#climate lobbying

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

Jeremy Jones, an extreme snowboarder, filmmaker and owner of his own clothing brand, never dreamed of becoming a lobbyist.

More comfortable in snowboarding bibs and puffy jackets than a suit and tie, the laid-back Jones has quietly become a force in Washington’s power corridors — and this year, his coalition achieved its biggest victory yet.

Protect Our Winters, a group Jones founded in 2007 to bring together winter athletes for advocacy on climate issues, has grown steadily in influence over the past decade. Made up of climbers, skiers and other outdoor athletes, P.O.W. played a small but crucial role in helping pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains $370 billion in climate and clean-energy programs.

The group’s origins, though, were pretty humble.

“Someone should be doing something about this,” Jones recalled thinking around 2005. He began seeing rain in the middle of winter “in places where it doesn’t rain,” he said, or signs of glacial retreat in the German Alps.

So Jones decided that “someone” was him. Before long, he was cold-calling climate scientists, who told him he needed to use his celebrity to call for federal legislation, which they said would be the only way to achieve meaningful reductions in emissions.

Jones has done so, largely, by building a coalition he calls “the outdoor state”: skiers and snowboarders, backpackers and cyclists — and soon, he hopes, the even larger community of anglers and hunters.

These advocates talk up the economic importance of recreation in ways that resonate with politicians who tend to care more about jobs than endangered species. As Jones put it, “We don’t go to Capitol Hill with pictures of polar bears.”

[probablyasocialecologist]

“The fossil-fuel industry is very good at getting what it wants because they get the lobbyists best at playing the game,” Roberts said. “They have the best staff, huge legal departments, and the ability to funnel dark money to lobbying and influence channels. “This database really makes it apparent that when you hire these insider lobbyists, you are basically working with double agents. They are guns for hire. The information you share with them is probably going to the opposition.”

[decolonize-the-everything]

Y'all ever look at this?

I was doing some research about healthcare and stumbled into this lobbying tracker and I am...pissed off???

Free rage machine over at opensecrets

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Karina Gonçalves David, a small-scale farmer representative from Brazil, is concerned by the presence of powerful and polluting firms. “If they are inside, they have an advantage. This place is about solutions to face the climate crisis but the companies are appropriating it to do lobbying. They are going the opposite way.”

The world’s top five meat companies’ emissions are estimated to be significantly larger than those of the oil firms Shell and BP, while the dairy industry’s 3.4% contribution to global human-induced emissions is a higher share than aviation.

Outspoken meat lobby groups are also on the ground in Dubai, including the North American Meat Institute, which as recently as 2022 claimed the extent of human-made climate breakdown was “unknown”.

Producers of pesticides have also turned out in high numbers this year, up 30% compared with 2022.

Together, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF and their trade association, CropLife, which has pushed back against attempts to enact new climate measures, sent 29 delegates.

Raj Patel, of the sustainability thinktank IPES-Food, said: “Just as with the influx of oil lobbyists, industrial agriculture businesses are scared. They have read the science and they know how much their business has driven the climate crisis.”

Big food and farming representatives are keen to steer conversations away from dietary change, which is under discussion at the summit. On Sunday, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation will release the first draft of its plan for achieving a sustainable global food system, which is expected to call on rich nations to cut meat consumption.

This follows the recommendation of the Eat-Lancet Commission, which suggests people consume no more than 15.7 kg a year. In 2020, the average American consumed 126kg of meat.

Smallholder farmers are worried they will be sidelined by the power of the agribusiness lobby. A recent report showed small-scale producers get just 0.3% of international public climate finance despite producing a third of the world’s food.

Most corporations, lobby groups and NGOs that attend the Cop climate summits have “observer” status, but the analysis shows an increase in the number of industry representatives attending Cop28 with their national governments, making companies and lobby groups party to diplomatic negotiations.

Participating as country delegates, says Nusa Urbancic from the Changing Markets Foundation, means that industry may be perceived more as peers by policymakers who then give greater credibility to their positions.

