Corporate interests at COP19 and unethical funding

I went to an enlightening session run by Corporate Europe Observatory on how this COP is the most obviously influenced by corporate interests and the significant greenwash by sponsors claiming their polluting products are sustainable. Whilst it is often suggested, it is less easy to demonstrate the greenwash and influence corporates have on these events and general politics [although see the bottom of this post  for one  quick example]. Corporate capture has a massive impact on these negotiations through lobbying, funding, and giving weight to solutions which are in their interests rather than the common interest thus ultimately distorting the debate and discourses of finding solutions to anthropogenic climate change.  

I want to tread very carefully here and be careful of the general anti-capitalism, anti-corporation, socialist, communist labels I’m opening myself up to here. Labels are used too quickly and sully useful climate change debate. Whilst undoubtedly some corporates are using very dirty tactics, to avoid the labels and maintain integrity, I think it is vital to adapt the adage ‘attack the point, not the person’ to ‘attack the action, not the corporation’. It is also important to not generalise and say that one bad action makes a bad corporation, but conversely it should be known if a corporation has a pattern of suspicious, unsustainable and non-transparent actions, so they can be held accountable and responsible.

It is already difficult enough to achieve proper corporate social and environmental responsibility given the power imbalances that exist. Financially it is more difficult as it is impossible for civil society and social enterprises to compete with large corporations that have the money to sponsor such conferences. Given the lack of opportunity for civil society and smaller enterprises to have their agenda known through sponsorship partner profiles, this makes me question the ethics and legitimacy of such sponsorship options given there is a systemic bias of corporate representation.

COP19 corporate capture and greenwash:

LOTOS Group: As the second largest Polish, majority state-owned, oil company and COP19 partner, LOTOS are providing 11,000 felt document bags for the conference attendees. Its partner webpage states “LOTOS’s petroleum is products pose probably the lowest possible nuisance to the environment". LOTOS lobbies through their astroturf company and front groups such as the Citizens Coalition for Responsible Energy which help support their interests in oil and shale gas. Through their wide web of connections in various lobby groups, they fight tighter regulation and promote EU energy security “by enabling the cheapest and most available indigenous energy sources”. To have such a company as a partner of COP19 is highly questionable given their clear interests which I believe are mutually exclusive with the mitigation required.

For more information – visit Corporate Observatory Europe

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

For official Institute updates, take a look here. 

A pack a day keeps the doctor away...

Don't smoke? Think again... It really depends in the levels of pollution in your region. In some regions of Europe you can be smoking half a packet a day quite unintentionally, simply by spending part of your day outside! So much for going outside to get some fresh air!

Krakow is the third most polluted city in Europe, and the most polluted city in Poland. There are severe long-term health impacts that occur from exposure to pollution. These include cancer, mutations, asthma, as well as other negative effects on the blood, heart and brain!!! This is not something to be taken lightly, especially as many of the most affected people are children. Many children are born with problems that are directly linked to air pollution- including lower IQ, heart defects and lower birth weights. This means that in only a 9month period, the fetus is being significantly affected by this pollution.

The pollutants that are causing so much havoc on climatic processes in the atmosphere are also having a significant direct impact on individuals back on Earth. This is why so many health experts are promoting the co-benefits of climate change mitigation!

Scary thoughts from a really interesting workshop on the effects of coal on health from the scientists at HEAL who use science to change policy. 

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

For official Institute updates, take a look here

Feelings and expectations

At Conference of Youth 9 [COY9]/ Powershift Central and Eastern Europe, the first breakout session involved discussing our expectations and our feelings related to COP19. I expect to see injustice and lots of it in regards to necessary climate change mitigation. Is it just to have this expectation?

This expectation disappoints and saddens me. It does not help knowing that so many others feel this way, although it is a source of collective inspiration. I would definitely consider this a realistic rather than pessimistic expectation. I am not as idealistic as I was once was but surely I have the right to more hope when attending a conference on progressive global change.  

I could write lots on why I feel this way and why it is justified such as that COP19 is really only preparation for COP21 in Paris. Rather than detailing the lack of progress at COP [and other similar conferences] I ask that you think about what your expectations would be for attending such a conference and how civil society should be able to have an impact on proceedings?

In an ideal world, hope will be restored to these international conferences, and they will be considered spaces where progressive change can and does happen.

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

For official Institute updates, take a look here.

Power and Oppression

This COY9/CEE Power Shift workshop examined the role of ‘Power’ and ‘Oppression’ in the negotiations and how that affects power dynamics. It was run by Ashok and Jessica from SSC. We looked at a micro level at the way power and oppression functioned in our regional climate movements, and within the dynamics of CEE Power Shift. Some interesting and though provoking ideas that I took away from that workshop were:

- We need to use caution in the language we use, especially when defining other people and how they represent themselves. We shouldn't seek to define others, only share their own representations of themselves.

- We need to be careful with prior assumptions about someone's situation due to where they come from.

- We need to be cautious with global 'south' and 'north' terms.

- We shouldn’t speak for other people. Instead we need to help provide them with the space to privilege their own views and experiences.

- We need to be aware of our privilege. We need to acknowledge how we are enabled to attend these conferences – time, money, education, experience, family support, gender equality, cultural accessibility, English language ability.

- We need to acknowledge the complexities around using English as the main language within COP/COY. This privileges those who are native English speakers. This disadvantages those with less of a grasp on the English language. This includes those negotiators that rely on translators.  

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

For official Institute updates, take a look here.

Refugees and disaster relief

I attended a really interesting workshop on climate disasters, refugees and the role of NGOs and youth. It was run by individuals from the Taiwanese Youth Climate Coalition. I think they had amazing information to share with the workshop participants. They were knowledgable on natural disaster impacts in their area and how NGOs and youth can play a role in the post disaster process. There were some language barriers that made discussions hard to follow at times. This is to be expected when groups of people from multiple nationalities get together.  It did feel a bit like it had been designed to promote the problems in their country and the role that developed countries have in helping with this, rather than a general overview of the umbrella concepts. But in teaching what they know they were able to give a more detailed account of social and cultural impacts of disasters in their area.

Christchurch comparisons of disaster aftermath were the only thing that the kiwis seemed to be able to contribute to the discussions. Although they were completely valid opinions, they were not really what the organisers of the workshop seemed to be after. Especially as the Christchurch earthquake was not climate change related. The Swedish high school students in my group (of which there were many) were talking about how the roof tiles flying off in high winds was usually as severe as it got in terms of natural disasters impacts in their area. This made it harder for them to relate to the issues of the workshop in the way it was set out.

There seemed to be an assumption that the participants would know a lot about the disasters, rather than being there to learn about them. There was also a ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality in terms of the way the organisers talked to the workshop participants- there was an assumption that all the participants were from developed countries which wasn't an idea that was explicitly explored. I think that this type of assumption can be as dangerous as assuming that all individuals from the ‘Global South’ need help and outside assistance on climate change issues.

The group that ran the workshop were intelligent and inspiring young individuals and you can check out their organisations webpage (TWYCC) using the link below. 

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

For official Institute updates, take a look here. 

TWYCC Link