Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – Bobsled fans watching Team Canada compete at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup in Norway today may have noticed something unusual.
Environmental Defence Canada sponsored one of the Canadian athletes competing in Norway, Jay Dearborn, to draw attention to sponsorship by oil and gas companies. Bobsleigh Canada is sponsored by Athabasca Oil Corporation as well as Canada Action. This is part of a global trend of oil and gas companies sponsoring athletes, or sportswashing. Sportswashing refers to when companies use the immense popularity of sports to redirect public attention away from their unethical conduct. This includes sponsoring sports teams and athletes in an attempt to improve their image, particularly in the face of growing calls for climate action.
“The fossil fuel industry has known that its products are fueling the climate crisis for decades. These companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising every year to hide their impacts and make sure their brands are socially accepted,” said Julia Levin, Associate Director, Environmental Defence. “The logic is the same as other types of greenwashing: sportswashing is an attempt to associate Big Oil’s brands with something positive to boost their public image and push their agenda.”
Canada Action is an oil and gas industry advocacy group. Since their launch in 2012, the organisation has dedicated itself to encouraging Canadians to pledge support for the fossil fuel industry. Their greenwashing efforts include running nationwide ads on billboards, buses and social media promoting fossil fuels and engaging in misinformation to mislead the public about the impact of oil and gas. They also use their supporter base and their reach to sabotage climate policy, such as the proposed cap on pollution from oil and gas companies. Though Canada Action claims to be grassroots, they are funded by major oil and gas companies, such as Cenovus and ARC resources.
“The health of our planet has always been important to me,” said Jay Dearborn, Canadian bobsled pilot. “That’s why I was happy to partner with Environmental Defence and use my platform to promote renewable energy, action against climate change, and our most valuable resource: wide open untouched, healthy nature. I want to do what I can to protect the places and sports that I love.”
For winter athletes, climate change poses existential risks to doing what they love. It makes sense that Canadian athletes want to show their support for climate action. Replacing fossil fuels like oil and gas with renewable energy is critically important for addressing climate change.
Advertising campaigns by the oil and gas industry have derailed climate action for decades. Intervention at all levels is required to limit the harmful influence of industry greenwashing.
“We ended tobacco advertising once we understood the harm caused by smoking,” said Levin. “Fossil fuels cause climate change, which has devastating consequences for people and the environment. It’s time we apply the same logic as we did to smoking, and limit advertisements that try to sell and promote fossil fuels. This includes governments at all levels implementing bans on advertising, as well as sports organizations taking steps to end the practice of sportswashing.”
Backgrounder Information
- Jay Dearborn is a Canadian bobsled pilot, an Olympian, and a former CFL player from Ontario. He graduated from Carleton University in 2023 with a degree in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering.
- A 2024 report from UK based researchers showed that oil and gas companies have spent at least $5.6 billion pounds across 205 active sponsorship deals.
- Canada Action ran a massive advertising campaign on streetcars in Toronto last year, in the lead-up to a decision from Toronto City Council to limit greenwashing and fossil fuel advertising on the TTC. Ads by Canada Action promoting “natural” gas, which is a fossil fuel, were called out by Canada’s advertising regulator for being inaccurate and misleading.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Stephanie Kohls, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca, 647-280-9521