The highest numbers of agribusiness representatives were brought in by Brazil, with 36 delegates linked mostly to the meat industry. Next in line was Russia, which handed out 15 passes to people affiliated with fertiliser companies and lobby groups, followed by Canada, which offered tickets to eight more delegates from fertiliser firms.

Fabrício Muriana, from Brazil’s Instituto Regenera, who is attending as an observer with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, said: “They are here because they knew it would be a food Cop. It’s a cynical move because these people are not even beginning to scratch the surface of reducing harm, let alone addressing climate. We need stricter criteria on who is coming, and with what intentions.”

Big food companies have announced a handful of voluntary initiatives at Cop28. One is the UAE- and US-led Aim for Climate partnership, which has been criticised for skewing heavily towards techno-fixes and the commercial interests of large corporations.

The new analysis gives only a snapshot of the industrial agriculture sector’s influence. Agriculture and trade ministers, which fell outside the scope of the analysis, have been fierce advocates for the interests of agribusiness at UN events in recent years.

Government officials from Brazil and Argentina – both big producers of beef – pushed to water down scientific recommendations about reducing meat-eating in the latest IPCC report.

The US agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, a former dairy lobbyist, told industry groups before Cop28 that the US would use the summit to advocate for its market-based approach to agricultural policy, which shuns calls for regulation of industries such as meat and dairy.

[plethoraworldatlas]

Two U.S. congressional committees on Tuesday released a report that "provides a rare glimpse into the extensive efforts undertaken by fossil fuel companies to deceive the public and investors about their knowledge of the effects of their products on climate change and to undermine efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions."

The report—titled Denial, Disinformation, and Doublespeak: Big Oil's Evolving Efforts to Avoid Accountability for Climate Change—was released after nearly three years of investigation by the Democratic staffs of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Budget Committee.

"For decades, the fossil fuel industry has known about the economic and climate harms of its products but has deceived the American public to keep collecting more than $600 billion each year in subsidies while raking in record-breaking profits," said Senate Budget Committee Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

"As this joint report makes clear, the industry's outright denial of climate change has evolved into a green-seeming cover for its ongoing covert operation—a campaign of deception, disinformation, and doublespeak waged using dark money, phony front groups, false economics, and relentless exertion of political influence—to block climate progress," the senator added.

[commiepinkofag]

Lobbyists who work for conservation and environmental groups are also working for the fossil fuel industry. Local governments paying to deal with the climate crisis employ the very oil, gas, and coal lobbyists who are making the crisis worse. Colleges and universities — whose students are pushing for divestment from fossil fuels — continue to employ lobbyists who also work for ExxonMobil, the Koch Companies, and other funders of climate denialism.

Is your lobbyist failing on climate?

Research by F Minus reveals more than 1,500 state-level lobbyists who are playing both sides of the climate crisis by working for the fossil fuel industry at the same time they are working for people, communities, schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations and others being harmed by the crisis. F Minus is disrupting this dynamic. Use this database to discover the extent to which fossil fuel lobbyists are also representing victims of the climate crisis in your state.

[tomorrowusa]

An unusual legal victory for Planet Earth. And it happened in red Montana – of all places.

In a historic decision on Monday, a Montana state court ruled in favor of 16 young climate activists who claimed the state’s provisions to an environmental act violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. “Today, for the first time in U.S. history, a court ruled on the merits of a case that the government violated the constitutional rights of children through laws and actions that promote fossil fuels, ignore climate change and disproportionately imperil young people,” said Julia Olson, chief legal counsel and executive director of Our Children’s Trust, in a statement. Along with Our Children’s Trust, the young plaintiffs — now ages 5 to 22— are represented by attorneys with the Western Environmental Law Center and McGarvey Law. Together, they helped the plaintiffs sue Montana, its Governor Greg Gianforte and several state agencies in a lawsuit representing the first constitutional climate case in the United States.

It's a first, so that does set a bit of a precedent – even if the fossil fuel pushers get the ruling thrown out on appeal.

Lewis and Clark County Court Judge Kathy Seeley found Montana's energy laws allowed the state to permit projects without considering the impact of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. [ ... ] “By prohibiting consideration of climate change,” Seeley later wrote, “GHG emissions and how additional GHG emissions will contribute to climate change or be consistent with the Montana Constitution, the MEPA limitation violates plaintiffs’ right to a clean and healthful environment as is facially unconstitutional.”

