Advocating inaction: a historical analysis of the Global Climate Coalition

ABSTRACT

Ever since climate change became a political issue in the late 1980s, a number of industry coalitions have formed to oppose mandatory carbon emissions reductions. One key coalition was the Global Climate Coalition (GCC). This paper conducts a historical and empirical review of the activities of this coalition. This review shows that the GCC engaged in four distinct activities to obstruct climate action: 1) monitoring and contesting climate science, 2) commissioning and utilizing economic studies to amplify and legitimate their arguments, 3) shifting the cultural understanding of climate change through public relations campaigns and 4) conducting aggressive lobbying of political elites. Through these activities, the GCC played an important role in obstructing climate action, both in the U.S. and internationally. Further analysis of similar coalitions can aid in our understanding of the organized opposition to climate action.

KEYWORDS:

• Coalitions
• Global Climate Coalition
• climate change
• countermovement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In this paper, I build on my previous research on the role of countermovement coalitions in the development of organized efforts to oppose climate action. As such, I draw extensively from Brulle (2021) in the theoretical framing of this paper.

2. See Climate Files: https://www.climatefiles.com/bp/brulle-paper-references-advocating-inaction-environmental-politics-april-2022.

3. These interviews were conducted under conditions of anonymity and the transcripts of the interviews cannot be made public.

4. GCC Memorandum from John Cohen, NAM, 11/27/1991.

5. Statement of Jerry Jasnowski before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 9/13/1990.

6. Industrial Energy Bulletin. GCC Forms to Give Business a Role in Debate. 6/23/1989.

7. Center for Strategic and International Studies 1989. Implications of Global Climate Policies: A Report for the GCC, Washington DC.

8. Testimony of W. Ross Stevens III, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company on H.R. 2984 on behalf of the GCC before the House Subcommittees on Natural Resources, Agricultural Research and Environment and International Scientific Cooperation of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 7/27/1989.

9. Statement of Jerry Jasnowski before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 9/13/1990.

10. NAM Business Activity Report February 10–20 October 1990, page 9.

11. Statement of the GCC before Congress on 6/19/1991 and 7/30/1991.

12. NAM Business Activity Report 11 February 1991–19 October 1991, page 9.

13. UN 1991. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change: List of Participants, 12 February 1991.

14. GCC joints industry groups urging INC (International Negotiating Committee) to look for flexibility and cost effective technology solutions to global climate change issue. PR Newswire, 2/25/1992.

15. Need for more science and data when assessing effects of climate change, says former Washington governor. PR Newswire, 2/19/1991.

16. Testimony of Michael Barody to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, 3/3/1992, testimony of Richard Briggs to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on 3/19/1992, and the testimony of Michael Barody to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on 5/12/1992.

17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5ptrPN6ns.

18. Testimony of Michael Barody to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 9/18/1992.

19. NAM 1992. Business Activity Report, January 31–24 October 1992, page 15.

20. Climate Change Debate Needs to be Shifted by Industry, Coal News, 12/14/1992, page 3.

21. Testimony of Michael Baroody before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 3/1/1993, Written statement of the GCC submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, 3/10/1993, Testimony of Jerry Jasinowski before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, 11/16/1993, and Written statement of the GCC submitted to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, 11/16/1993.

22. National Association of Manufacturers Business Activity Report, 10 October 1993–5 February 1994.

23. Debate on global warming, Oil & Gas Journal, 8/22/1994.

24. Testimony of Jerry Jasinowski to the House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 5/10/1994.

25. Accu Weather report available in Climate Files.

26. United Nations Conference of the Parties, First Session Berlin, Organizational Matters: Admission of Organizations as Observers.

27. IPCC Second Assessment Report, Climate Change 1995 Summary for Policymakers, Page 5, paragraph 2.4.

28. Bernstein, L. 1995 Predicting Future Climate Change: A Primer, draft report, GCC.

29. Interview Four with former IPCC Official.

30. In shift, U.S. will seek binding world pact to combat global warming. New York Times, 7/17/1996, A6.

31. Testimony of William O’Keefe before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 7/17/1997, 1997.

32. ‘GCC Astroturfing: Kochs, ExxonMobil, and Others Support Kyoto Opposition.’ Climate Files.

33. Marathon Talks Produce Climate Treaty, Platts Oilgram News, 12/11/1997, Vol. 75, No. 240, page 1.

34. Senate set to scuttle global climate treaty, Journal of Commerce, 12/11/1997.

35. Big Biz slates PR blitz to kill global warming treaty, O’Dwyer’s PR Services Report, February 1998.

36. Interview Three with former GCC official, page 6.

37. Studies Find Costs of Kyoto Compliance High, The Electricity Daily, 6/15/1998.

38. Clinton Climate Plan Would Kill Coal, The Electricity Daily, 8/4/1998.

39. Testimony of Mary Novak before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 10/4/1998.

40. Testimony of Constance Holmes to the House Committee on Science, 2/4/1998 and the Testimony of Glen Kelly to the House Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 9/21/2000.

41. Written statement of the GCC submitted to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on 7/26/2001.

42. Interview Two with GCC official.

43. Memorandum from Ken Brill to Under Secretary of State Dobriansky, 6/20/2001.

44. Leading US Anti-Kyoto Association Disbands. Platts Oilgram News, 1/29/2002.

45. Proposal available in Climate Files.

46. This included studies by Charles River Associates, WEFA Group, NERA Economics Consulting, EOP Group, DRI, and H. Zinder and Associates.

47. E.B Harrison Inc. Promotional Material, no date.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Climate Social Science Network.