Large, high-polluting European companies including BP, petrochemical company BASF and chemical/pharmaceutical company Bayer are setting a whole new standard for hypocrisy. They resist new climate legislation in Europe on the argument that until other big polluters like the U.S. take action, Europe must hold back. Yet the same foreign-based companies, through their U.S. subsidiaries, are directly funding the Senate campaigns of climate deniers and climate-law opponents.
A study released today by Climate Action Network Europe finds that eight European companies combined have contributed more to enemies of climate legislation than even the biggest U.S. climate-change denier, Koch Industries.
Big European emitters Lafarge, GDF-SUEZ, EON, BP, BASF, BAYER, Solvay and Arcelor-Mittal supported climate change deniers in the US senate in 2010 for $107,200. Their total support for senators blocking climate change legislation in the US amounts to $240,200, which is almost 80% of their total spendings in 2010 [S]enate race. This amount is higher than the same type of spending of the most notorious US climate denier and Tea Party funder: Koch Industries ($217,000).
That count only includes direct candidate donations. the big money is in independent spending on attack ads. There is no way detect foreign corporate funding of political ads through faux nonprofit front groups, though some are known contributors to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which also funds attack ads.
About half of the direct funding went to flagrant climate-change deniers including Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma (Global warming is “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”), Sen. James DeMint of South Carolina and Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana. But some of it went to Democrats, including Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who merely oppose climate change legislation–minus the wacky rhetoric).
Combine the Europe study with U.S. data showing that 58% of U. S. lawmakers got 80% or more of their funding from outside their districts, and that 40% of all contributions come from businesses or business groups, according to Maplight.org.
I’d agree with a proposal by Maplight founder Dan Newman that elected officials wear uniforms carrying the logos of their major contributors, U.S. and foreighn, just like Nascar drivers. If only.