Of course Republicans are hopping mad that the well-being of the planet was placed ahead of fossil fuel producer profits.

“This ruling is absurd, but not surprising from a judge who let the plaintiffs’ attorneys put on a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt that was supposed to be a trial,” said Emily Flower, spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, in a statement. Flower added that “Montanans can’t be blamed for changing the climate” and that the “same legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen states.” In a previous statement, Flower called the entire lawsuit a “meritless publicity stunt” to increase fundraising for Our Children’s Trust “at the expense of Montana taxpayers.

Republicans care less about Montana taxpayers than they do about campaign contributions from the carbon lobby.

This was a local case decided under Montana law and provides another example of why we must get more involved in state politics and government.

[spooky-spextre-arts]

Hi, if you're interested in helping create effective climate action, one of the first and easiest ways to do so is through signing petitions and writing to Congress.

Citizens' Climate Lobby is one such service which automatically writes and sends messages to your state Representatives, urging them to take further action on creating/supporting climate action.

[timeisacephalopod]

The fact that cigarette companies exist is fucking dystopian and a sign of the failure of capitalism as an ideology- cigarettes are a product that undeniably caused a bunch of different cancers, we've all seen the tobacco death stats on the back of cig cartons smokers have, and yet. And yet, for some reason instead of saying "zero businesses should be selling cancer causing products to their customers, certainly not when those cancer causing products are so dangerous even the smoke of the product causes cancers in the people around smokers. Businesses have zero right to cause a massive health crisis in the population like this when their only function is to make money- you cannot give people cancer for profit."

Like you'd assume giving people cancer for money would be some kind of fucked dystopian novel that'd get ripped on for being way too over the top and unrealistic but no, we literally live in such a morally bankrupt capitalist brain rotted society that we think selling cancer is fine, we won't do anything about a set of companies that exist solely to get customers addicted to their highly dangerous product for profit. Instead we'll act like it's smokers who need to take responsibility for the industry that's exploiting them. Fucking disgusting if you ask me, that we're more okay with companies giving people cancer than we are with governments giving people welfare.

[tigirl-and-co]

Ugh. Going on a terf blocking spree is important and necessary but god can it be draining to see the complete nonsense feedback loop

Anyway if anybody wants a blocklist DM me, I don't make a habit of posting URLs bc of how quickly that can spiral out of control + I didn't necessarily vet everyone I blocked, just blocked anybody I saw heavily interacting with the ones I did

Also saw 'gender and kink critical radfem but calling me a terf is literal harassment' and it was so fucking stupid it made me smile.

[auroraluciferi]

if you want to understand the political front line/ground zero for the right-wing’s fight against civil rights, equality, education, environmentalism, preventing climate change, immigration and healthcare reform and other important battles within the United States, Florida is the place to look at

it has by far the most corrupt legislature, judiciary and executive branch of any state

it has a deeply racist history of violence and oppression against Native Americans and other minorities going back over 300 years

it has an enormously outsized importance in terms of national presidential elections due to the large number of votes it has in the electoral college

FL is especially conservative due to many economic and demographic factors, such as the influence of the real estate and tourism industries there, and for being a common location for elderly retirees to move to - most of whom tend to skew to the right politically

it is also uniquely vulnerable to many invasive plant and animal species, climate change and the threat of sea level rise - the discussion or even the mention of climate change and sea level rise has been outlawed for Florida state employees

in spite of its reputation as a warm, care-free paradise and one of the most popular vacation spots on the planet, there is something very wrong and sick about Florida

I feel this is broadly representative of the greater political illness destroying countless lives, wasting precious natural resources and the chance for real progress across the country

people who want to learn more or try to understand why or how America can be so incredibly fucked up have to look no further than the state of Florida 

and they will see the truth of it

[indizombie]

