This morning I was suprised to see a copy of Rolling Stone Magazine sitting on a shelf with the cover from January’s issue. It featured an entirely black page with “YOU IDIOTS! : Meet the planet’s worst enemies” in bold faced red type.
Never had I thought that the magazine featured much else aside from your typical sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll…Columnist Jeff Goodell explained in about 4 pages, “How Big Oil and Big Coal mounted one of the most aggressive lobbying campaigns in history to block progress on global warming.”
It’s great to call it like it really is. During the November election campaign in 2008, Obama promised action on climate change and deep emissions cuts. People expected him to CHANGE everything in America from corporate lobbyists to climate change, to better social services across the nation. As a Canadian, I wanted him to take a stronger stance on climate change because of the reality of how our current Canadian federal leadership follows the United States with their climate policy. Unfortunately, too much pressure was admittedly put on one person and he, equally unfortunately couldn’t deliver on many of the things he promised Americans and members of he world community. OK. I think we all know that some campaign promises won’t translate into real action at the end of the day, however, I think Obama and many of federal leaders across the globe, have lowered their standards too much.
When I was in Copenhagen, I saw this very thing. I remember saying to myself that the actual solutions that are necessary aren’t even being discussed. At the end of it all, they agreed that they can only afford to let the planet warm if it stays under a 2 degree overall increase. Really? Naomi Klein hit the nail on the head when she said that, “The deal we really need is not even on the table.”
Why not? Aside from lagging political willpower, there is the issue of socially irresponsible business thwarting efforts for progressive action. Think of this: The whole HOPENHAGEN, marketing campaign that entirely blanketed the city. When the names behind the biggest message of hope and a FAB (fair, Ambitious, and Legally Binding) deal in Copenhagen are Coca Cola, and the Gap, it might seem that there is a slight problem there. That’s not to say that business and multinationals can’t be involved in calling for better environmental action, but it is to say that big business can get in the way of it if their corporate goals don’t match with the needs appealing to human populations. In this case, Coca Cola and Gap Inc aren’t the corporations I’m necessarily looking at as biggest climate criminals though. In Copenhagen, there was something called Kilmaforum, a side conference to COP 15 where the ‘Angry Mermaid Award’ was presented to Monsanto. Its intention was apparently to implicate corporate lobbyists at COP 15.
Back to the Rolling Stone Article about the USA, Copenhagen, and climate change, another article followed by Tim Dickinson, implicating ‘Climate Killers’. I think one of the problems with lobbyists, however, is people don’t know who they are, making it difficult to work against them. Dickinson, shows some key names of high-profile individuals that are wreaking havoc on the planet. I think it’s a cool idea, being out in the open really is a good thing!
Warren Buffett: Berkshire Hathaway
Rupert Murdoch: News Corporation
Jack Gerard: American petroleum
Rex Tillerson: Exxon Mobil
Sen. Mary Landrieu
Marc Morano: Climate Depot
Sen. James Inhofe
Dick Gephardt: Gephardt Group
David Ratcliffe: Southern Company
George Will: ABC
Tom Donohue: US Chamber of Commerce
Don Blankenship: Massey Energy
Fred Singer
Sen John McCain
Rep. Joe Barton
Charles and David Koch: Koch Industries
I haven’t checked into the legitimacies of these individuals and their denial of climate change, and efforts to block climate action- I’m just mentioning what was writing in Rolling Stone this January.
Herein lies the key though, business and corporations DON’T HAVE TO BE THE PROBLEM – THEY CAN BE THE SOLUTION!
Read more on linking communities with enterprise here.
Filed under: COP15
