When Big Business does the right thing
The times they are a’changin.’ The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is still stuck in the Dark Ages, refusing to accept the science of climate change. But more modern business executives are revolting against the Chamber’s anti-diluvian stance, quitting the group. (Apple has become the latest company to leave the chamber.)
Two coalitions of more far-sighted companies, including General Electric and Johnson & Johnson, are lobbying to get a bill passed to regulate carbon emissions.
But in a new open letter to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Senate, two dozen major brands — ranging from eBay to HP to Gap to PG&E — declare: “We are business leaders from companies of all sizes and many sectors calling for your leadership. We call on you to enact comprehensive legislation. … Now it’s time for the United States Senate to act.”
While the House has passed a groundbreaking bill on climate change, the Senate has been reluctant to act. Given the difficulties President Obama has had getting health care legislation, a climate change bill was beginning to look all-but-impossible.
But two coalitions of big U.S. corporations are willing to spend $1 million to lobby for a climate change bill. What will the Big Business-worshipping GOP make of this?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
25 comments Add your comment
Say What??
October 6th, 2009
8:15 am
Cindy, you and Jay must be swapping topic ideas back and forth. He ran the “global warming” issue in to the ground recently, but is now obsessed with “birthers”. Now you’re on the global warming bus. Hmm, I guess by Friday you’ll be addressing birthers and Jay will be back to global warming. Just where do you get your inspiration, from Al Gore?
Say What??
October 6th, 2009
8:17 am
You may have forgotten one thing. GE probably has the money to spend on global warming (now called “climate change” by libs) from the profits they made selling to Iran and other rogue nations.
jt
October 6th, 2009
8:19 am
GE received 140 BILLION dolars(yuan) in bail-out cash.
Why shouldn’t they play footsie with the looters?
Horrible Horace
October 6th, 2009
8:23 am
Climate change? Hmmm…yes climate do tend to change.
Science of climate change? Oh you must mean guessing and/or conjecture.
Nice try and thanks for playing.
TnGelding
October 6th, 2009
8:42 am
I don’t know about the GOP, but I’d like to see those millions used to rehire some workers. What does it matter what we do if China and India don’t follow suit?
The Democrats are just as cozy now as the GOP with big business. Look no further than the health insurance “reform” bills.
Rant
October 6th, 2009
8:43 am
“The times they are a’changin.’” — and not for the better…
This will be the first time a sitting president has not met with the Dalai Lama during a visit to Washington, since 1991.
The Obama administration appears to want to stay in the good graces of the Chinese government by postponing any meeting.
TnGelding
October 6th, 2009
8:43 am
jt
October 6th, 2009
8:19 am
If it did, it will all be repaid with interest.
jconservative
October 6th, 2009
8:44 am
Guys the column is not about climate change but about some businesses breaking with the Chamber over the issue. The column, & the backup Politico article, is about a number of companies getting together to lobby the White House & Congress on carbon emissions. What would cause those businesses to take a leadership role over an issue that is losing its public fervor?
cas
October 6th, 2009
8:54 am
The “science” of climate change continues to be invalidated by hard true scientific facts yet you continue to state it to be a given assumption. So all your subsequent related statements are invalid. Fiscally responsible companies, in order to maintain their markets, unfortunately have been forced to embrace popular perception fads. This climate change labeling marketing fad too shall pass.
TnGelding
October 6th, 2009
9:14 am
“Obama orders federal government to cut emissions”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama ordered federal agencies on Monday to set a goal within 90 days for cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the White House said, aiming to “lead by example” in fighting climate change.
The new executive order, signed by the president, mandates agencies across the federal government to “measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions toward agency-defined targets,” the White House said in a statement.
Other environmental measures such as reducing petroleum use in vehicle fleets by 30 percent by 2020, improving efficiency f water usage by 2020, and increasing rates of recycling by 2015 were also included in the order.
“The federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to creating innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, and use environmentally-responsible products and technologies,” Obama said in a statement.
Obama’s international credentials on fighting climate change have been called into question as chances dim that the Senate will pass a bill mandating emissions cuts across the United States economy by December, when U.N. talks on a global warming treaty take place in Copenhagen.
The White House order may be intended to counter concerns about the president’s climate change commitment.
The federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. economy, the statement noted, occupying nearly 500,000 buildings and operating more than 600,000 vehicles.
The order also calls on the government to “leverage federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.”
Jimmy62
October 6th, 2009
9:16 am
I think it’s funny that Cynthia is living in the dark ages, believing a theory that goes against the actual evidence that the climate has cooled over the last decade.
And of course some businesses ae embracing the fad. They aren’t doing it because it’s the right thing to do, but because cozying up to politicians and supporting Democrat’s pet projects will earn them fat paychecks from the government. It’s called crony capitalism, and it’s not the free market. Shame on GE for spending more money on D.C. lobbyists than actually trying to create better consumer products.