Over and over, richer countries have not met existing climate funding commitments of $100 billion a year. They’ve also not met promises around raising funding to support developing countries adapt to climate impacts. This has left many countries and communities more exposed to loss and damage. Because they’re unable to put money into easing and adapting to climate change, and build up their ability to withstand climate impacts. We need to see richer countries move beyond promises of climate funding. Countries and companies with a history of polluting should pay up for the harm climate change causes. Starting off with fossil fuel companies. The fossil fuel industry has repeatedly obscured the science, lobbied against change, greenwashed their image and more. All while the rest of us suffer with high energy bills and the devastating climate impacts their industry has caused. To put climate justice into practice, governments must make fossil fuel companies pay up. And put that money into the loss and damage fund, and other climate financing they’ve promised.

‘Loss and damage: who foots the bill for climate destruction?’, Greenpeace

[fashionlandscapeblog]

There are over 600 fossil fuel lobbyists at Cop 27 Climate Summit, that’s more than the combined delegations from the world’s 10 most climate-impacted countries. Dirty fossil fuel money & influence should be nowhere near this climate conference - new fossil fuels must stay firmly in the ground - Caroline Lucas, Green MP.

[thewuzzy]

worried that just stop oil is a psy op and think that activists could do better? congrats, you're an activist! it's time to join or start your own local climate justice group!

[notwiselybuttoowell]

In the wake of blazing heat, rising food insecurity and devastating floods, COP28 leaders have released a four-point “food and agriculture” agenda for the conference, which will call for governments to work with industry to find new solutions.

As some of the biggest companies – in particular meat and dairy firms – grow more concerned about their climate-villain images, they are turning to greenwashing techniques: well-known tactics deployed by oil and gas industries to shift the debate away from meaningful action. Often valid concepts in and of themselves, the problem lies in how they are touted as enviro-friendly actions while companies fail to cut their contribution to global heating. 

The agriculture industry has a lot to be worried about. Meat emits around a third of global emissions of methane, and action to cut this greenhouse gas has been identified by the UN and world leaders as the quickest route to slowing global heating. Farming also relies on synthetic fertilisers that are both fossil-fuel-based and emit greenhouse gases, and drives deforestation. 

Major food and farming corporations will be seeking to steer conversations in Dubai via an influential coalition: the AIM for Climate (Aim4C) initiative. Spearheaded by the US and United Arab Emirates (UAE), Aim4C will be showcasing $13 billion-worth of joint projects (or “innovation sprints”) which feature many high-tech “climate-smart” solutions that are favoured by industry, and include some dubious technologies unproven at scale.

The terms, with details in link, are: regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions, climate neutrality, emissions intensity, efficiency, sustainable intensification

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. Congress

No giveaways to Big Oil and Gas!

292 so far! Help us get to 500 signers!

The Biden administration has taken bold climate action to pause LNG exports unless and until the Department of Energy updates their public interest determination process. The pause on approvals of new LNG export facilities will allow the federal government to update its outdated and deficient approach and incorporate critical new data and analysis, which has not been done since Trump left office. But the Republican party is threatened by President Biden's climate leadership and beholden to their fossil fuel donors. The GOP is pushing a series of misguided and dangerous bills and amendments this week to ry and block Biden climate progress, and we need every Democrat and climate hawk on deck to fight back. This week, the House could vote on H.R. 7176 – the misleadingly named “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act.” This bill would be a massive giveaway to Big Oil and Gas CEOs by opening the floodgates for gas exports that raise our energy costs, accelerate the climate crisis, and make our families sick by stripping away the federal government’s responsibility to examine the full impacts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the economy, consumer energy costs, the climate, and local communities. In addition, Senator Barasso is reportedly looking to add an amendment to overturn President Biden's LNG pause to a must pass military spending bill for our allies in Ukraine. As the Department of Energy, EU allies, and others have reported, President Biden's Pause on new LNG export licenses will not impact supplies of LNG to our European allies - where demand for gas is already declining due to our shared climate and security goals of moving away from fossil fuels. On behalf of climate hawks and constituents, I ask you to stand firm in the face of Republican tantrums and lies, and support President Biden's climate leadership.

▶ Created on February 13 by Jess Craven

📱 Text SIGN PAAOAW to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409