SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
#WebOfDenial: Senators to Call Out Big Oil's Blockade of Climate Action
Senators condemn industry's "massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change"
Jul 11, 2016
More than a dozen U.S. senators are launching a campaign to call out the powerful industry of climate denial and demanding Congress take action against the back-door blockading of environmental policy that they are calling the #WebOfDenial.
| Tweets about #WebOfDenial #TimeToCallOut |
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkeley (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Monday introduced a resolution (pdf) condemning "efforts of corporations and groups to mislead the public about the harmful effects of tobacco, lead, and climate" and urging "fossil fuel corporations and their allies to cooperate with investigations into their climate-related activities."
The senators will take to the Senate floor on Monday and Tuesday to call out the influential groups and individuals like the right-wing Koch brothers, ExxonMobil, and Donors Trust, among other entities, for creating what they describe as "a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines."
In addition to funding decades-long climate denial--a coverup first exposed in 2015 by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times--these "interconnected groups" also misled the public about the harmful effects of tobacco and lead, the senators say. They will promote their floor action with the hashtags #WebOfDenial and #TimeToCallOut.
A similar resolution is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who has led the charge for a federal investigation into Exxon's actions.
Environmental advocates applauded the announcement on Monday. Jamie Henn, communications director for 350.org, said it was "inspiring to see Senators join the movement to hold the likes of Exxon accountable for their decades of deception."
" Big Oil robbed us of a generation's worth of climate action, and to this day are still sowing doubt and misinformation--prioritizing profit at the expense of our climate and communities," Henn said. "The last 14 consecutive months have been the hottest on record, making it ever more pressing for our elected officials to bring this extensive web of climate denial to light."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
350.orgal frankenbig oilcorporate powerenvironmentexxonknewfossil fuelskoch brothersparis agreementus senate
More than a dozen U.S. senators are launching a campaign to call out the powerful industry of climate denial and demanding Congress take action against the back-door blockading of environmental policy that they are calling the #WebOfDenial.
| Tweets about #WebOfDenial #TimeToCallOut |
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkeley (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Monday introduced a resolution (pdf) condemning "efforts of corporations and groups to mislead the public about the harmful effects of tobacco, lead, and climate" and urging "fossil fuel corporations and their allies to cooperate with investigations into their climate-related activities."
The senators will take to the Senate floor on Monday and Tuesday to call out the influential groups and individuals like the right-wing Koch brothers, ExxonMobil, and Donors Trust, among other entities, for creating what they describe as "a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines."
In addition to funding decades-long climate denial--a coverup first exposed in 2015 by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times--these "interconnected groups" also misled the public about the harmful effects of tobacco and lead, the senators say. They will promote their floor action with the hashtags #WebOfDenial and #TimeToCallOut.
A similar resolution is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who has led the charge for a federal investigation into Exxon's actions.
Environmental advocates applauded the announcement on Monday. Jamie Henn, communications director for 350.org, said it was "inspiring to see Senators join the movement to hold the likes of Exxon accountable for their decades of deception."
" Big Oil robbed us of a generation's worth of climate action, and to this day are still sowing doubt and misinformation--prioritizing profit at the expense of our climate and communities," Henn said. "The last 14 consecutive months have been the hottest on record, making it ever more pressing for our elected officials to bring this extensive web of climate denial to light."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
More than a dozen U.S. senators are launching a campaign to call out the powerful industry of climate denial and demanding Congress take action against the back-door blockading of environmental policy that they are calling the #WebOfDenial.
| Tweets about #WebOfDenial #TimeToCallOut |
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkeley (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Monday introduced a resolution (pdf) condemning "efforts of corporations and groups to mislead the public about the harmful effects of tobacco, lead, and climate" and urging "fossil fuel corporations and their allies to cooperate with investigations into their climate-related activities."
The senators will take to the Senate floor on Monday and Tuesday to call out the influential groups and individuals like the right-wing Koch brothers, ExxonMobil, and Donors Trust, among other entities, for creating what they describe as "a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines."
In addition to funding decades-long climate denial--a coverup first exposed in 2015 by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times--these "interconnected groups" also misled the public about the harmful effects of tobacco and lead, the senators say. They will promote their floor action with the hashtags #WebOfDenial and #TimeToCallOut.
A similar resolution is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who has led the charge for a federal investigation into Exxon's actions.
Environmental advocates applauded the announcement on Monday. Jamie Henn, communications director for 350.org, said it was "inspiring to see Senators join the movement to hold the likes of Exxon accountable for their decades of deception."
" Big Oil robbed us of a generation's worth of climate action, and to this day are still sowing doubt and misinformation--prioritizing profit at the expense of our climate and communities," Henn said. "The last 14 consecutive months have been the hottest on record, making it ever more pressing for our elected officials to bring this extensive web of climate denial to light."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy