No publisher in Asia has publicly rejected Big Oil ad dollars to date, and most provide a platform for fossil fuel brands, described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as "godfathers of climate chaos". Journalists and news consumers believe dirty energy advertising discredits climate-related content, but support for a tobacco-style ad ban is limited.
An ad for McDonald's garlic chilli sauce promotes giving away 134 million sachets every year. Singapore's ad watchdog ruled that there was no breach of its code, after receiving a complaint that the ad celebrates waste.
United Nations chief António Guterres called ad agencies "enablers to planetary destruction". The industry's biggest ad firms have not responded to calls to drop fossil fuels clients. Dirty energy ads will have to be banned before agencies transition, say NGOs
Business executives around the region are very wary of being called out for greenwashing, a survey by Kearney finds. Changing rules for how firms can communicate their sustainability credentials are fuelling angst.