Auto and Oil Industries Fighting Climate Policy, Report Finds
A nonprofit calls out industry groups for lobbying against green policy initiatives.
InfluenceMap, a London-based nonprofit, has released a report finding that trade groups representing the automotive and oil industries are among the main opponents of climate change policy worldwide.
The report assesses the "50 most influential industry groups when it comes to policy directed at greenhouse gas emissions," according to InfluenceMap.
InfluenceMap says the automakers GM, Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, and Toyota fight climate change policy through both dedicated trade groups such as the European Automobile Manufacturers Association and more broad-based entities such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Manufacturers Association. The study knocks energy giants Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil as being even more aggressively anti-green than automakers.
The aviation and shipping industry are also cited. "The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Air Transport Association continue to fight against inclusion within the Paris Agreement and binding greenhouse gas emission regulations of any kind," the nonprofit states.
In total, the report finds 44 of the 50 industry groups most influential in addressing climate policy are opposed to measures, such as curbing greenhouse gas emissions, that would be considered green.
The handful of trade groups that InfluenceMap sees as advocates of policies to limit climate change represent companies in the renewable and clean energy arena, including SolarPower Europe and the American Wind Energy Association. Another organization cited is Advanced Energy Economy, which includes Apple and Microsoft among its leading members. InfluenceMap notes that AEE is a strong supporter of the Clean Power Plan, and other climate change initiatives.
The report was issued ahead of the One Planet Summit, which French President Emmanuel Macron hosted this week as a show of support for the 2015 Paris Accord on climate change. InfluenceMap issues research regularly. Fast Company
cited an earlier study by the organization which found automakers increased anti-climate change lobbying under President Trump.
