Today CAN Europe released a new report based on an analysis of publicly available campaign finance records, definitively proving that polluting European companies are funding climate legislation blockers in US politics. Their overseas support is all the more galling because the same companies argue that additional emissions reductions in Europe cannot be pursued until the United States takes action.
CP reported over the weekend that the ‘U.S.’ Chamber of Commerce’s pro-GOP, pro-pollution ad blitz was fueled by foreign oil, especially companies in India. Now Climate Action Network Europe is out with a new report, “Think globally, and sabotage locally,” that documents European companies are backing Senate opponents of climate action — while shamelessly arguing in Europe that the EU must not make stronger commitments because of U.S. inaction:
Big European emitters — Lafarge, GDF-SUEZ, EON, BP, BASF, BAYER, Solvay and Arcelor-Mittal supported climate change deniers in the US senate in 2010 for $107,200. Their total support for senators blocking climate change legislation in the US amounts to $240,200, which is almost 80% of their total spendings in 2010 senate race….
This behind the scenes behaviour exposes a major hypocrisy in those European headquarter based companies. In Europe they are amongst the most influential and vocal within their sector federations, the confederation of European business (Business Europe) and the Alliance for a competitive European Industry) to avoid more climate action in the EU. The main reason of argument of those companies is that, for instance, the move to a 30% reduction target in the EU by 2020 cannot happen because of inaction in the rest of the world especially in the USA.
The report provides a number of typically hypocritical quotes from these secret saboteurs:
Business Europe wrote to the president of the EU Environment Council, ahead of the Environment Council meeting on 14 October, enclosing a position paper setting out their recommendations on EU policies for climate and energy. !They say that there should be no increase in the 20% emission reduction target until the international conditions are fulfilled:“BUSINESSEUROPE is convinced that at this point in time, i.e. in the absence of an international deal securing equally strong action from other economies, any further increase of the EU’s unilateral 20% emission reduction target would be premature and even counterproductive.”
CEFIC (the European Chemical industry council includes BASF, BAYER and Solvay as important members)“Acting in isolation is doomed to fail, as the Copenhagen conference has shown.”
So these big polluters, including BP, are trying to block European action by arguing that the U.S. won’t act — and at the same time they have a cash pipeline to senators in the United States trying to block action.
Even more hypocritically, some of these companies have being greenwashing themselves by asserting that they actually care about global warming:
“Lafarge confirms its commitment against climate change”¦.” [from its “Sustainable Development” page].
“By helping to prevent climate warming, preserving fossil fuels and natural resources and promoting environmentally friendly energy, GDF SUEZ is working to control the impact of its own activities and those of its customers on the environment….. Technologies that emit the least CO2 are the priority” [from its “Environment and Climate” page].
“Climate change is one of the main challenges faced by society. Industries, science, politics and society need to curb further increases in greenhouse gas emissions and make efficient use of available resources. Innovative solutions developed by BASF contribute to protecting our climate…. As the first company in industry to do so, BASF published a corporate carbon footprint in 2008…. Dr. Ulrich von Deessen has been named the first Climate Protection Officer of BASF in 2008” [from its “Climate Protection” page].
“ArcelorMittal recognises that it has a significant responsibility to tackle the global climate change challenge.”
BP: “As a global energy company, we believe we can play a major part in finding and implementing solutions to one of the greatest challenges of this century.”
CAN Europe rightly calls this “sabotage on a global scale.”
It is probably time to start considering some serious boycotts.