Donovan
October 6th, 2009
9:29 am
The “Big Business worshipping-GOP” will do their duty once again and dispell the lunacy of Comrade Tucker’s global warming scam with facts rather than fiction. Oh, excuse me…make that “climate change”. Our little commie at the AJC belongs to that celebrated club that morphs into something else when it comes under attack from the rational world. They no longer want to be called liberals, but “progressives”. When their crazy idea of socialized medicine gets hammered by the rational world, they refer to their scam as “universal health care”. Oh, excuse me again…now it’s “health reform”. So everyone this morning listen real close to what this “progressive” has to say about “climate change” and draw your own conclusions. I for one know that the world has gone through climate change cycles for centuries. It is routine and it is natural. I also know that Disney World is a place of make believe. You progressives can take your idea of Cap & Trade and stick it.
Shawny
October 6th, 2009
9:30 am
First of all, the GOP doesn’t worship big business. That is a liberal partisan’s take. They respect it, and understand that big business is the engine that drives the economy and avails most of the (productive) jobs. Govt has a lot of jobs, but most of that isn’t productive.
At any rate, be wary of what GE wants. They stand to benefit financially from this type of regulation. They are positioning themselves to profit greatly from the green regs.
Quit ignoring the solar cyclical impact to the earth’s temperature over the long term. It is far more impactful than any release in CO2.
Shawny
October 6th, 2009
9:32 am
Forget that Immelt and GE is quite the liberal organization, owning and operating NBC and MSNBC that features Olbermann and Maddow.
Kevin
October 6th, 2009
9:45 am
Cynthia, did you give up calling it global warming?
It seems to me like people have been calling it that for about 20 years. Now that people are realized that things really aren’t warming up, it’s easier to just call it “climate change” to cover all your bases.
Really? Do you think your readers are that stupid, Cynthia. Oh, yea. I think you really do think that.
Sidebar– if you don’t think GE is trying to cozy up to BO’s administration as much as it can, well, you’re just plain naive. Do a little homework, Cindy. Figure out what GE has to gain, say, in electronic healthcare records and wind power.
This has nothing to do with a company being “far-sighted”. It has to do with a company wanting to maximize revenue and profit. Those evil, greedy, corporations that only strive to keep people down.
Ok, you can call me racist now.
Joey
October 6th, 2009
9:54 am
Which is it?
A. These Big Businesses have seen the Climate Change light?
B. These Big Business have seen the huge profits that have been and will be created in Carbon Sequestering, Carbon Credits, “mandatory low energy” fixtures, wind turbines, etc., etc.
It is B.
i am i am
October 6th, 2009
10:08 am
GE stands to make a significant amount of money if cap and tax is approved. We are talking billions in already setup exchanges, products, and tie-ins. Get your blinders off, cynthia. The climatists are merely corporate thieves in different clothes.
Chris Broe
October 6th, 2009
12:19 pm
Is it wise to wade into this discussion? We are talking about planet formation. The earth is five billion years old. We only have data for the last hundred years. Our knowledge is crude and anyone who floats theories about cyclical variations in global mean temperatures is on thin ice.
sorry
El Jefe
October 6th, 2009
12:46 pm
GE is a company in disgrace, partially because of its dealings with Iran.
Since Jeffrey R. Immelt is CEO of GE and a member to the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, it appears that one of the pay backs to his support of the President, is a plan to profit while we all pay extra for energy. I think I smell conflict of interest here.
Regarding Climate change, just what temperature should it be? Some say that when the ice caps disappear we are out of the last ice age. Just a thought since the scientist are now talking about global cooling for the next decade or two.
Tom Middleton
October 6th, 2009
1:04 pm
Cynthia, maybe we’ll we’ll see bus loads of GOP crazies making the rounds like they did over the summer, but shrieking FOR climate legislation, not against it. No, wait, that would be actually helping President Obama, something they’ve refused to have anything to do with so far.
Well then, maybe they’ll just continue on their slow, agonizing path to self-destruction, and with any luck, they’ll complete the process just in time for the midterms. But what a shame the GOP can’t learn to be something good in this wonderful thing we call American democracy and actually help the country for a change!
Tom Middleton
October 6th, 2009
1:13 pm
P.S. I guess the GOP can thank (Drug)Rush Limbaugh for their suicidal tendencies. Like I said, what a shame!
Zibby
October 7th, 2009
12:06 am
Hey Sinthia, get you in electric car and drive by and pick up Tom Middleton so that you two can go to the “Peace, Love, Dope” sit-in held over at Strawberry Fields… Y’all can hold hands and sing “Kum By Yah” and watch the pink ponies falling from the sky…
Cap and trade isn’t going to get passed.
Obamacare – with or without a public option isn’t going to get passed.
NIMBY is alive and well in this country and NO ONE will allow the Gitmo crowd to come to their town.
ACORN is dead.
And if PBO doesn’t watch out we’ll all be dead too – from the terrorists, Iranians, Russians, North Koreans, Chinese or maybe even our close personal friend Hugo Chavez….
Maybe PBO should be more like Lincoln.
Tom Middleton
October 7th, 2009
3:46 am
Sorry, Cynthia. I apologize for zibby. Children nowadays have no smarts or respect for anyone, not even themselves. But fortunately for the world, he’ll have to grow up one day, and when he does, well, he won’t vote Republican either!
Tom Middleton
October 7th, 2009
4:57 pm
P.S. Occasionally, Cynthia, I wish our generation had used more contraception at the love-ins.
Climate 411 » As the Chamber Turns: Update on U.S. Chamber vs. Climate Science - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense Fund
October 8th, 2009
4:47 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “When Big Business does the right thing“ [...]