BARCELONA, SPAIN, Nov 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
A correction from source has been issued in regards to the release
disseminated at 3:24 PM ET on November 5, 2009. The phone number for the
media contact was incorrect. To reach the media contact please call
604-349-3184. The corrected release follows:
The US oil and coal lobby has effectively killed any chance of a fair,
ambitious or binding deal at the Copenhagen climate change summit in
December, author, PR consultant and climate policy watchdog Jim Hoggan
said Thursday.
"Reports coming out of the current talks in Barcelona are incredibly
depressing," said Hoggan, author of the new book Climate Cover-up. "One
party after another keeps standing up explaining why it's out of the
question that the world will achieve a serious climate change agreement
this year. Everyone has a different rationale for this failure, but it's
increasingly clear that responsibility rests at the feet of an old-energy
lobby that is determined to stall any regulations that reduce the
worldwide use of increasingly dangerous fossil fuels."
"This effort has been apparent for a long time if you knew where to
look," said Hoggan, whose book-length expose was based on four years of
research through the climate change research website, DeSmogBlog.com.
"And it's been confirmed again recently with the release of the Center
for Public Integrity's new report, The Global Climate Change Lobby."
That report documents how climate change lobbyists are overwhelming the
governing process. For example, it shows that the number of lobbyists on
Capitol Hill has risen to 2,810, an increase of more than 400 per cent in
six years.
The effect of this lobby is coming into a worryingly clear focus in
Copenhagen, Hoggan said. "Oil and coal lobbyist have flexed their muscle
in the U.S, stalling the Senate climate bill and dashing the chances of a
binding agreement in Copenhagen. At a time when the world desperately
needs to take action, fossil fuel advocates have convinced us once again
to stand still - or go backwards."
As revealed in Climate Cover-up, and confirmed in new research since the
book was published, industry tactics have been underhanded but effective.
- The American Petroleum Institute organized fake grassroots events
called "Energy Citizen" rallies in major cities in attempt to frame a US
climate change bill as one that, "could increase the costs of gasoline to
around $4 and lead to significant job losses - a job killer."
- The coal industry main lobby wing, American Coalition for Clean Coal
Electricity (ACCCE) hired a PR firm that letter forged letters to
Congress, on the letterhead of legitimate organizations, opposing the
Waxman-Markey clean energy bill. ACCCE, along with the PR firm they
sub-contracted are the focus of an investigation by the Select Committee
for Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Industry leaders have started to condemn these tactics. For example,
numerous companies have resigned their roles or membership in the US
Chamber of Commerce in protest of its questionable opposition to clean
energy legislation. But the negative effect - like climate change itself
- has gone global.
"The activities by the oil and coal lobby reach far beyond the borders of
the United States," Hoggan said. "The U.S. was expected to deliver a
climate change bill before the Copenhagen climate summit. It was a
lynchpin to a successful outcome. That outcome is now decided; the news
is bad - and we know who to blame."
ABOUT "CLIMATE COVER-UP"
Climate Cover-Up is a brisk, readable book that is sure to leave you
seething at the record of public manipulation, of staggering deceit. As
the world prepares for the Copenhagen climate summit in December, it is
critical to understand when people are talking about science and when
they are talking about greed, selfishness and inter-generational
betrayal. Climate Cover-Up tells the tale.
About the Authors:
James Hoggan, co-founder of DeSmogBlog.com, is president of James Hoggan
& Associates, an award-winning public relations firm in Canada. Hoggan is
also chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and a trustee of the Dalai Lama
Center for Peace and Education.
Richard Littlemore is a strategist and senior writer at James Hoggan &
Associates and the editor of DeSmogBlog.com. He has served in the
Canadian government's Kyoto implementation process and as an elected
representative to the metropolitan government of Vancouver, B.C.
For news agencies with journalists at the Barcelona climate talks we have
a representative available for live interviews.
Contacts:
Media Contact:
Lorraine Wilson
604-349-3184
lwilson@hoggan.com
Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
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