Message From the Editor

This week, Geoff Dembicki reported on the secretive network that is fighting indigenous rights in Australia and Canada.

Today (October 14), Australians will vote “yes” or “no” in a referendum that would amend the country’s constitution to create a permanent First Nations advisory body in the country’s Parliament.

Two of the “no” campaigners are long-time contributors to the Centre for Independent Studies, which is is in turn a member of the Atlas Network, a Virginia-based organization whose members include hundreds of conservative think tanks and organizations across the world, many of whom are active spreaders of doubt about the severity of climate change. The network has received support from oil, gas and coal companies and operates in nearly 100 countries.

A new research paper argues that this campaign to deny Indigenous peoples a voice is using tactics similar to an earlier conservative legal battle against First Nations communities in Canada. The think tanks linked to these efforts in Canada also belonged to the Atlas Network.

Over in the North Sea, there is a ‘deeply troubling’ lack of UK oil and gas monitoring. A freedom of information request submitted by DeSmog reveals that the main regulator of North Sea oil and gas doesn’t conduct physical inspections to ensure companies operating in the region are following the rules.

When asked how, given the lack of inspections, the regulator would ensure that companies are being accurate when they self-report the emissions being produced, the regulator said it hosted “an annual consents exercise” (seemingly a single meeting) during which they remind operators of “their obligations and how to ensure they remain in regulatory compliance”.

The findings suggest that operators in the North Sea are left to largely self-regulate – declaring themselves when they break the legal rules governing their operations.

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

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Image credit: Advance Australia YouTube

A Secretive Network Is Fighting Indigenous Rights in Australia and Canada, Expert Says

— By Geoff Dembicki (4 min. read) —

A campaign to deny Indigenous peoples a voice in Australia’s national Parliament is using tactics similar to an earlier conservative legal battle against First Nations communities in Canada, a new research paper argues. 

That’s no coincidence, according to the paper’s author Jeremy Walker, because think tanks linked to these efforts in Canada and Australia belong to a secretive U.S. organization called the Atlas Network that’s received support from oil, gas and coal companies and operates in nearly 100 countries.

‘Deeply Troubling’ Lack of UK North Sea Oil and Gas Monitoring

— By Andrew Kersley (5 min. read) —

The main regulator of North Sea oil and gas doesn’t conduct physical inspections to ensure companies operating in the region are following the rules, DeSmog can reveal.

The revelations, labelled “deeply troubling” by campaigners, come as the government and the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), have announced plans to approve drilling at a new oil field, Rosebank, that could produce 69,000 barrels of oil and 44 million cubic feet of gas a day.

Gas Executive ‘Lobbying to Slow Climate Action’ At Labour Party Conference

— By Phoebe Cooke (4 min. read) —

A senior executive at the UK’s largest gas distributor has been accused of lobbying to slow down climate action after pushing for the use of hydrogen in heating at a Labour Party conference panel on net zero.

Tony Ballance, Cadent’s chief strategy and regulation officer, told a packed event on Monday to ignore a growing body of scientific evidence that finds the fuel to be expensive, resource intensive and inefficient at heating homes.

Is Venture Global’s Louisiana LNG Plant Profiting from Pollution?

— By Sara Sneath (4 min. read) —

Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass liquid natural gas (LNG) export terminal is in the longest ever commissioning period for a plant of its kind. The 19-month duration has enabled the company  to sell LNG on the spot market at a much higher price than if the plant was fully operational. 

Now, experts say the unprecedented delay raises the possibility that Venture Global is purposefully slow walking the commissioning process and keeping the plant unfit and unclean to make more money. Four companies — including BP and Shell — who say Venture Global hasn’t delivered on its long-term contracts have filed for arbitration, and critics are asking if the firm is profiting from the polluting plant.

Revealed: Meetings Blitz Between Big Ag and Anti-Green Lawmakers in Europe

— By Clare Carlile (12 min. read) —

Agriculture lobby groups have been in constant contact with a small group of influential European politicians, holding an average of over two meetings a week while the bloc negotiated flagship reforms to protect nature and climate, DeSmog can reveal. 

Between January 2020 and July 2023, over 400 meetings took place between industry and key members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who have been at the forefront of efforts to stall reforms since the Farm to Fork strategy launched in 2020.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Maurice Newman

Maurice Newman is a former stockbroker, company director and chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and has been an advisor to several Australian governments. Newman is a vocal opponent of wind farms and believes that the science of human-caused climate change is a “delusion.” Newman has stated repeatedly that the science of human-caused climate change is a smokescreen for vested interests. He believes that the scientists who take part in the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) have fooled the world into believing climate change can be caused by humans. One of the Center for Independent Studies’ first board members, he was also revealed as an early backer of the organization Advance in 2018, which is now leading efforts against the Indigenous referendum.

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