Environmental organisation Greenpeace International’s Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, says a lot of corporates are talking green but walk dirty. At a press briefing following the organisation’s ‘The Dirty Dozen’ launch, he said an example in point is Eskom’s plan to build a coal-fired power station which, as and when built, will become one of the five biggest emitters in the world. –> He says moves like these are indication of a contradiction between what corporates say and what is being done. He says although business is making baby steps in terms of reducing emissions, they still need to step up their efforts in further reducing emissions. Greenpeace’s Dirty Dozen document highlights top representatives of polluters that are holding back from a global deal to limit and reverse green house gas emissions worldwide. The organisation says it is the disproportionate levels of such corporates’ influence that renders to the United Nations’ lack of progress on climate change talks. It says most of these fossil fuel corporates fund countries like the United States (US) and Canada, thus further exacerbating problems around the willingness to negotiate openly on climate change issues. Forming part of Greenpeace’s press briefing panel was Tove Maria Ryding who lamented lack of progress at the COP 17 talks on climate change, albeit a week has passed. She says although money has been cited as among reasons blocking progress, analysts have indicated that climate change is not profitable, saying this boggles the mind as to what could be the real reason behind the lack of progress. In further deliberating on major fossil fuel companies being part of the stumbling block on climate change talks, she says in the last five years fossil fuel lobbyists have tripled in the US. Ryding says in Canada, Shell is funding the Tar Sands project, which is the dirtiest form of power generation, and wants to expand it to Europe. She adds that special interests by politicians are also killing people as this distorts their views during climate climate talks.
Eskom’s CEO Brian Dames makes it into Dirty Dozen list
Greenpeace warns that if there are no clear rules on the promotion of climate change issues, major corporates will continue to rake in millions in revenue without considering people’s wellbeing. The organisation says because of local power utility Eskom’s enormous contribution to large emissions, Brian Dames has made it into their Dirty Dozen list. –> Greenpeace Africa’s Climate and Energy campaigner, Ferrial Adam, says although Eskom has a moral obligation to move away from coal, it is not doing so and have even gone further to influence Government on this. She says at present, 12 million people, who make up about 20% of the country’s population, have no access to electricity, but in the same breath, Eskom has entered into multi-million rand coal deals with the likes of Billiton. She says Eskom is holding Government hostage on the carbon tax as it is doing a lot to mobilise others to put a stop on the proposed tax. But, Greenpeace says Government needs to start taking leadership and not take directives from corporates like Eskom on such issues.
According to Greenpeace, Sasol is as much a culprit as Eskom when it comes to lobbying Government for the scrapping of the proposed carbon tax. Meanwhile, during the press briefing, Greenpeace announced that seven of its members were arrested during their protest early this morning, just before they launched ‘The Dirty Dozen’ document. Naidoo says their understanding is that the activists were to be released today, just after lunch. He says not much information is available on what charges the seven will be charged with, saying trespassing looked more likely. The seven activists comprised of four from South Africa, one from Germany, one from Denmark and the other from England. Commenting on reported clashes that took place between marchers who wore green volunteer t-shirts during the civil society march, Greenpeace said there is talk that some of those who caused disruptions were paid to cause havoc. Adam says as much as most of those who donned the green t-shirts had links to the African National Congress, they did not represent the youth movement on the day. At the same time, Naidoo has pointed out that Greenpeace personnel are currently exercising their minds on how to escalate their campaigns next, around COP 17 proceedings. He noted that his organisation is working with Groundworks, 350.org as well as the Durban Environmental Alliance in their quest to put activism messages across. “The Dirty Dozen” 1. Jorma Ollilo: Chairperson: Royal Dutch Shell 2. Lorraine Mitchell: Chief Executive Officer: Shell Canada 3. David Collyer: President: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers 4. Thomas Donohue: President and CEO: US Chamber of Commerce 5. Lakhshmi Mittal: Chairperson and CEO: ArcelorMittal 6. Jurgen r Thurmann: president: BusinessEurope 7. David and Charles Koch: Koch Industries 8. Marius Kloppers: CEO: BHP Billiton 9. Dr Kurt Bock: Chairperson of the Board of Executive Directors: BASF 10. Jean-Guy Carrier: Secretary General: International Chamber of Commerce 11. Jack N Gerard: President: American Petroleum Institute12. Brian Dames: CEO: Eskom
– By Tshepo Tsheole, Durban
