Polluting the Process - the need to clean climate action of dirty sponsors
Jaguar Land Rover, the company that filled UK streets with highly polluting SUVs, became an official COP26 partner on 16 September 2021. Pictured with Alok Sharma MP, COP President.
As the UN COP26 talks gather in Glasgow, Badvertising releases a new research briefing in association with the Rapid Transition Alliance that exposes the extent of influence peddling undertaken by major polluters. As the report lays out, this type of corporate co-option and greenwash is nothing new at international climate negotiations. Previous COPs such as in Katowice (2018), Paris (2015), Warsaw (2013) and Lima (2014) have been similarly at the mercy of big polluters who intrude on the climate negotiation process while portraying themselves as climate saviours.
High stakes, slow progress
This year, while the window of opportunity to take effective climate action is narrowing alarmingly, the talks still feature some of the UK’s main polluters among their sponsors, including car manufacturer Land Rover, energy company SSE and banking partner Natwest.
This is despite clearly laid out intentions from the summit’s organisers to only grant sponsorship to companies with a credible and positive climate track record.
However, some progress has been made thanks to persistent scrutiny and pressure put on organisers by campaigners groups such as Culture Unstained and Glasgow Calls Polluters Out. As a result, fossil companies like BP have had their free entry pass to COP removed. This is a huge step when it comes to limiting the influence of fossil giants on climate negotiations. But much more remains to be done to clean access away from major polluters - both in terms of sponsorship and advertising activities - including from specific sectors, companies and trade associations.
This report lays out what needs to be done to help ensure the success of future climate negotiations - be it at UN summits or at other major political events.
Rules for whom?
Organisers of this year’s COP talks in Glasgow have made it clear that sponsors would be scrutinised with regards to their climate credentials. The guidelines laid out by COP26 hosts state that they can only give access to sponsors who:
1. Can lend their resources, commitment and expertise to making COP26 a success and help to deliver international action on climate change.
2. Are making real contributions to the fight against climate change, and are aligned with the aims of COP26.
3. Have strong climate credentials. We are looking for businesses which have set ambitious net zero commitments by 2050 or earlier, with a credible short term action plan to achieve them.”
Despite good intentions, the above rules remain sufficiently vague for major polluters to creep in.
Land Rover sponsored COP26 in Glasgow. Its advert appealing to driving without restrictions led to multiple complaints to the UK advertising regulator, the ASA in 2021.
Thanks to freedom of information requests by campaign group Culture Unstained, it was revealed how this year’s COP26 organisers at last accepted that big oil shouldn’t be welcome to climate talks. According to COP26 appointed “High Level Climate Champion” Nigel Topping: ‘existing commitments from the oil industry are insufficient and don’t align with global climate goals’.
This is a great success for climate campaigners who have worked relentlessly to expose problematic encroachment from high-carbon companies over climate policy-making. To make sure no other polluters are allowed inside the climate arena, stricter rules are still needed.
Spoof poster targeting Air France’s sponsorship of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, 2015. Design by Matt Bonner.
Clear measures for big polluters
To regulate the harm done by tobacco companies, it was necessary to impose restrictions on both their sponsorship and advertising activities. Similar measures must now be taken against high-carbon companies. Our recommendations are that future COP hosts:
Turn down any sponsorship deal by high-carbon companies, sectors and trade associations.
Regulate advertising and marketing activities by high-carbon companies within the conference centre. In addition, hosts should take steps to work with local authorities to prevent these same companies from advertising their products and services within a reasonable proximity of the conference centre.
Building upon these demands, we support recommendations from Glasgow Calls Out Polluters to:
‘Lock polluters out’ by adopting a conflict of interest policy that blocks high-carbon companies from access to accreditations, expert and advisory bodies and UNFCCC posts, and ends sponsorship deals.
Meanwhile, other campaign and ‘subvertising’ groups keep exposing big polluters’ hypocrisy and greenwash stunts. At the start of the month, actions were taken across European cities against major polluters and a European Citizen Initiative demanding the EU Commission end all fossil sponsorship and advertising has gathered more than 70,000 signatures.