As the UN gears up for the pivotal COP30 climate summit in Brazil, its recent decision to award a major media contract to PR firm Edelman—despite its links with the fossil fuel industry—has triggered sharp criticism from sustainability professionals.
UN awards COP30 contract to PR giant Edelman
As we reported last week, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) awarded Edelman, a PR giant, a $835,000 contract to manage COP30’s media strategy.
This move has been controversial and widely criticised due to the company’s ties and history to the fossil fuel industry.
Interview – Colin Mahoney speaks to A greener life, a greener world
To dive further into this issue, we spoke to sustainability PR leader Colin Mahoney about this contentious issue.
Mahoney is the CEO and Founder of the New York-based Mahoney Communications Group, a company that exclusively works in sustainability communication and PR.
Mahoney: You’re working against the interests of your clients if you take on fossil fuels work
“I’m steadfast against it”, Mahoney told me.
Elaborating, he explained, “I think our client wants to know we are not working against them, and if you’re working for fossil fuel interests, you’re working against the interests of your clients.”
Mahoney: No money in the world could make me take on work for the fossil fuel industry
The other layer of this is your responsibility towards the world, “There’s no amount of money I could be offered to work for a fossil fuel company – it won’t happen ever”
The founder of the sustainability PR business wanted to stress what is a stake if we do not get PR and communications right on this critical issue, “We are awfully close to an unliveable world, and we are already moving from climate prevention to adaptation, and if we don’t make immediate changes there’s a lot of people that would be affected by it.”
He underlined his strong views and passions about the issue, saying, “I’m not sure you could ever pay a human being enough money to work against that issue.”
PR David vs Goliath: Mahoney says speaking out against Edelman is risky
“Even speaking out against Edelman scares me – they’re a giant, they’re huge, and they could squash my little firm like a bug”
But Mahoney wanted to underline that while he has no idea about how Edelman is structured, they have done this and it is the third time they have been caught working with a fossil fuel company, “I can’t speak for how important the Shell deal is for them, how much it is worth financially and how many people they would have to lay off if they were to cancel it.”
Mahoney: Not a choice I would make
“But I can speak to what I would not do, I try as hard as I can to live a green life, of course, there are things I can do better, but if I can make choices in matters such as who I work for, it would not be in fossil fuels.”
Mahoney did not hide his disappointment that an influential body like Edelman still takes on work for the fossil fuel industry: “I can’t speak to why Edelman is doing it, and I’m disappointed that a firm with such a large reach and power is empowering fossil fuel companies—that’s not a choice I would make.”
Why the UN chose Edelman: Convenience or credibility?
It takes two to tango, and it was the UN that decided to offer Edelman the contract.
Mahoney had a quick response ready when it came to why the organisation thought it would be a good idea to hand the contract to Edelman, “The answer is because they did not talk to my firm,” Mahoney laughed.
Mahoney: We would love to have had a stab at the COP30 contract
But with serious undertones, he said that had they been given the chance to pitch for this contract, “I could promise the UN we had the bandwidth to do it, and the intellectual honesty and the knowledge, the ability, and the reach to deliver.”
“Of course, I would like to have had a shot at that contract.” In a direct message to the UN, Mahoney said, “Maybe give people who are truly committed to the cause a chance to show what they can do instead of going for the easy answer.”
Mahoney did acknowledge that there’s a reason that Edelman is the world’s largest PR firm, and their ability to perpetrate and generate news. But, “this is important stuff we are talking about, the habitability of the planet – let’s not mess around and let’s find someone who can do the job, keep their eye on the ball and not work against the cause,” he remarked.
Mahoney was less concerned that Edelman’s appointment could impact COP30 messaging: “I think the UN would have something to say regarding this, and I hope I’m right.”
Mahoney: We need to do a better job of communicating the power of renewables
So, where does this leave us? Should the advertising and marketing industries be more regulated so that it is harder to promote fossil fuel interests and businesses? Mahoney preferred another strategy, one that makes the promotion of clean energy better and more powerful than fossil fuels: “The financial argument of renewables is there—it is cheaper, it is more efficient, and it is faster to build—and we have to do a better job of selling that message as opposed to pushing oil away.”
Edelman’s appointment to lead COP30 communications reveals the continued friction between institutional convenience and climate credibility.
Many, including Mahoney, would argue that the move has drawn criticism due to Edelman’s long-standing ties to fossil fuel companies.
Whether Edelman’s fossil fuel record will undermine the UN’s credibility at COP30 remains to be seen
Colin Mahoney was speaking to Anders Lorenzen on the 5th of August 2025.
Anders Lorenzen is the founding Editor of A greener life, a greener world.
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Categories: climate change, Communication, COP30, Energy, interview, marketing
