Can the ad industry get out of its own way?

Still, the tension between polluters and climate scientists that Foley described is playing out within the industry broadly—and within IPG itself. The holding company had 25 active contracts with fossil fuel companies between 2022-2023, according to a report released last month by activist group Clean Creatives.

But while it’s pledged to carefully vet new clients based on sustainability-related criteria, long-term clients that are major players in the oil and gas sector remain on several IPG agencies’ client rosters.

The question, then, is whether—in the vast arena of strategic climate communications from a wide variety of players—efforts like this one from Project Drawdown can win out.