Message From the Editor

This week, we had a breaking story by Rebecca John published that chronicles the rhetoric that has been used by corporate polluters and their political allies to slow and derail anti-pollution laws for decades.

The EPA is considering a new regulation that would reduce climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal and gas-fueled power plants. The United States’ biggest polluters and their supporters are pushing back — just as they have resisted every other landmark shift in the 60-year history of federal air pollution control.

But a close inspection of the historic arguments used by the fossil fuel industry and its partners reveals the same delay-based messaging each time they have faced the prospect of regulation. The pollution standards, which are open for public comment until August 8, would mark a new milestone in climate action.

“Even if a company is breaking the rules, they’ll push back against the rule-makers rather than acknowledge their polluting ways.” says Melissa Aronczyk, professor at Rutgers University and author.

Across the ocean in the United Kingdom, we’ve seen a new wave of disinformation surrounding pollution and the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ). But, according to a new poll, voters do back schemes that charge road users for driving highly polluting vehicles.

Following an Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election on 20 July, which saw the Conservatives narrowly retain the seat by fighting an anti-ULEZ campaign, Rishi Sunak has seemingly pinpointed a retreat from green policies as a potential vote winner. 

But the poll showed that a higher proportion of voters (44 percent) support ULEZ-style schemes than don’t (36 percent) and the Conservative Party is more likely to lose support if it delays its policies to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Investigative journalism like this is made possible by readers like you. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

Image credit: Greg Gobble (CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Polluters Rely on Old Rhetoric to Block Clean Energy Future

— By Rebecca John (13 min. read) —

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering proposals aimed at reducing climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing coal and gas-fueled power plants.

Power plants are the second-largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States, and the pollution standards, which are open for public comment until August 8, will mark a new milestone in climate action. But the United States’ biggest polluters and their political allies are pushing back — just as they have resisted every other landmark shift in the 60-year history of federal air pollution control.

Voters Support ULEZ-Style Policies, Finds New Poll

— By Sam Bright (4 min. read) —

Voters back schemes that charge road users for driving highly polluting vehicles, according to a new poll from Omnisis for DeSmog. 

A higher proportion of voters (44 percent) support ULEZ-style schemes than don’t (36 percent), according to the polling. People who intend to vote Conservative at the next election support charges on more polluting vehicles by a margin of 47 percent to 36 percent.

Flagship UN Food Systems Summit Accused of ‘Selling the Corporate and Industrial Project’

— By Michaela Herrmann (3 min. read) —

Indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers and academics have claimed that a UN summit focused on the future of agriculture helped to entrench corporate control over the global food system.

The UN’s Food Systems Summit “Stocktaking Moment” (“FSS+2”), held last week, came as countries look to slash agriculture’s climate footprint in the runup to the COP28 summit in December.

Leading Think Tank Met With Minister Over North Sea Energy While Funded by Fossil Fuel Interests

— By Sam Bright and Clare Carlile (8 min. read) —

Policy Exchange, one of Westminster’s most prominent think tanks, engaged in a high-level influencing campaign over the UK’s North Sea oil and gas policies while being funded by fossil fuel interests, DeSmog can reveal.

The North Sea Transition Deal announced by the government in March 2021 set a net zero target for the basin but allowed for the continued exploration of oil and gas.

Transparency Watchdog Calls on EU to Strengthen its Lobbying Rules After DeSmog Investigation

— By Clare Carlile (4 min. read) —

Campaigners have called on the EU to urgently reform its rules around lobbying transparency after DeSmog revealed that a US oil-linked advocacy group has been lobbying against major green reforms in Europe, without declaring its activities.

A complaint was sent on Wednesday by transparency watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory to the president of the European Parliament, accusing the EU of failing to tackle secretive lobbying by Consumer Choice Center and similar outfits.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: National Mining Association

The National Mining Association (NMA) is a nation-wide 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization representing mining and mineral companies in the United States. It was formed in 1995 through the merger of the National Coal Association, which had represented the mining industry since as early as 1917, and the American Mining Congress, which went back as far as 1897. According to its website, NMA‘s objective is to “engage in and influence the public process on the most significant and timely issues. NMA has had a long history of lobbying against greenhouse gas reduction measures including the Clean Power Plan (CPP), which it once described as “unlawful at the most fundamental level.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.