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Climatewash - Greenwash 2.0. Simple, cheap and no real change needed - great for big business!
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Live Earth was great for raising awareness on climate change and
promoting ways everyone can help. To see global megastars urging action
on climate change to an audience of billions warms the heart of many a
hardened Greenpeace climate campaigner. Today is certainly light years away
from when we first started campaigning nearly 20 years ago on what was then a little known issue.
This year has seen the science debate (artificially prolonged by dirty energy funded front groups) settled. And Live Earth helped raise awareness of the problem in many countries to an unprecedented level. But even a quick scan of the Live Earth sponsors reveals many companies who, while spending millions on appearing to be concerned about climate change, are profiting from climate changing business as usual.
Just down the road from our international office in Amsterdam is a major
Dutch energy company called Nuon, which sponsored the Dutch Live Earth event. But
what Nuon isn't so keen to highlight is that it's one of the companies
pushing ahead with the building of five new coal power plants in the
Netherlands. If built these will
guarantee the Dutch government's 30 percent CO2 reduction by 2020 target will
not be met. Dirty, polluting business as usual.
As coal power stations are one of the biggest single causes of climate change no new ones should be being built. That's the sort of serious action required. Yet most big power companies are trying to forge ahead with plans for massive new coal plants in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The very same companies you pay your energy bill to are telling you they care, but spending that money like they never knew coal was a bad idea.
Many big oil companies (now marketing themselves as 'energy' companies) like BP, Shell and even Exxon are throwing the odd million or several at websites and ad campaigns to say they are looking for solutions to climate change. But in fact they are spending billions finding and extracting more oil. Exxon even still funds the climate skeptic front groups that exist to attempt to muddy the water and stall action on climate change.
General Motors (owner of Chevy) and DaimlerChrysler (owner of the Smart car brand) were two massive car makers hoping for some positive association with Live Earth. However, what you won't see on DaimlerChrysler's website is the fact that their (and other big German car makers) lobbying was crucial in preventing the European Union from imposing tough new efficiency regulations on cars in 2006. Car manufactures had eight years to comply with previous voluntary targets (that they mostly failed miserably to meet), hence the EU proposal for new strict legally binding rules. Yet, European car manufactures (supported by US car firms, like General Motors) lobbied successfully that there should be significantly weaker efficiency regulations, as car companies should be free to sell lots of big, inefficient and polluting cars. (Report on car industry EU lobbying).
That's the real sign of how companies like DaimlerChrysler have failed to change in response to the climate challenge.
One big area where a simple and significant win for the climate can be made is lighting. Old style incandescent bulbs are so inefficient that by just switching from old to new efficient lighting technology in the EU we could close down 25 medium sized power plants, and possibly save Europe 3-5 billion euros.
Right now major lighting manufactures like Phillips, GE and Osram have mumbled about a possible incandescent phase out in maybe 10 years time. But being the makers of most of the inefficient lightbulbs on the global market it's time they were more ambitious. Why not a bold climate move now - stop making incandescent bulbs to focus solely on selling more efficient lighting. As the companies obviously need some pressure to take this step you can write to them now.
That was the UN head talking about the need for a new political agreement on climate change, but he could just have easily been addressing business leaders.
If we are to have any chance to meeting the necessary carbon emission
reductions required to prevent a climate crisis there must to be major
changes now. No new coal plants should be approved. Old inefficient
lighting must be made a thing of the past. Gas guzzling cars belong on
the scrap heap.
While we can all do our bit individually to combat climate change it's companies taking real action that can massively magnify our individual actions and be themselves ahead of the competition when government regulation on climate is enforced.
To date the signs have not been promising. Examples of real action are few. Some power companies have dropped plans for a handful of coal plants in places like the US and New Zealand. A handful of retailers, like Currys in the UK, have stopped selling wasteful incandescent bulbs.
But given the scale of the climate crisis facing us all it's high time big companies stopped just talking green and took action to make their business climate friendly. Anything less just results in more hot air.
Awareness raised, but where's the corporate action?
This year has seen the science debate (artificially prolonged by dirty energy funded front groups) settled. And Live Earth helped raise awareness of the problem in many countries to an unprecedented level. But even a quick scan of the Live Earth sponsors reveals many companies who, while spending millions on appearing to be concerned about climate change, are profiting from climate changing business as usual.
Nuon ad campaign. It should read 'climate change powered by Nuon' if the company proceeds with plans for new dirty coal plants.
As coal power stations are one of the biggest single causes of climate change no new ones should be being built. That's the sort of serious action required. Yet most big power companies are trying to forge ahead with plans for massive new coal plants in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The very same companies you pay your energy bill to are telling you they care, but spending that money like they never knew coal was a bad idea.
Many big oil companies (now marketing themselves as 'energy' companies) like BP, Shell and even Exxon are throwing the odd million or several at websites and ad campaigns to say they are looking for solutions to climate change. But in fact they are spending billions finding and extracting more oil. Exxon even still funds the climate skeptic front groups that exist to attempt to muddy the water and stall action on climate change.
Green cars?
General Motors (owner of Chevy) and DaimlerChrysler (owner of the Smart car brand) were two massive car makers hoping for some positive association with Live Earth. However, what you won't see on DaimlerChrysler's website is the fact that their (and other big German car makers) lobbying was crucial in preventing the European Union from imposing tough new efficiency regulations on cars in 2006. Car manufactures had eight years to comply with previous voluntary targets (that they mostly failed miserably to meet), hence the EU proposal for new strict legally binding rules. Yet, European car manufactures (supported by US car firms, like General Motors) lobbied successfully that there should be significantly weaker efficiency regulations, as car companies should be free to sell lots of big, inefficient and polluting cars. (Report on car industry EU lobbying).
That's the real sign of how companies like DaimlerChrysler have failed to change in response to the climate challenge.
The lights are on, but there's no climate champion home
One big area where a simple and significant win for the climate can be made is lighting. Old style incandescent bulbs are so inefficient that by just switching from old to new efficient lighting technology in the EU we could close down 25 medium sized power plants, and possibly save Europe 3-5 billion euros.
Right now major lighting manufactures like Phillips, GE and Osram have mumbled about a possible incandescent phase out in maybe 10 years time. But being the makers of most of the inefficient lightbulbs on the global market it's time they were more ambitious. Why not a bold climate move now - stop making incandescent bulbs to focus solely on selling more efficient lighting. As the companies obviously need some pressure to take this step you can write to them now.
"Business as usual is no longer an option"
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
That was the UN head talking about the need for a new political agreement on climate change, but he could just have easily been addressing business leaders.
New coal plants are not an option if we are to avoid dangerous climate change.
While we can all do our bit individually to combat climate change it's companies taking real action that can massively magnify our individual actions and be themselves ahead of the competition when government regulation on climate is enforced.
To date the signs have not been promising. Examples of real action are few. Some power companies have dropped plans for a handful of coal plants in places like the US and New Zealand. A handful of retailers, like Currys in the UK, have stopped selling wasteful incandescent bulbs.
But given the scale of the climate crisis facing us all it's high time big companies stopped just talking green and took action to make their business climate friendly. Anything less just results in more hot air.
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