Plus, lessons from Bill Gates’ ‘climate hack’

From the Editor's Desk

At DeSmog, we investigate moves from powerful players in government, industry, and food marketing — and this week, none look good for communities, justice, or the planet.

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney — once a rising star on climate — now stares down Indigenous communities with a fossil-fuel deal he hatched behind closed doors with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Their planned pipeline to British Columbia’s northern coast would transport what Carney calls “low-emission” bitumen from Alberta's oil sands.

Yet Indigenous leaders warn of serious threats to lands, waters, and their sovereignty while federal officials loosen climate rules. Read the full story from Mitch Anderson [[link removed]].

Meanwhile, reporter Laura Villadiego takes a bite out of a €1.5 billion European food promotion campaign that elevates high-emissions products while leaning on vague, feel-good language. “Enjoy, it’s from Europe!” amplifies meat and dairy marketing with sustainability narratives that MEPs now label “misleading.” For instance, one pro-pork social campaign pushed messages calling any suggestion the meat had a significant climate impact “absolutely fake.” Really?

With agriculture driving major climate impacts, lawmakers now call for accountability and a reset. Dive into the investigation [[link removed]], which we co-published with the EU Observer [[link removed]].

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [[email protected]]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter [[link removed]].

Thanks,

Brendan DeMelle

Executive Director

P.S. Together with readers like you, we can create more journalism like this dedicated to climate accountability. Can you pitch in $10 or $20 right now to support this essential work? [[link removed]]

Image: Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney. Credit: Prime Minister of Canada/ YouTube [[link removed]]

‘Utterly Abusive’: First Nations United Against Mark Carney’s Alberta Pipeline Plans [[link removed]]— By Mitch Anderson (5 min. read) —

By tying the project’s fate to Indigenous “equity,” Carney saddles groups with the blame, and potentially the bill, if they move to stop a pipeline they oppose.

READ MORE [[link removed]] MEPs Call for Urgent Review of €1.5 Billion EU Food Scheme Pushing ‘Misleading’ Claims [[link removed]]— By Laura Villadiego (10 min. read) —

The programme is “yet another bung to industrial production”, experts say.

READ MORE [[link removed]] Lessons for Climate Advocates From the Bill Gates ‘Climate Hack’ [[link removed]]—By Liam Kavanagh (6 min. read) —

Blunt communication is our firewall.

READ MORE [[link removed]]

Labour Group Slams Lord Glasman Over Climate Denial Lecture [[link removed]]

— Adam Barnett (3 min. read) —

The Labour peer called for new coal power in the Global Warming Policy Foundation’s annual lecture.

READ MORE [[link removed]]

Meet 5 PR Agencies Making Big Polluters Look ‘Ag-tastic’ [[link removed]]

— By Kathryn Clare, Kate Dario and Emily J Gertz (5 min. read) —

Agribusiness companies generate huge quantities of greenhouse gas pollution — and PR companies help them obscure it.

READ MORE [[link removed]] From the Climate Disinformation Database: GS IMCG [[link removed]]

G&S Integrated Marketing Communications Group [[link removed]] (also known as GS IMCG) is an independent communications group with two subsidiary agencies, G&S Business Communications and MorganMyers. GS IMCG provides services including public relations (PR), creative and advertising, digital marketing, branding, strategy, and reputation management for industries including agriculture, oil, gas, and mining. In 2025, it was named the top agricultural PR firm by O’Dwyers, a directory of public relations companies.

Its clients include Cargill (one of the world’s largest meat producing companies), McDonald’s, and the major agrochemicals companies Syngenta and Dow Chemical Company. It also works with the tobacco and alcohol industries. As of October 2025, GS IMCG has not made any net-zero or other climate commitments public on either its website or the websites of its subsidiaries.

Read the full profile [[link removed]] and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database [[link removed]], Ad & PR Database [[link removed]], and Koch Network Database [[link removed]].

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