Corporate Lobbying Continues to Shrug Off Climate Change

Corporate owned media outlets obfuscate the science on climate change and deeply influence public opinion.

A replica of the Statue of Liberty emits smoke in a park outside the 23rd UN Conference of the Parties climate talks in Bonn, Germany, 17 November, 2017.

(Photo: AP)

The 23rd annual Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently concluded at Bonn, Germany, with several important outcomes such as progress on drafting of the Paris Agreement rulebook, pre-2020 action to mitigate emissions and raise $100 billion worth of climate finance, the Talanoa dialogue to facilitate stocktaking of long term mitigation action and revision of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of countries, and discussion on the contentious issue of ‘loss and damage’.

Nationally Determined Contributions Won’t Bridge the Gap

Experts agree that the NDCs, as submitted by member countries of the UNFCCC, are not enough to match the aim of the Paris Agreement i.e. holding the rise in temperature to well below 2 degree Celsius above pre- industrial level. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the current levels will push temperatures up by 3 degree Celsius or more.

The yearly Emissions Gap Report released by the United Nations Environment Programme points out alarming gaps in mitigation of emission and ambitious NDCs in 2020.

It also exhorts that global GHG emissions must peak before 2020 and the emissions gap close by 2030 in order for the world to limit warming at 2 degree Celsius. Current NDCs will reduce emissions only by a third of the original target.

Paris Rulebook Will Have Serious Implications

While there were several important items on the agenda of the 23rd COP negotiations, it is the Paris rulebook that will regulate, to a large extent, the working of the Paris Agreement.

The rulebook, being written under the supervision of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement will contain modalities, procedures, and guidelines on mitigation of emissions, NDCs’ accounting and five yearly scaling up, transparency, emissions accounting and reporting, adaptation related issues etc. It will determine climate action in the years to come.

If drafted ambitiously, it is likely to have serious implications for the fossil fuel industry and could make large dents in their profits. Expectedly, thus, some of the world’s most polluting companies were present at Bonn in order to influence the talks and possibly water down the details of the rulebook.

Maneuvering by the Corporates

Corporate influence on climate talks is well-documented and exposed by several researchers. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by the fossil fuel industry to mould the narrative on climate change according to its liking. It is now well known that major oil and energy companies such as Shell and BP were since long aware of the harmful effects of the emissions on the earth’s climate.

However, for decades, they chose to remain silent and actively engaged in efforts to obfuscate and deny scientific proof. Reports by Union of Concerned Scientists and Centre for International Environmental Law dig deep into the fossil fuel industry’s well planned and flawless deception.

In September, Influence Map, a UK based think tank, released a report that states that 35 of 50 of the world’s most influential companies are actively involved in lobbying against climate action.

Most of these 35 companies are from the fossil fuel industry, energy-intensive, or polluting companies. The report also points out an oft overlooked aspect of corporate influence – the power of corporate owned media outlets that obfuscate the science on climate change and deeply influence public opinion.

Also Read: How Will Trump’s Withdrawal From The Paris Accord Affect India?

Blatant Interference by Corporate Giants

Another recent report by the American non-profit Corporate Accountability discloses how key negotiations in areas such as finance, international cooperation, technology and agriculture are influenced and even derailed by powerful business and industry NGOs (BINGOs) through their access to the UNFCCC as accredited observer organisations.

Unsurprisingly, many instances of blatant interference by corporate giants were on display during the 23rd COP. The International Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business and Industry Day.

The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) whose members include BP, Chevron, Shell, Rio Tinto, Statoil, and Total, was in full participation at the talks as sponsors and partners. Representatives of polluting industries from the United States such as the National Mining Association and the US Chamber of Commerce were also present.

A particularly reckless move on part of fossil fuel industry lobbyists was a proposal by the Ukrainian delegation to create a new permanent body namely, ‘Committee for Future’, that would permit ‘direct participation of the corporates’ in the UNFCCC process.

The Trump administration too, hosted a clean coal event, signalling thereby the deepening entrenchment of fossil fuel companies within the international climate change regime.

Apart from stalling action on climate change, polluting companies and lobbyists attempt to thwart the effectiveness of negotiations by advocating faulty and harmful solutions. Some of the ‘solutions’ put forth by the corporates to lure developing countries include more carbon trading mechanisms, climate smart agriculture, the promise of carbon capture and storage technology, and insurance instead of climate finance.

Declaration on Conflict of Interest

Countries of the global south have for the past few years sought a conflict of interest declaration by companies that are linked to the UNFCCC. The extent of influence that corporates wield over governments of the global north may be gauged from the fact that the final agreement of May’s Climate Change Conference did not include the words ‘conflict of interest’.

A similar request for creation of a conflict of interest policy during the 23rd COP was rejected by the UNFCCC secretariat. The issue is expected to be taken up again in 2018 at the biannual negotiating session. Pertinently, the European Parliament has recently passed a resolution calling for the creation of such a policy by the UNFCCC.

The earth is on a dangerous new track of warming combined with devastating extreme weather events, each surpassing the previous one in magnitude and aftermath. The Paris Agreement is the most urgent and pressing commitment of our times. Now that its rulebook is being drafted, there is all the more reason to confront corporate power and prevent its influence upon the process. Businesses that participate in the international climate change regime must be forced to declare their conflicts of interest.

Also Read: Delhi Needs Both Clean Air and Women’s Safety, Not One of the Two

(The writer is a lawyer from Srinagar. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone])