A major scientific report on the severity of global warming by the IPCC in 2001 led to large-scale membership loss.I don't think that's right - instead of beautiful science, it was a realistic alternative that killed the beast. GCC had been around since 1989, and the 1991 and 1996 IPCC reports had plenty of science sufficient to kill its mission if GCC had been open to science. What was new and different instead was Pew Foundation's establishment in 1998 of the Business Environmental Leadership Council to engage businesses in real solutions to climate problems. BELC succeeded despite its acronym in providing a forum for climate realist companies to get involved in legislation, and then gradually peeled off members from GCC:
Some of the exiting companies, such as BP Amoco, Shell, and Dupont, joined a progressive new group, the Business Environmental Leadership Council, now an organization of some 21 corporations. This new outfit, founded by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, says, “We accept the views of most scientists that enough is known about the science and environmental impacts of climate change for us to take actions to address its consequences.”I'm sure that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes that eased companies out of GCC and into BELC. Having something like BELC around meant there were people who did this easing as their job. And now everything is perfect! Okay, it's not, but denialism at the corporate level has to hide itself quite a bit more.
The US Chamber continues to be a problem, but here's hoping that history will rhyme.
http://rhymebrain.com/en/What_rhymes_with_history.html
ReplyDeleteDavid, I like slithery ...
ReplyDeleteTar sands site would make a good Mordor. I like the Isengard analogy.
In any case, if its true, the fading of the GCC is good.
In his book, The Inquisition of Climate Science, James Lawrence Powell gives a different explanation for corporate defections from the GCC. The corporations were afraid that they might suffer the same fate as the big tobacco companies, who had to pay $250 Billion in fines. You KNOW that it's Big Tobacco because paying $250 billion didn't bankrupt them.
ReplyDeleteWhiskery, blistery, consistory,lacristory, desistory
ReplyDeleteJohn - I could see that, maybe. Judges get mad when defendant corporations lied about what they knew - that's when judges start thinking about tacking on punitive damages and multipliers.
ReplyDelete