that go into the transition toward renewable energy and away from polluting fuels — a goal that is expected to be a major matter of discussion at COP30. 

For instance, influencer Mylly Biologando touted Petrobras' microalgae biodiesel fuel as something that could "transform the future" for the better, per Impackter. However, biofuel production can come with its own set of environmental problems. 

What's being done about this?

From floating cities to 3D-printed seawalls, technological advancements are helping communities worldwide adapt to changes in climate. 

Scientists are also inching closer toward unlocking the "holy grail" of clean energy: nuclear fusion. Unlike nuclear fission, fusion doesn't create radioactive waste that requires careful storage.  

Learning about critical climate issues can help you to sort through the noise with nuance and optimism rather than fear — and empower you to hold companies accountable if it turns out they aren't living up to their eco-friendly promises. 

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