If you’re wondering why the US’ climate action is still so insufficient, it might be because compromised fossil fuel industry lobbyists have invaded almost every sector you can think of.
Last week, environmental communications expert and former lobbyist James Browning launched a robust database of US state-level fossil fuel industry lobbyists for his venture F Minus. According to The Guardian’s Oliver Milman, this data shows that “More than 1,500 lobbyists in the US are working on behalf of fossil-fuel companies while at the same time representing hundreds of liberal-run cities, universities, technology companies and environmental groups that say they are tackling the climate crisis.”
For example, Louisiana lobbyist Kevin Cunningham works for both Environmental Defense Fund and ExxonMobil, and Colorado lobbyist Travis Berry represents both The Nature Conservancy and Chevron.
This issue is not limited to the Big Greens, however. As Milman explains, progressive cities like Baltimore taking fossil fuel companies to court over climate damages, tech giants like Apple touting their progress toward climate goals, and colleges like Syracuse University divesting billions from fossil fuels also employ fossil fuel industry lobbyists.
“The fossil-fuel industry is very good at getting what it wants because they get the lobbyists best at playing the game. They have the best staff, huge legal departments, and the ability to funnel dark money to lobbying and influence channels,” environmental sociologist J. Timmons Roberts told The Guardian. “This database really makes it apparent that when you hire these insider lobbyists, you are basically working with double agents. They are guns for hire. The information you share with them is probably going to the opposition.”
Is this snakery even legal? Unfortunately, state laws around lobbying are woefully inadequate. As F Minus explains: “State lobbying laws prohibit these multi-client lobbyists from lobbying on both sides of a particular piece of legislation or other governmental action, but nothing prohibits a fossil fuel lobbyist from also working for a company or an organization that is being negatively impacted by the climate crisis.”
In response to this problem, F Minus is urging organizations to cut ties with compromised lobbyists. We shouldn’t just stop there, though, since lobbyists are not the only ones raking in cash by playing both sides of the climate crisis!
Major public relations firms have also simultaneously worked for both fossil fuel organizations and environmental groups. For example, in 2009, PR giant Ogilvy was busy releasing ads for BP and helping plan COP15, the UN’s climate change conference in Copenhagen.
We aren’t going to be able to achieve meaningful climate action if the fossil fuel industry’s lackeys are influencing every climate conversation. Would you take medical advice from a coffin maker? No? Then we shouldn’t trust fossil fuel industry lobbyists when it comes to climate issues!