On this day in 2022 the the CEO of the ad agency (well, behemoth) IPG announced it was revising its policy on fossil fuels.
In what the company said is a first for the industry, Interpublic Group and its agencies are now proactively reviewing the climate impacts of prospective clients that operate in the oil, energy and utility sectors before accepting new work.
IPG said it was working with climate change consultant Planet + Purpose Solutions to develop a set of questions that the company expects prospective clients to affirm before agreeing to partner with them.
The questions include:
Have these potential clients set specific emission reduction goals that are aligned with 1.5°C ambition to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 or sooner with no greater than 10% off-setting?
Are these companies publishing clear climate reporting, including scope, baseline, timeline, and the tracking of Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions?
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 418ppm. As of 2025, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.
The broader context was that white colour people with educations and eyes were beginning to see the webs of complicity, and not liking it so much. And were trying to change the system from within (as per Leonard Cohen).
The specific context was that “creatives” etc within the agency were pressuring for a pledge.
What I think we can learn from this. You can – with effort and luck – get some promises of action from our Lords and Masters.
What happened next – yeah, you should read this.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
September 23, 1986 -Joe Biden suggests urgent #climate action…
September 23, 2013 – Media Watch versus climate denialists …