Exxon Under Pressure in Mock Trial in Paris
Blackmail. Deception. Public manipulation. These are just some of the charges leveled against ExxonMobil at a mock trial that took place in Paris, Saturday to coincide with the ongoing international climate negotiations at COP21. The trial, held in Paris, alleged Exxon’s work at funding climate science had put the planet, people’s health and communities from Texas […]
New York Attorney General Petitions Government for Oil-by-Rail Volatility Standard
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s recent petition to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to require oil producers to stabilize oil before it is shipped by rail is a detailed 30-page document. However, the essence of the document is summed up in a single sentence (found on page 24). “Without rulemaking on vapor pressure, […]
Is Saudi Arabia The Big Bad Wolf Of The Paris Climate Talks?
BY KYLA MANDEL AND BRENDAN MONTAGUE IN PARIS Oil rich Saudi Arabia is leading a campaign to sabotage attempts by countries on the front line of climate change to include an ambitous 1.5C target for global warming in the COP21 agreement currently being negotiated in Paris. Wealthy nations – including Germany, France and now the United […]
Meet The Paris Climate Summit's ‘Big Energy’ Sponsor Engie
BY KYLA MANDEL AND BRENDAN MONTAGUE IN PARIS French energy giant Engie is perhaps the most prominent and most promoted corporate sponsor of the COP21 climate talks in Paris. Engie, formerly known as GDF Suez, can be seen everywhere from the launch of India’s Solar Alliance on Monday to a ‘wind tree’ outside the COP21 venue […]
Coal Baron Don Blankenship Found Guilty Of Conspiring To Violate Mine Safety Standards
The verdict is in: Don Blankenship, the outspoken coal baron who was CEO of Massey Energy when the 2010 Upper Big Branch disaster in West Virginia claimed the lives of 29 coal miners, has been found guilty of conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards. It’s a small measure of justice for the families of […]
Here Are The Corporate Foxes In The COP21 Henhouse
Top corporate sponsors of the climate talks in Paris have long histories of destroying the environment and interfering in environmental policymaking that are at odds with the green image they’re seeking to project by being part of COP21. Global banking giant BNP Paribas, French utility Électricité de France (EDF) and fossil fuel conglomerates Engie (formerly […]
Cameron's Climate Call KO'd by Expert James Hansen
BY BRENDAN MONTAGUE AND KYLA MANDEL IN PARIS David Cameron flew into Paris to warn negotiators at the COP21 talks that politicians will be betraying future generations unless they deal with climate change. But the prime minister’s emotional appeal was swiftly undermined when Dr James Hansen, the grandfather of climate science, said the UNFCCC was discussing […]
The Flipside of Accuracy: NPR Report on Oil and Ethanol Train Derailments Full of Industry Talking Points
On November 7th, a train carrying ethanol in DOT-111 tank cars derailed in Wisconsin, resulting in rail cars rupturing and a spill of 18,000 gallons of ethanol into the Mississippi River. The next day, a train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed in a residential area in Watertown, Wisconsin, resulting in a spill of around 1,000 gallons […]
Are the COP21 Corporate Sponsors as Green as They Say They Are?
Some corporate sponsors of the COP21 Paris climate talks are failing to properly report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a new report reveals. The Paris climate conference is sponsored by over 60 companies including big polluters EDF, Engie and BNP Paribas. And while countries continue to negotiate a deal on tackling climate change, what have these […]
Divestment Movement Hits Major Milestone As World Leaders Debate Climate Action In Paris
More than 500 institutions that manage $3.4 trillion in assets have now committed to divesting holdings in fossil fuels, divestment campaign groups announced today in Paris. As recently as September 2014, just 181 institutions managing $50 billion in assets had made some sort of divestment commitment. 350.org and Divest-Invest, two of the key groups organizing […]