Tune in to the 11th episode of the Gabriel Al-Salem Foundation's series "Consulting Without Borders LIVE - Perspectives," in which we engage with international consultants and experts working to address global challenges, promote professional excellence, and build a sustainable future.

On March 1, 2023, at 13:00 GMT, we are delighted to welcome Anya Al-Salem, Master's of Science student of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University (the Netherlands), specializing in Energy and Materials. During her studies, Anya has developed a particular interest in the academic sub-discipline and movement of degrowth, and she is currently writing her master’s thesis about degrowth of the European aviation industry.

Anya is a member of the Gabriel Al-Salem Foundation’s Board of Directors and leads the Foundation’s activities related to sustainability.

On March 1, Anya will discuss ‘greenwashing,’ which refers to the deceptive messaging disseminated by organizations to misleadingly portray themselves as environmentally responsible and thereby improve their public image. Such disinformation is particularly dangerous because it can stall effective and urgently needed action on climate change. Anya will specifically discuss the results of a research project she worked on in 2022, which analyses the changes in public communications of the top five oil and gas ‘supermajor’ companies – BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies – since the onset of the war in Ukraine and provides recommendations for strategies to effectively combat greenwashing.

The research was conducted in a team of six Utrecht University master’s students in collaboration with Solid Sustainability Research, InfluenceMap , and Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising). The research builds on InfluenceMap’s 2022 report Big Oil's Real Agenda on Climate Change, which compares and contrasts the public communications, business operations, and policy engagement of the top five oil and gas ‘supermajors.’

Anya will focus on the following questions during the livestream:

• What is ‘greenwashing,’ and why is it dangerous?
• How did the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 affect the public communications of oil and gas ‘supermajors’?
• What are the best strategies to fight greenwashing and hold polluting companies accountable for their detrimental impact on the environment?

Join us live and ask your questions directly in the comments.